Summary

This Nursing Assistant (NA) - Escort position is located at the Cumberland County VA Clinic in Fayetteville - NC aligned under the Nursing - Ambulatory Care Service Line. The NA - Escort functions as a member of the nursing care team assisting licensed nursing and other medical staff in the provision of preventative - acute - sub-acute - chronic - maintenance - and hospice patient/resident care. Duties may be performed in a variety of health care settings.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:

• Citizenship: - Citizen of the United States
• (Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.) Experience - Education - or Training - Six months of general experience that demonstrates the ability to acquire the knowledge and skills to perform the work of a Nursing Assistant
• or one year of education above high school with courses related to the Nursing Assistant occupation
• or completion of an intensive - specialized - occupation-related course of study of less than one year as a Nursing Assistant.
• English Language Proficiency - Nursing Assistants must be proficient in spoken and written English - in accordance with VA Handbook 5005 - part II - chapter 3 - section A - paragraph 3j
• Physical Requirements: - This position requires visual acuity - keen hearing - clear distinctive speech - and manual dexterity
• This position requires potentially long periods of continued walking - standing - stooping - sitting - bending - pulling - and pushing
• Transferring patients and objects may be required
• The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to wear protective clothing in isolation situations or operative/invasive procedures
• The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium - dementia - or psychiatric disorders
• The incumbent must be a mature - flexible - sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations - able to shift priorities based on patient needs
• The NA must complete annual Employee Health requirements - such as annual TB screening or testing - as a condition of employment
• These physical requirements will be consistent with VA Directive Handbook 5019
• May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria)
• Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates
• GS-3 Nursing Assistant (Entry Level) Experience - Education - Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSAs) - None beyond the basic requirements
• GS-4 Nursing Assistant Experience - One year of specialized experience as a Nursing Assistant or experience in another medical field (licensed practical nurse - health technician - hospital corpsman - etc.) - performing technical and nursing skills requiring knowledge of the human physical and emotional states - therapeutic communication - and technical skills required for basic and intermediate treatments
• OR - Education - Successful completion of 2 years above high school in an accredited institution with courses related to nursing care - healthcare or in a field of study appropriate to the specialization of the position - such as education in a program for psychology - psychiatric - or operating room technicians
• AND Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSAs) - Ability to provide a range of patient/resident care and contribute to the completion of the nurse care plan and recovery of patients/residents
• Ability to observe patients/residents' or resident's physical or emotional status and refer deviations and/or problems to supervisor in a timely manner
• Ability to properly use equipment - materials and supplies in simple diagnostic and treatment procedures such as bladder scan - continuous passive motion device - blood glucose monitoring machine - specimen collection - etc
• Ability to communicate effectively with patients/residents - their families and other health professionals
• GS-5 Nursing Assistant (Full Performance Level) Experience - One year of progressively responsible assignments and experience equivalent to the GS-4 level which demonstrates knowledge - skills - and abilities that are directly related to the specific assignment
• In addition - the candidate must demonstrate the professional KSAs in subparagraph (c) below
• OR - Education - Successful completion of a 4-year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor's degree that included 24 semester hours of courses related to health care or possession of a bachelor's degree
• AND Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSAs)
• Ability to assist in the full range of nursing care to patients/residents with physical and/or behavioral problems in a hospital - long-term care or outpatient setting under the direction of a Registered Nurse and/or Licensed Vocational Nurse/Licensed Practical Nurse
• Ability to communicate orally with patients/residents - families - interdisciplinary team and other personnel
• This includes serving as a preceptor to new NAs by assisting with the coordination of their orientation and overseeing/assessing their practical experience while in a clinical setting
• Ability to recognize and react to emergent patient/resident care situations and intervene while waiting for assistance
• For example - recognizing need for basic life support - controlling bleeding and assisting with behavior crisis - etc
• Reference: - For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• NOTE: The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-5. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-3 to GS-5.

Duties

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Responsible for the safe - prompt - and efficient transportation of specimens - medications - patients - and/or residents throughout the Medical Center
• Provides patient care and services under the direction of a Registered Nurse (RN) - Advance Practice Nurse - or MD/DO
• Practices within the scope of a NA Escort in the area of assignment and demonstrates consistent practice if temporarily reassigned to other areas
• Provides medical - psychological - physical - and social care and services to multiple populations served by and admitted to the Medical Center - contributing to optimized outcomes as a member of the multi-disciplinary healthcare team
• Supports cultural activities of daily living
• Provides care for patients/residents with dignity and continuous consideration of the individuals emotional and other needs
• Completes appropriate reporting - communication - and documentation in the computerized patient record system
• Maintains currency in required education and training as identified by regulating agencies - the Fayetteville VA Medical Center - the VISN - and other National Agencies
• Demonstrates competency and consistency in the technical use of equipment - specialized training for the transport of patients and specimens - application of technical standards - and performance of administrative support duties
• Demonstrates knowledge of and compliance with standard operating procedures for the maintenance of reusable medical equipment
• Participates in medical Center activities and demonstrates skill and behaviors that provide and promote positive internal and external customer relationships
• Attends unit level and Medical Center meetings and develops as an employee to support committee participation
• Maintains resident/patient safety standards assuring patient/resident privacy - safety - and psychological wellness
• Establishes working relationships with multi-disciplinary and multi-level members of the work team promoting the physical - psychological - and emotional safety of the work environment for all team members
• Provides assistance and support to Registered Nurses (RNs) and/or other medical providers within scope and consistent with Medical Center policy
• Provides care and services consistent with Infection Control Standards or Practice providing optimal outcomes for patients - residents - visitors - and employees
• Recognizes - responds to - and initiates appropriate response to medical emergencies such as cardiac arrest and/or respiratory failure
• Draws - processes - labels - and packages biological specimens for transport
• Preferred Experience Basic Life Support (BLS) Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 8:30am-5:00pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 00000