Summary

This Nursing Assistant position is located at the Iowa City VA Medical Center within our Medical/Surgical Nursing Unit. The Nursing Assistant works as an important part of a nursing team caring for acutely ill Veterans with complex - critical health issues that require constant monitoring and intervention. The Nursing Assistant works under the direction of an RN - monitoring patients and performing a mix of basic and more complex patient-centered tasks.

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
• In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d) - no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English
• Experience - Education or Training
• You must meet one of the following to meet the basic requirements for a Nursing Assistant (NA): Six (6) months of general experience
• Experience must demonstrate the ability to acquire the knowledge and skills to perform the work of a NA
• OR - One year of education above high school with courses related to the NA occupation
• OR - 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. 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 stated above - the following qualification criteria must be met for each grade
• The candidate's qualifications must clearly demonstrate the level of competence required for the grade
• GS-03 - None beyond the basic requirements
• NAs at this grade NAs are considered entry-level and are closely supervised
• GS-04 - To qualify at the GS-4 level you must meet the following: EXPERIENCE: One (1) year of experience as a Nursing Assistant or 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 two (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 - in addition you must demonstrate the following 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 residents' 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-05 - To qualify at the GS-5 level you must meet the following: EXPERIENCE: One (1) year of progressively responsible assignments and experience equivalent to the GS-4 level which demonstrates knowledge - skills - and abilities (KSAs) that are directly related to the specific assignment
• Specialized experience includes but is not limited to functioning as a member of the nursing care team and assisting licensed nursing staff and other members of the care team in the full range of nursing care of patients/residents receiving outpatient care - home - or community living care or other patients/residents who are receiving preventative - acute - sub-acute - chronic - maintenance - and hospice care
• OR - EDUCATION: Successful completion of 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 - in addition you must demonstrate the following 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/
• 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 some degree of fitness - strength - and agility
• Duties require extensive periods of standing and walking
• Working with patients requires regular and recurring bending - lifting - stooping - stretching - pushing - pulling - lifting arm overhead - and similar activities
• May require extensive periods of sitting (one-to-one - etc.)
• If selected - questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed during a pre-employment physical evaluation.

Duties

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The Medical-Surgical Nursing Assistant operates under the supervision of the RN - carrying out various responsibilities as outlined below
• Additionally - the incumbent will receive training in cardiac monitoring and achieve certification in performing essential - non-interpretive tasks associated with the telemetry system
• This encompasses aiding in the setup of patients on telemetry devices for observation - handling and adjusting monitoring settings at bedside monitors - coordinating with the technicians - monitoring the displays and alerting RNs to alarms - and replacing batteries and leads as required
• Major duties include - but are not limited to: Take and record patient vital signs
• Administer skin care treatments to prevent complications and promote healing - utilizing a range of cleansing baths and shampoos
• Facilitate oral care and hygiene - including the maintenance of dentures
• Ensure proper room setup and maintain cleanliness of terminal rooms to meet requirements for each Reusable Medical Device (RMD)
• Provide assistance with the utilization of bedpans and urinals
• applies external catheters and ensures their patency or drainage
• aids in bowel and bladder training
• supports the provision of ostomy care for established and uncomplicated ostomies
• Aid patients in self-feeding or provides assistance to those unable to feed themselves - monitoring and documenting all intake and output - excluding totals from intravenous and tube feeding
• (May assist RN with administering Bolus Tube Feedings via G-tube - J-tube - GJ-tube by positioning the patient and passing supplies.) Reposition patients as necessary utilizing various supportive and comfort devices
• Aids or facilitates patient transfers and activities - such as ambulation - stretcher - and/or wheelchair to bed
• Accompanies patients to tests as required
• Provide support in the assembly of equipment for sterile procedures - as well as the administration of oxygen and the setup of vacuum/suction systems
• Participate in health team conferences by reporting observations of patient's physical - mental - and emotional status
• Assist in diagnostic examinations by positioning/draping the patient and passing instruments and supplies
• Engage in team communication to enhance all facets of patient safety and is responsible for ensuring effective handoff communication to incoming Nursing Assistants to prevent any lapses in care
• Other duties as assigned
• Work Schedule: Sunday-Saturday - days - evenings - and nights
• Alternating weekends and holidays required
• (Note: Vacancies may not presently exist for all work schedules but may become available at any point during the opening period of this vacancy announcement.) Additional Pay: Shift Differential - 10% of basic pay for work performed during regularly scheduled hours between 6pm and 6am
• Weekend Premium - 25% of basic pay for work performed between the hours of midnight Friday and midnight Sunday
• Holiday Pay - 2 times basic hourly rate for regularly scheduled - non-overtime work on a designated holiday
• Compressed/Flexible: Available Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay - a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade)
• 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) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior [work experience] or military service experience
• 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) Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized