Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to current permanent Cincinnati VAMC personnel only.

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The Cincinnati VA Medical Center (CVAMC) is a two-division campus located in Cincinnati, OH and Fort Thomas, KY serving 15 counties in Southwest OH, Northern Kentucky, and Southeast Indiana with 6 Community Based Outpatient Clinics located in Bellevue, KY; Florence, KY; Lawrenceburg, IN; Hamilton, OH; Clermont County, OH, and Georgetown, OH. The CVAMC also supports two off main campus locations in the Cincinnati area via an Eye Center and Mental Health Outreach Community Division.

Duties will include, but may not be limited to the following:

• Conducts patient assessments, assesses severity of illness/injury and identifies life threatening problems.
• Determines/prioritizes appropriate medical treatment/procedures and need for additional assistance.
• Paramedics shall perform patient triage, take and records patient's vital signs as needed.
• 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.
• Administers basic life support care at emergency scene in accordance with established medical standards, which may include providing CPR, and/or drug treatments. Performs invasive and non-invasive procedures on patients with life threatening and non-life-threatening conditions.
• Operates or utilizes various emergency vehicles and emergency/medical equipment, tools and supplies which may include ambulance, extrication tools, blood pressure cuff, cardiac monitor, ventilator, laryngoscope, glucose monitor, oxygen terminal, pulse oximetry monitor, medical supplies, radio communications equipment, and general office equipment.
• Provides treatment as prescribed in protocol. Makes modifications to the protocol, if necessary, within prescribed limits.
• When not responding to Emergency Response Team calls, the incumbent may serve in a technical support capacity to the Emergency Department.
• Selects the most efficient route to and from sites, taking into consideration traffic patterns, health facility locations, etc. Paramedics operate emergency transport vehicle and uses telephone and radio communications equipment and systems.
• Adheres to traffic ordinances and regulations pertaining to operation of emergency vehicles. Paramedics prepare appropriate patient and vehicle use documentation and reports to ensure medical requirements are met.
• Provides a thorough safety inspection and operator maintenance (e.g., monitoring fluid levels, replacing air filters and interior lights, checking tire pressure, etc.).
• Responsible for taking patients to and from medical areas.
• Assists in lifting and carrying patients into or out of transport vehicles and into treatment facility.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Paramedics may work rotating shifts, including holidays, and are subject to occasional recall to maintain adequate coverage of the Emergency Department and ambulance service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Mandatory overtime may be required due to run times that may extend beyond normal scheduled work hours.
Compressed/Flexible: At the needs of the facility
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Medical Care Transportation Technician / 99772S

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
• 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)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period 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 probationary period or 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, 02/24/2026.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: The following are minimum requirements for appointment as a Medical Care Transportation Technician - Paramedic, GS-0640-09,in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), which all applicants must met. Please refer to the Qualifications and Duties sections of this vacancy announcement for detailed information.

• SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE (GS-09): You must possess at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-08) in the Federal Service, that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the Medical Care Transportation Technician -Paramedic. Positions in this series range widely in type and include support duties to medical or health personnel such as audiologists, speech pathologists, medical officers, and optometrists. Therefore, technician experience is experience that required application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of the position to be filled. Qualifying specialized experience includes applying knowledge of a majority of body systems, i.e., skeletal, muscular, nervous, respiratory, circulatory, digestive, and genitourinary, to perform patient examination; responding to accidents and other emergencies involving injury and/or illness which may be life-threatening and require basic life support procedures; experience providing transportation of patients to medical treatment facilities; using communication equipment and techniques to accurately obtain and relay information to and from dispatchers and health care providers; applying knowledge of protocols and treatments used in the delivery of emergency care for persons injured in chemical, nuclear, biological, and hazardous materials incidents; and experience operating emergency or patient transport vehicles. (CLEAR DETAILS OF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: Your resume must show complete information for each job entry, such as beginning and ending dates of employment, duties performed, and/or total hours worked per week.)
• -OR-
• SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE (GS-09): Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. Successfully completed two (2) full years of graduate education or a Master's degree is creditable only in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.)
• -OR-
• COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED): Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. Equivalent combinations of successfully completed Graduate education (in excess of one year) and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.).

In addition to meeting the minimum qualification requirements, the following criteria must be met to be qualified for this position.

English Language Proficiency Requirement: 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 perform the duties of this position.

-AND-SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR (SCREEN-OUT) -

FOUR Selective Placement Factors (SPF) have been identified for this position. Selective Placement Factors (SPF) are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for the position. Applicants who do not meet the SPF are ineligible for further consideration.

1. Must possess a valid/current National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) issued Paramedic license/certification for eligibility for employment. **Paramedics do not need a state license if they have NREMT. **
2. Must possess and maintain current Basic Life Support Provider (BLS) Certification. (COPY OF CERTIFICATIONS REQUIRED by the closing date of the announcement to receive credit for further consideration).
3. Must possess and maintain current Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) Provider Certification. (COPY OF CERTIFICATIONS REQUIRED by the closing date of the announcement to receive credit for further consideration).
4. 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).

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 qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position:

• Attention to Detail
• Clinical Data Collection/Documentation
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Emergency Care
• First Response
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Patient Care
• Reading Comprehension
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork
• Transportation

USA Hire Assessments include a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. 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.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

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.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the 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.