This position is located in the Emergency Room and is assigned to Nursing Service, Seattle Division. The Emergency Room is responsible for outpatient care for all patients, and those center and home patients accepted to the Emergency Room. The incumbent functions as a member of the Emergency Room team under close supervision, and receives direction and assignments from the RN's and/or Emergency Room Provider, and provides technical support for nurses and physicians as directed.
Summary
This position is located in the Emergency Room and is assigned to Nursing Service, Seattle Division. The Emergency Room is responsible for outpatient care for all patients, and those center and home patients accepted to the Emergency Room. The incumbent functions as a member of the Emergency Room team under close supervision, and receives direction and assignments from the RN's and/or Emergency Room Provider, and provides technical support for nurses and physicians as directed.
ALL US CITIZENS.
DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (COVID-19 - VA 002) in-accordance with 5 U.S.C. 3304(a)(3) and 5 CFR 337.205(b)(1)-(4).
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 emergency, this vacancy is posted under the authority of 5 U.S.C. 7106(a)(2)(D) and in exception to existing labor agreements.
This announcement has been extended to 03/31/2022, applicants will be reviewed every other week starting 1/19/2022.
Duties include, but are not limited to:
Provides the emergency room with technical support for nurses and providers to optimize patient care.
Assists the RN in providing technical care to the patients by performing phlebotomy, performs 12 lead EKGs, transports patients to other departments, places patients on cardiac and vital sign monitors, performs point of care testing, performs wound care, inserts Foley catheters and Nasogastric tubes, obtains lab specimens and documents all care and procedures provided.
Assists the Emergency Room Staff with technical support such as removing simple sutures, assists the MD with physical exams, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.
Applies a variety of orthopedic splints and fits patients for crutches.
Performs laboratory draws and EKG
Observes patient for signs of distress, such as hypotension/hypertension, cramps, nausea, vomiting, cyanosis, and reports to the RN, and institute basic CPR measures in the event of a cardiac/respiratory arrest.
Provides direct personal patient care and assists patients' transfers and assistance as needed.
Cleans equipment and workspace.
Recognizes equipment malfunctions and refers for repair.
Stocks supplies.
Performs other duties as assigned by the nurse in charge that are essential to the safety and care of patients, and appropriate to his/her level of training as required.
Documents pertinent patient observations, nursing care and other data on emergency room flow sheet records.
Demonstrate respect for the diversity of cultures, religious and gender orientations, and other age range of patients and family served.
Maintain files and records.
Maintains accurate list of home visits
Perform other related duties as assigned.
Work Schedule: Days 7:30am-8pm; Mid-shift 11:30am-Midnight, Nights 7:30pm-8:00am (Compressed Tours available) Position Description Title/PD#: Health Technician - Emergency Department/ PD# 41258-A
Physical Requirements: The physical demands of this position are continuous with patient and equipment lifting and movement. Walking, bending, standing, stooping, lifting instruments and equipment, turning and positioning and movement of patients is required.
Work Environment: Work is primarily performed in the hospital building on the main floor. Infrequently, duties require activities in specialty areas, diagnostic, patient wards and other clinics. There is an additional hazard of nosocomial infection while working due to body fluids, caustic materials, and contamination both known and unknown. Gloves, masks, and gowns are frequently required.
If selected, you will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination by November 22, 2021 or before appointment or onboarding with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), if after November 22.
You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
Subject to a background/suitability investigation
Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
May serve a probationary period
Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc.
Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
Time After Competitive Appointment applies, 5CFR 330.502
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.
Qualifications
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.
Specialized Experience: To qualify for the GS-6, you must have at least one year of specialized experience (equivalent to at least the GS-5 level or higher pay band in the Federal service) that includes performing the following duties: Medical Terminology knowledge; Patient care procedures and use of medical equipment with manual dexterity, sufficient to pass instruments and assist physician during procedures; Experience with peripheral intravenous insertion, access and specimen collection for labs; Working knowledge of practical anatomy and physiology, medical techniques, and major disease processes, procedures, and tests sufficient to report on patient's illnesses and diseases, following doctor's order to treatment, change in patient's status, and report adverse reactions to treatment; Basic knowledge of application and set-up of specialized equipment, such as cardiac monitors, EKG machines, cast cutter, ring cutter, splinting, and pulmonary function equipment; Experience with surgical equipment and instruments used in a wide variety of procedures in order to select, set up, adapt, adjust, and operate correctly; Knowledge of duties, policies, and the organization of the Emergency Room.
