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Nursing Assistant

Department of Health and Human Services
Indian Health Service
Gallup Indian Medical Center

Summary

At the Indian Health Service, guided by our mission to raise the health of American Indian and Alaska Native people, you'll deliver compassionate care where it's needed most. You'll support licensed staff by prioritizing assigned tasks and using universal precautions to maintain a safe, clean environment for nursing care.

A REAL ID will be required beginning May 7, 2025, in accordance with 6 C.F.R. 37.5 (2021).

Overview

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Accepting applications
Location
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$36,464 - $47,848 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 3 - 4
Promotion potential
5
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
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Other
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
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
IHS-27-GA-13108554-ESEP/MP
Control number
891431300

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

The IHS is required by law to give absolute preference to qualified applicants who meet the Secretary of the Interior's definition of Indian for appointment to vacancies within the IHS in accordance with established IHS policy as outlined in the Indian Health Manual Part 7, Chapter 3.

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Duties

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Total Compensation Package - Check out IHS's outstanding total compensation package for this job:
Certified Nursing Assistant Total Compensation

The purpose of this position is to provide comprehensive care to patients within the Indian Health Service:

  • Provide basic nursing care to patients with a variety of conditions, illnesses, and/or injuries, under the direction of a registered nurse
  • Responsible for obtaining and recording patient information as assigned per unit policy
  • Responsible for accurate input into unit computer system
  • Assist in the arrangement of clinic appointments and discharge/transfer transportation
  • Assist in admitting and discharging patients
  • Assist patient in Activities of Daily Living (ADL) in accordance to the units' checklist
  • Perform general maintenance duties including cleaning, arranging, and restocking supply cabinets
  • Assists with collection and proper care of specimens

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Selectee may be subject to a probationary period
ESEP appointees typically serve a two year trial period
U.S. Citizenship is required
Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959

This is a designated position covered by Public Law 101-630, requiring contact or control over Indian children. Due to this requirement, the agency must ensure that persons hired for these positions have not been found guilty of or pleaded nolo contendere or guilty to certain crimes.

On-call hours or standby duty may be required.

Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/.

You will need to set up direct deposit so we can pay you.

Background Investigation Requirement:
This position requires the successful completion of a federal background investigation as a condition of employment.

A background investigation is a standard process used by the Federal Government to verify an individual's identity, employment history, education, and other relevant information to determine suitability for Federal service.

Upon receipt of instructions, applicants must complete all required background investigation forms within five (5) calendar days of issuance. Timely completion is critical to avoid delays in processing or a determination of unsuitability.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to prioritize this requirement and to maintain regular communication with their assigned Personnel Security Specialist throughout the process.

Financial Suitability Requirement:
This position requires a review of the applicant's financial history as part of the personnel security and suitability determination. Applicants must demonstrate financial responsibility, maintain good standing with creditors, and satisfy all legal financial obligations prior to applying.

Individuals with substantial delinquent or unresolved financial obligations-including, but not limited to, delinquent federal or state tax liabilities, defaulted federal student loans, court-ordered fines or fees, or child support arrears-may be deemed unsuitable for employment with the Indian Health Service (IHS).

Prior to the appointment, candidates must present two valid forms of identification. If one of the documents is a state-issued ID or driver's license, it must be REAL ID-compliant.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, your resume must state sufficient experience and/or education, to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are applying.

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; religious; spiritual; community; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer and part time experience. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

For the GS-03 level your resume must demonstrate at least one of the following requirements:Experience: Must have at least 6 months of general nursing assistant experience performing simple personal nursing care duties and related support duties.
OR
Education: Completion of at least one-year of post-high school education obtained in an accredited business or technical school, junior college, college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite in practical nursing or in a field of study appropriate to the specialization of the position.
OR
Combination of education and experience that when combined fully meet the minimum qualifications for this position.
OR
Completion of an intensive, specialized course of study that required up to 40 hours per week and lasted at least 3 months. Such courses may have been obtained through a variety of programs such as those offered by business or technical schools, and through military training programs. To be creditable, the courses must have been designed specifically as career preparation for the work of this position.

