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***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION***

Major Duties

• Determines and prioritizes appropriate medical treatment/procedures and need for additional assistance.
• Performs physical examinations and obtains patient history, assesses status of patient's neurological system, cardiovascular system, circulatory system, skeletal system, orthopedic system, motor and sensory skills, and level of consciousness.
• Makes an independent preliminary assessment of the patient's condition and selects from a variety of prescribed protocols.
• Determines if and how the patient can be moved and to which medical facility the patient should be transported.
• Operates the emergency transport vehicle and uses telephone and radio communications equipment and systems.
• Performs thorough safety and operator maintenance inspections and makes minor repairs on a variety of emergency ambulances, patient transport vehicles, and medical equipment.
• Assists in lifting and carrying patients into or out of transport vehicles and into treatment facility.

Work Schedule: Full Time; Rotating shifts to include holidays and weekends

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

Qualifications

To apply for this position, you must have the following qualifications:

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. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position.

AND

In addition to the meeting the Basic Requirement, this position includes a Selective Placement Factor (skill, knowledge, ability or other worker characteristic basic to - and essential for - satisfactory performance of the job). Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration. The Selective Placement Factors for this position are:

1. Must possess a valid/current state issued license/certification for eligibility for employment (EMT).
2. Must possess and maintain current Basic Life Support Provider (BLS) Certification.
3. Possess a valid and unrestricted state driver's license. (Please DO NOT provide driver's license. We may not accept pictures. This requirement will be verified during interview)

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE:

This position requires 1 (one) year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS 6) in the Federal Service that includes but is not limited to: Transport patients in need of Advance Life Support level care to and from various locations including inter-facility transport.; Prioritizes transports for patients and employs a variety of established techniques, methods and equipment during transport to the appropriate medical facility.; Perform patient triage and take/records patient's vital signs as needed.; Conducts or assists with the training of personnel in CPR, basic and advanced emergency medical care techniques.; Understand indications, dosing, and administer oral, intramuscular, and intravenous medications.; Respond to on-site accidents and other emergencies involving injury and illnesses, sometimes encountering situations which may be life threatening.

(Resume(s) must clearly support the duties and experience required for this position. We will not make assumptions regarding experience.)


You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position:

• Clinical Data Collection/Documentation
• Emergency Care
• Patient Care
• Transportation

IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Physical Requirements
The Paramedics work involves extended periods of heavy moving and lifting of patients in a variety of situations. Generally, the work requires recurring bending, lifting, stooping, stretching and positioning of patients, frequently under adverse conditions or in confined areas. Paramedics may be required to spend prolonged periods in protective breathing apparatus and protective clothing during chemical, nuclear, biological, or hazardous materials incidents/exercises.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

Your responses to the assessment questionnaire will be reviewed along with the information provided in your resume and supporting documentation to determine if you are qualified for the position. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered and/or you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

Candidates who apply under All U.S. Citizens announcements will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. Qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The categories are defined as follows:

• Best qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position;
• Highly qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the requirements of the job;
• Well qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in some, but not all, of the requirements of the job; and
• Qualified - applicants possessing experience and/or education that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors.

Application of Veterans' Preference: Category rating and selection procedures place those with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligible applicants that meet the eligibility and qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category (except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher).

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.