OR;
Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. As a general rule, education is not creditable above GS-5 for most positions covered by this standard; however, graduate education may be credited in those few instances where the graduate education is directly related to the work of the position. For this position, you must have successfully completed one-half year of graduate education that is directly related to the work of this position. NOTE TO APPLICANTS: One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent one year of fulltime study; if that number cannot be obtained from the transcript, 18 semester hours will be considered as one full academic year of graduate study. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED - If you do not submit a copy of your transcript, your application may not be processed based on Education.)
OR;
Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education as described above to fully qualify for this position. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED).
You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
Diagnostic Medical Testing
First Response
Oral Communication
Patient Care
Technical Competence
NOTE: 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; religions; 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. When utilizing volunteer experience, please list the experience in your resume as you would paid experience, including dates of employment and hours worked per week.
Education
Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/.
If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education.
Additional information
COVID-19 Vaccination Requirements
As required by Executive Order 14043, Federal employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 regardless of the employee's duty location or work arrangement (e.g., telework, remote work, etc.), subject to such exceptions as required by law by November 22, 2021. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. Per the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), you are fully vaccinated for COVID-19, 2 weeks after receiving the requisite number of doses of a COVID-19 vaccine approved or authorized for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or that has been listed for emergency use by the World Health Organization. For Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or AstraZeneca/Oxford, full vaccination is 2 weeks after receiving the second dose in a 2-dose series. For Johnson and Johnson (J&J)/Janssen, full vaccination is 2 weeks after an employee has received a single dose.
HR Office staff must verify your vaccination status prior to issuing a final offer of employment and before you report for New Employee Orientation. In addition, new hires must show vaccination documentation and submit their completed VA FORM 10230, COVID-19 Vaccination Form, to VA HR staff when reporting for New Employee Orientation. HR staff will upload vaccination information in the VA Light Electronic Action Framework (LEAF) system. If you are unable to obtain the COVID-19 vaccination due to a legally covered exception (i.e., medical or religious reasons), VA will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation is needed and how you can request an exception. If you request a legally required exception, you must first complete the VA FORM 10230, COVID-19 Vaccination Form, and return the form to the servicing HR Office staff within 2 business days. The HR Office staff will submit the form to your new supervisor of record for adjudication of the exception request. You may receive a final offer or be appointed while your request for medical or religious exception is being adjudicated. Some positions must be adjudicated favorably prior to receiving a final offer. Please contact the HR Point of Contact listed in the JOA for more information. .
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
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. Applicants will be referred in the order in which they were received.
The following will be communicated to applicants for VA employment in a testing designated position and will also be included in all VA vacancy announcements for such positions: All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drugs use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website which can be found at https://www.opm.gov/.
Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
Please review the above list(s) to ensure you have included all necessary documents required for your application.Not every applicant will require the same documents, therefore it is the applicants responsibility to ensure that their application package includes all necessary documents to determine qualifications and eligibility for appointment, such as a copy of your SF-50, transcript, ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees).You will not be contacted for additional information. Applicants will be deemed ineligible if supporting documentation is not submitted.
Veterans' Preference: Since the Direct-Hire Recruitment Authority is being used, traditional Veterans' Preference rules do not apply. Qualified veterans will, however, be given full consideration for this position.
Applications are accepted online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 03/31/2022 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11286632.
1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
VA Puget Sound Health Care System
1660 South Columbian Way
Seattle, WA 98108
US
Next steps
After the vacancy announcement closes, applicants are evaluated to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
Please review the above list(s) to ensure you have included all necessary documents required for your application.Not every applicant will require the same documents, therefore it is the applicants responsibility to ensure that their application package includes all necessary documents to determine qualifications and eligibility for appointment, such as a copy of your SF-50, transcript, ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees).You will not be contacted for additional information. Applicants will be deemed ineligible if supporting documentation is not submitted.
Veterans' Preference: Since the Direct-Hire Recruitment Authority is being used, traditional Veterans' Preference rules do not apply. Qualified veterans will, however, be given full consideration for this position.
Applications are accepted online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 03/31/2022 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11286632.
1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
VA Puget Sound Health Care System
1660 South Columbian Way
Seattle, WA 98108
US
Next steps
After the vacancy announcement closes, applicants are evaluated to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
