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Intermediate Care Technician

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Iowa City VA Healthcare System
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This Intermediate Care Technician (ICT) position is located in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) within the Department of Veteran Affairs, Veterans Health Administration (VHA). This position serves as an advanced technician for the ICU, Step-down Unit, and Postanesthesia Care Unit (PACU) for patients who are present for treatment.

Overview

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Job closed
Open date: 06/24/2026
Closed date: 06/24/2026
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$50,460 - $65,599 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 7
Promotion potential
None
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Not required
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
Yes - 1272/ AFGE
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
CBSY-12989922-26-MD
Control number
873999200

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

ALL US CITIZENS DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.205) for this occupation.

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Duties

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Major duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Performing ongoing patient care duties in a critical care setting under the delegated authority of the supervising physician, licensed independent provider (LIP), and/or advanced practice provider (APP) assigned.
  • Communicating effectively with their supervising physicians, licensed independent provider (LIP), and advanced practice provider (APP) to provide collaborative, timely and appropriate patient care.
  • Performing observation-based screening and collecting patient information in collaboration with licensed personnel.
  • Assisting in behavioral/psychiatric situations in a clinical care setting.
  • Assisting critical care licensed personnel with the delivery of care to patients with complex, specialized, and potentially life-threatening situations.
  • Operating specialized medical equipment.
  • Providing support, relief, and coverage as needed to central telemetry station.
  • Performing specimen collection.
  • Responding to medical emergencies on the facility grounds, and sometimes encounters situations which may be life threatening as part of the Rapid Response Team (RRT), Code Blue, or medical transport team.
  • Performs other duties as assigned within the training and competencies of the role.


Work Schedule: 7:30pm-8:00am, every other weekend, rotating holidays
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Intermediate Care Technician/PD99794S
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
  • To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
  • Pre-employment physical is required.
  • 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 identification 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 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 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, 07/02/2026.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY
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 meet the requirements of this position.
- AND -
In addition to meeting the English Language Proficiency, to qualify at the GS-7 level, applicants must meet at least one of the following requirements.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
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. You MUST possess at least one year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of Intermediate Care Technician position, and that is typically in or related to the work of this position. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-6 grade level in the Federal Service. Qualifying specialized experience includes: recognizing life threatening situations and act to correct these emergent situations according to established national or local protocols; understanding the legal/ethical considerations of critical care (e.g., actual/implied consent, patient rights, advanced directives, etc); taking and recording diagnostic signs to perform patient evaluations and screenings; assisting in behavioral/psychiatric situations; and assisting licensed personnel with complex, specialized, and potentially-life threatening situations.
- OR -
SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE:
successfully completed one (1) year of graduate education or internship directly related to the position at the next lower grade level. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent one (1) year of full-time study. If that number cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours will be considered an academic year of graduate study. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended. (COPY OF OFFICIAL OR UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED)
- OR -
COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
equivalent combinations of creditable specialized experience and education as described above to meet the total experience requirements for the position. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. Only education beyond a one-half year (e.g. 6 months; 9 semester hours) of graduate level education may be used to qualify applicants for the GS-07 level. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Physical Demands: The work involves extended periods of heavy moving and lifting of patients. Generally, the work requires recurring bending, lifting, stooping, stretching, and positioning of patients. Must be able to lift and/or move heavy objects over 45 pounds. Must be able to carry objects over 40 pounds for distances of at least 200 feet. The work involves regular and recurring exposure to infection and contagious disease, known as Category I classification, based on exposure risk. Specific gloves, gowns, or masks are required as safety precautions. Observes, corrects, and reports safety hazards to the licensed staff. As part of the Rapid Response Team (RRT) or Code Blue team the incumbent may be exposed to all types of weather conditions, and face risks and discomforts at the scene of accidents, to include the possibility of noxious fumes and dangerous substances, requiring the employee to comply with special safety and health precautions and/or to use protective gear.

You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

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
  • Customer Service
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork


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. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

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.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator.

Veterans Health Administration

OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for those who have served in our nation's military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate whole health care to Veterans?

Since 1952, the Iowa City VA Health Care System has been improving the health of the men and women who have so proudly served our nation. Our system serves more than 50,000 Veterans residing in 53 counties throughout Eastern Iowa, Western Illinois, and Northern Missouri


The Iowa City Veterans Affairs Health Care System (ICVAHCS) consists of a comprehensive Tertiary Care Level I VA Health Care System; eleven VA Clinics and two Homeless Veterans Outreach Centers and has an affiliate agreement with the top ranked University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine.

ICVAHCS is home to the Center for Access & Delivery Research and Evaluation (CADRE), one of the largest research departments in the VA. CADRE is an energetic and upbeat organization with 18 core investigators, 29 affiliate or associate investigators, 3 Career Development Awardees, 5 VA Quality Scholars, over 50 research personnel, and over 40 funded projects.

https://www.va.gov/iowa-city-health-care/about-us/

DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.205) for this occupation.

Agency contact information

Marissa Dobson
Phone
(612) 467-5704
Email
marissa.dobson@va.gov
Address
Iowa City VA Health Care System
601 Highway 6 West
Iowa City, IA 52246
US

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http://www.va.gov/jobs

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