Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. This job is open to current permanent Department of Veteran Affairs employees, current permanent Federal employees of other agencies. Note: 38 U.S.C. 7412 waives the requirement to apply Veterans preference to external applicants for appointments made from this announcement during FY2026.

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Nursing Assistant (NA) Duties:
A. Clinical Care & Monitoring

• Assists in the delivery of care to Veterans exhibiting predictable and unpredictable care needs.
• Obtains and records vital signs, pain scores, oxygen saturation, height/weight, and other clinical measurements.
• Performs glucose monitoring and documents results; promptly reports deviations to licensed nursing or providers.
• Performs electrocardiograms and other clinical procedures within scope and per policy.
• Accurately documents care, observations, and Veteran responses in approved electronic systems.
• Assists with specimen collection, phlebotomy, lab processing, and non-invasive procedures as trained.
• Responds to subtle or acute changes in Veteran conditions by immediately notifying appropriate clinical personnel.
• Monitors and documents intake and output, reporting abnormalities promptly.
• Assists with mobility, transfers, positioning, and activities of daily living within competency level and patient safety standards.
• Identifies and responds to behavioral crises; requests support as appropriate.
• Recognizes emergent situations and initiates Basic Life Support (BLS) until higher-level assistance arrives.

B. Patient & Environment Safety

• Serves as a Safety Champion by adhering to VA safety, regulatory, and infection control standards.
• Maintains logs and documentation including emergency lights & alarms, refrigeration/freezer monitoring, temperature & humidity logs, AED checks, eyewash stations, wheelchairs, supply audits.
• Removes defective equipment, reports hazards, and ensures facility safety standards are upheld.
• Participate in fire drills, emergency preparedness activities, and infection prevention compliance.
• Assists in disinfecting and deep-cleaning clinical equipment and patient areas according to policy.

C. Team Support & Collaboration

• Collaborates with interdisciplinary team members to support safe, high-quality Veteran care.
• Participates in daily huddles, team meetings, and shared governance or process-improvement activities.
• Engages in Root Cause Analysis (RCA) or other safety and quality reviews as required.
• Supports Veteran movement through clinic spaces and escorts patients as needed.

D. Education, Mentorship, & Professional Conduct

• Serves as a preceptor and mentor for newly hired or junior Nursing Assistants.
• Provides orientation to clinic environment, equipment use, safety expectations, and workflow processes.
• Maintains required competencies, certifications, and mandatory training.

E. Mobility & Operational Support

• Operates government-owned vehicles (GOV) to support staffing coverage at other VA clinic locations.
• Maintains safe driving record and completes required VA GOV driving program training.
• Performs additional duties assigned to support clinic operations and Veteran care.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 0800-1630 or 0730-1600
Compressed Schedule: No
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 existing pay, 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: AdHoc telework available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: Nursing Assistant
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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.
• 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).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 02/11/2026

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: Must be proficient in written and spoken English

[Experience or] Education or Training.
(1) [Six months of general experience. Experience must demonstrate the ability to acquire the knowledge and skills to perform the work of a NA; OR,]
(2) One year of education above high school with courses related to the NA occupation (must submit TRANSCRIPT with application); OR,
(3) Completion of an intensive, specialized, occupation-related [training] course of study [or program] of less than one year as a NA may also meeting full the experience requirements for GS-3.

Grade Determinations:
In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

1. GS-3 NA (Entry Level)
   1. Experience and Education. None beyond the basic requirements
2. GS-4 NA
   1. Experience. One year of specialized experience as a NA 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,
   2. Education. Successful completion of 2 years above high school in an accredited institution with courses related to nursing care, healthcare 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; (must submit TRANSCRIPT with application); AND
   3. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs).In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following 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 resident's 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.
3. GS-5 NA (Full Performance Level).
   1. Experience. 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. (i.) Ability to provide a range of patient/resident care and contribute to the completion of the nurse care plan and recovery of patients/residents. (ii.) Ability to observe patients/ residents' or resident's physical or emotional status and refer deviations and/or problems to supervisor in a timely manner. (iii.) 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. (iv.) Ability to communicate effectively with patients/ residents, their families and other health professionals. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the professional KSAs in subparagraph (c)below; OR,
   2. Education. Successful completion of 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; (must submit TRANSCRIPT with application); AND
   3. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following 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.

Preferred Experience:

• Experience working in an outpatient primary care setting, collaborating with multidisciplinary teams, and supporting RN/LVN workflows
• Experience in exam room turnover, including room preparation, disinfecting, stocking clinical areas, maintaining supply par levels to support efficient clinic flow
• Proficiency in obtaining and documenting vital signs, including manual blood pressure, pain assessment, height/weight, and completion of required screenings in an electronic health record.
• Experience processing laboratory specimens, including centrifuging, aliquoting, and preparing samples for courier pick-up in accordance with CLIA and facility protocols.
• Phlebotomy, including venipuncture, capillary draws (blood glucose), specimen labeling, and adherence to safety and infection-control standards.

Reference can be found at the VA Qualification Repository, VA Qualifications Standards - Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO) GS-0621 Nursing Assistant Qualification Standard, dated 5/22/2024.

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-03 to GS-05.

Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. Some work may require movement between offices, hospitals, warehouses, and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work. Work may also require walking/standing, in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site. Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds.

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. 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.