Summary

The Oklahoma City VA Health Care System is hiring for one Nursing Assistant.

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:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy
• English Language Proficiency
• [NAs] must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005 - part II - chapter 3 - section A - paragraph 3j
• Experience or Education or Training.(1) Six months of general experience
• Experience must demonstrate the ability to acquire the knowledge and skills to perform the work of a NA OR - 2) One year of education above high school with courses related to the NA occupation
• OR - (3) Completion of an intensive - specialized - occupation-related [training] course of study [or program] of less than one year as a NA may also meet in full the experience requirements for GS-3 Grade Determinations: Nursing Assistant - GS-3 Experience and Education
• None beyond the basic requirements
• Nursing Assistant - GS-4 Experience
• One year of specialized experience as a [NA] 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 - health care 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)
• In addition - the candidate must demonstrate the following 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
• Nursing Assistant - GS-5 (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 KS As 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 KSA's
• 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/
• 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
• Physical Requirements: This position requires visual acuity - keen hearing - clear distinctive speech - and manual dexterity
• This position requires potentially extended periods of continued walking - standing - stooping - sitting - bending - pulling - and pushing
• Transferring patients and objects may be required
• Mechanical inpatient lifts are provided
• The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations - operative/invasive procedures - or home settings
• 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.

Duties

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The Nurse Aide Provides direct care for complex - acute - primary care and long-term patients/residents per established Oklahoma City Veterans' Health Care System (OKC VAHCS) policies
• The Nurse Aide will attend to needed and vital requirements of the patient/resident and ensure all regulatory and hospital guidelines and practices are followed - providing for a positive care experience within the OKC VAHCS
• It is expected that the Nursing Assistant will know their personal - legal - and ethical responsibilities and will work within the limits of their training/competency and functional statement
• Other duties may include - but are not limited to: Safely and accurately perform personal care skills - including measuring and recording vital signs to include temperature - pulse - respiration - blood pressure and measuring of height and weight
• Measures and records intake and outpatient - feeding techniques - non-sterile specimen collection - transfer - positioning - and turning techniques
• Self-directed in seeking out RN - Lead Nurse - or Change Nurse to report patient-related information
• Maintain appropriate communication with patients - families - and other health care workers - use medical asepsis and universal precautions - and documents care given is inherent to the role
• Adheres to Safe Patient Handling practices for safe body mechanics - use of mechanical devices
• Uses sound judgement when requesting assistance from other staff when moving - lifting - or turning patients to prevent injury to patient - self - or others
• Functions as a therapeutic attendant for Veterans who require close observation or 1:1 observation
• The attendant provider cares (including bathing - personal hygiene - feeding - elimination - and intake and output - etc.) for Veteran and prevents Veteran from hurting him/herself or interfering with the treatment by pulling out lines/IVs
• Maintains direct supervision of the veteran
• Performs duties per policy to ensure documentation and safety are attained
• Demonstrates positive - effective communication skills and professional behaviors that promote cooperation and teamwork with internal and external customers
• Practice good personal and professional integrity in the workplace
• Uses the proper chain of command for communication
• Offers supportive nursing care to critically or terminally ill patients/residents
• Provides emotional support to patient/resident and/or family and significant other
• Initiates basic life support and promptly recognizes/responds to emergent situations
• Work Schedule: 730am-8:00pm with alternating weekend and holiday coverage
• Compressed/Flexible: This will be a compressed schedule
• Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
• Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave - 13 days of sick leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment - up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth - adoption - or foster care placement of a child
• Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment - full time employees with a total family income below $144 -000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66
• Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Functional Statement #: 55018-A - 55019-A - 55020-A