Clarification from the agency

This vacancy is open to current permanent VA Nationwide employees and Federal employees of other Agencies and all U.S. Citizens. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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Duties include but not limited to:
1) Transports equipment, meds, supplies, specimens, and other items as needed within and between two primary campuses of CAVHS or other sites as needed.
2) Safely transports staff, veterans, or residents within and between two primary campuses of CAVHS or other sites as needed.
3) Assists patients/residents with activities of daily living, i.e., bathing, shaving, feeding, oral hygiene, ambulation, dressing, etc.
4) Assists lower graded NA in the completion of these duties as well.
5) Assists Registered Nurses, therapists, and others in the rehabilitation and or providing care for patients/residents. Assures the residents are prepared to engage in therapy as much as possible.
6) Ability to use clean and aseptic technique to perform various non-medicine treatments, i.e., wound cleansing, applying dressings, performing catheter care, and applying external catheters, performing perianal care and monitoring for early signs of breakdown- notify RN.??????, etc.
7) Cares for patient/resident and prevents complications of limited mobility or immobilization by turning, maintaining proper body alignment, range of motion exercises, assists with deep breathing and cough.
8) Encourages and provides adequate nutrition and hydration within ordered diet. Assists with observation and monitoring of enteral feeding and/or gastro tube and notifies RNs of concerns or issues. Accurately monitors intake and output and daily weights as ordered.
9) Monitors intravenous fluids by informing the nurse of the need to add fluids, any alarm and any patient/resident concerns. Monitors for pain, leakage, swelling or redness at site and notifies nurse immediately.
10) Is a leader in activities that promote safety for the Veteran and others in the work area, including, but not limited to, performing monitoring of the patient safety monitoring system after completion of orientation and completion of competency demonstration. Assists with safety monitors such as hand hygiene, safety support or others.
11) Performs other duties as assigned for the position. Precepts and trains new and lower graded staff in functions of nurse assistant.
12) Monitors patient safety systems to prevent fall or injuries.
13) Is an active participant in principles and practices of high reliable organization.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday. 7:30 am to 4:00 pm. Subject to change based on needs of veteran care.
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 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: not available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 01411F, 01412F, 01413F
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.
• 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).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
• Must be able to independently operate Government Vehicle.
• Must provide clean driving record report from the DMV during the pre-employment process.

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

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. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• Experience or Education or Training.
  • Six months of general experience. Experience must demonstrate the ability to acquire the knowledge and skills to perform the work of a NA; OR,
  • One year of education above high school with courses related to the NA occupation; OR,
  • Completion of an intensive, specialized, occupation-related training course of study [or program] of less than one year as a NA may also meet in full the experience requirements for GS-3.

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 Nursing Assistant (Entry Level):
Experience and Education. None beyond the basic requirements.

GS-4 Nursing Assistant:
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,
Education. 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;

AND,
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs).
In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
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.

GS-5 Nursing Assistant (Full Performance Level).
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. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the professional KSAs below;
OR,
Education. 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;

AND,
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs).
In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
i. 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.
ii. 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.
iii. 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:

• Driving experience
• Nursing Assistant experience
• Customer Service experience

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-05. 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: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, puling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment.

Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.

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.

Selections from this announcement will be made without regard to Veterans' preference in accordance with OCHCO Bulletin dated 09/25/2025.