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The Nursing Assistant works as a member of a team of other nursing personnel to provide direct care to outpatients in the Primary Care clinic setting. The NA is assigned to specific patients and duties but not limited to vital signs including weights and pulse oximetry with documentation, venipuncture/phlebotomy, acquisition of 12 Lead ECG's, finger stick blood sugar measurements helping the patient to transfer from the wheelchair or assistive device to a chair and back, toileting, hygiene, ambulation, changes in position, comfort care, and other direct care related responsibilities. She/he may work in clinics screening patients (i.e. EKG, phlebotomy, demographic, etc.) under the direction of a physician or midlevel provider in outpatient clinic.

The Primary Care Lab Nursing Assistant (NA) reports to the Nurse Manager or his/her designee in the CBOC. The NA is responsible for initiating and carrying out a variety of laboratory responsibilities to include being proficient in venipuncture, immunizations, echocardiogram, Holter/event monitor, Ankle-Brachial Index test (ABI) and administrative duties with close supervision or oversight. The NA may be required to serve as the Telehealth Technician or complete other duties as needed and within their scope of practice. The NA demonstrates active collaboration and communication between lab personnel, the PACT team, which includes the Patient, Primary Care Provider, RN Care Coordinator and Clinical Support Technician and the Larger Team consisting of family/caregiver, internal and community-based services and disciplines involved in providing care to the patient.Major Duties Include but are not limited to:

• Initiates, performs, and completes assigned duties timely, including administrative, immunization, laboratory, echocardiogram, holter / event monitor, ABIs and providing care to variable patient populations.
• Performs primary duties including collection and processing blood specimens for transport to the main facility, standard diagnostic tests or procedures such as immunizations, echocardiograms, application of holter / event monitors and ABI's; documents per policy.
• Performs patient blood collection utilizing proper selection and use of equipment/supplies, and collection techniques.
• Adheres to computerized patient record system policies and procedures for medication administration and data entry for vital signs and other patient information.
• Observes for physical and/or emotional changes in patient's condition from prescribed medications/treatments, promptly and accurately documenting noted changes, and reporting any deviations from normal to RN or MD/DO.
• Works with the Nurse Manager to appropriately orient/train less experienced Nursing Assistants/Health Technicians in relation to acceptable standards of practice in promoting optimal patient care delivery.
• Educates patients about future appointments/labs/tests, importance of not being a noshow, TAP, ACA and the procedure to cancel an appointment as appropriate.
• Scrubs clinic schedule and huddles with lab team daily;
• May enter orders in accordance with medical center approved nursing protocols;
• Ability to observe, identify and respond to patient's needs for care including patient/family education. In planning, organizing and delivering care, the NA recognizes and considers emotional, cultural, spiritual, socio-economic, and agerelated factors.
• Knowledge and ability to recognize urgent or emergent patient care situations, seek assistance from the physician or midlevel provider, and initiates appropriate emergency interventions.
• Knowledge and understanding of human behavior, patient motivations and reactions to situations, and the ability to appropriately utilize this knowledge in working effectively with patients, family members, and other staff is required.
• Actively participates in team efforts and staff meetings.
• Listens to all patient/customer feedback, positive and negative, acts to resolve complaints within his or her control, and reports feedback to management in a timely manner.
• Establishes constructive relationships with individual patients and their families to elicit feelings and attitudes, and to promote positive relationships, communication and socialization skills. Fosters an environment of respect for individual patient and family rights to privacy and dignity in all aspects of care delivery.

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.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• 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.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

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.
• Education or Training: One year above high school with courses related to the NA occupation. Completion of an intensive, specialized, occupation-related course of study of less than one year as a Nursing Assistant may also meet in full the experience requirements for GS-3.
• 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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.

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 MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for 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; 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.

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.

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.