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Major Duties:
- Assists in activities of daily living (ADLs) and the care/treatment of patients' psychiatric and medical conditions.
- Leads groups (Unit Orientation, ADL, Self-Care, Reminiscence, and Relaxation).
- Assists the RN/LPN to prepare patients for interdepartmental transfers or emergency care in addition to admission and discharges.
- Re-enforces instructions and teaching information covered previously by the physician or the nurse.
- Conducts and records unit rounds, EOC rounds, and safety checks.
- Assists with meal monitoring.
- Monitors satellite & dayroom.
- Performs PMDB, SP/1:1 & HB/1:1, Medical Equipment Montioring (MEM) monitoring.
- Completes urine drops.
- Runs unit errands as needed.
- Completion of health and wellness screenings (clinical reminders) as appropriate.
- Continuously observes the patients' condition for subtle signs of deterioration such as restlessness, lethargy, diaphoresis, pallor, anxiety, hopelessness, suicidality, hostility or agitation and reports to the professional nurse.
- Observes any change in patients' skin such as blisters, reddened areas, rash, draining wounds, decubiti or evidence of self-injury.
- Completes transport duties, cleans equipment on unit, assists with recreation activities, attends safety huddles, fall huddles, unit incident debriefs, and hourly rounds as assigned by the RN.
- Participates in communication "huddles" with the RN/LPN to receive information and direction of delegated duties.
- Applies infection control measure appropriately in delivering care.
- Adheres to ethical principles, boundaries and nursing standards in delivering care.
- Uses effective communication skills with individuals and groups to achieve desired patient outcomes.
- Incorporates age, gender, cultural and learning needs of patients and families to meet inpatient care needs.
- Takes vital signs, performs bedside blood glucose monitoring and EKG, obtains and labels specimens, performs bladder scans, and monitors patient intake and output.
- Monitors and records vital signs, weights and heights.
- Participates in safety huddle and post fall huddles.
- Reports all falls to RN immediately. Completes Joint Patient Safety Report (JPSR) as appropriate.




Work Schedule: Full time (1.0 FTEE) or Part time (0.5 FTEE) DAY 0730AM-4PM & NIGHT 1130PM-0800AM
Telework: Not available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• 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 Nursing Assistant 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. Nursing Assistants must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Policy.

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:

GS-3: None beyond the basic requirements.

GS-4: One year of specialized experience as a Nursing Assistant 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

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 (Transcripts must be submitted).

AND

Demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs):
1. Ability to provide a range of patient/resident care and contribute to the completion of the nurse care plan and recovery of patients/residents.
2. Ability to observe patients/residents' or resident's physical or emotional status and refer deviations and/or problems to supervisor in a timely manner.
3. 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.
4. Ability to communicate effectively with patients/residents, their families and other health professionals.

GS-5: 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.

OR

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. (Transcripts must be submitted)

AND

Demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs):
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 Nursing Assistants 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.

References: VA Handbook 5005/81, Part II, Appendix G46. Nursing Assistant Qualification Standard.

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: Satisfactory physical examination as determined by the Employee Health Unit upon appointment only. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 (http://vaww1.va.gov/ohrm/HRLibrary/Dir-Policy.htm).This position requires visual acuity (glasses permitted), keen hearing (hearing aid permitted), clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. This position requires potentially long periods of continued walking (up to 8 hours), standing (up to 8 hours), stooping, sitting, bending (up to 8 hours), pulling, and pushing. Light lifting under 15 lbs. Light carrying 15-44 lbs. Transferring patients and objects may be required. The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations or operative/invasive procedures. Use of rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously. 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.

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.