For GS-04 level your resume must demonstrate at least one of the following requirements:
Experience: Must have at least 6 months of general experience and 6 months of specialized Nursing Assistant experience. Qualifying specialized experience includes nonprofessional nursing care work in a hospital, outpatient clinic, nursing home, or other medical, nursing, or patient care facility or in such work as that of a home health aid performing duties such as: Performing a variety of nonprofessional nursing care and diagnostic support duties in a hospital, outpatient clinic, nursing home or other medical, nursing, or patient care facility.
OR
Education: successfully completed a 2-year degree program in an accredited community college, junior college, or college or university in practical nursing or in a field of study appropriate to the specialization of the position, such as education in a program for a psychology, psychiatric, or operating room technician.
OR
Combination of education and experience that when combined fully meet the minimum qualifications for this position.

Time In Grade
Federal employees in the competitive service are also subject to the Time-In-Grade Requirements: Merit Promotion (status) candidates must have completed one year of service at the next lower grade level. Time-In-Grade provisions do not apply under the Excepted Service Examining Plan (ESEP).

You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.

Education

You are strongly encouraged to submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed, and grades. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. Official transcripts will be required from all selectees prior to receiving an official offer.

Only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education may be credited. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: https://www.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

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. IHS may offer newly-appointed Federal employees credit for their directly related previous 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.

This position is covered by a Bargaining Unit.

IHS Selectees whose duties and responsibilities require them to work permanently, temporarily, or occasionally in an IHS healthcare facility must comply with the IHS Employee Immunization Policy related to vaccine-preventable diseases, consistent with recommendations for healthcare workers. Vaccine exemption requests may be available, as outlined in the IHS Employee Immunization Policy and facility guidance.

This position has promotion potential to the GS-5 grade level. Promotion to the next grade level is at management's discretion and is based on your demonstrated ability to perform the higher level duties, the continuing need for the higher level duties, and "Regulatory/Administrative" approval. Promotion to the next higher grade level is not guaranteed and no promise of promotion is implied.

You will be evaluated for this position in accordance with the OPM Merit Hiring Plan.As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide short essay responses (200 words or less each) to the following four questions.

  1. How has your commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States inspired you to pursue this role within the Federal government?
  2. In this role, how would you use your skills and experience to improve government efficiency and effectiveness?
  3. In this role, you will be expected to professionally and efficiently implement executive direction. Provide an example where you implemented leadership direction on a strategy or policy decision that differed from your own recommendation.
  4. How has a strong work ethic contributed to your professional, academic or personal achievements?
  • Your responses are optional and will not be scored.
  • However, they may be reviewed by hiring managers and agency leadership (or designees) during the evaluation process.
  • You will be asked to certify that your responses are written in your own words and that you did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) tool (such as ChatGPT or Copilot).
Financial Suitability Requirement:This position requires a review of the applicant's financial history as part of the personnel security and suitability determination. Applicants must demonstrate financial responsibility, maintain good standing with creditors, and satisfy all legal financial obligations prior to applying.Individuals with substantial delinquent or unresolved financial obligations-including, but not limited to, delinquent federal or state tax liabilities, defaulted federal student loans, court-ordered fines or fees, or child support arrears-may be deemed unsuitable for employment with the Indian Health Service (IHS).

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.

Additional selections may be made for similar positions across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) within the local commuting area(s) of the location identified in this announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with interested selecting official(s) at HHS. Clearance of CTAP/ICTAP will be applied for similar positions across HHS.

To determine if you are qualified for this position, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against the qualifications as defined in the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement.

  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Technical Competence


The following links below provide information on how you may be eligible for various hiring authorities. If you are a Veteran, qualified CTAP and ICTAP eligible, or an individual with a disability, please refer to the following links below for additional guidance. Information about CTAP and ICTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management's Workforce Restructuring Career Transition website at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. CTAP/ICTAP documentation requirements are listed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. Click here to view vacancy questions: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13108554.

The first Cut-off date for receipt/referral of applications to be considered for available vacant positions will be 15 business days after the announcement open date. Subsequently, applications will be referred as vacancies occur which can be at any time.

Your application will remain active for 90 days from the submission of application.

Indian Health Service

Become a part of an innovative, dynamic, nationwide organization of dedicated health care providers working to meet the individual health care needs of American Indians and Alaska Natives. Indian Health Service (IHS) employees are considerate in our care, creative in our approach, enthusiastic about our work and compassionate with our patients. Our lifestyle is adventurous, community oriented and focused on service and problem solving as part of a professional interdisciplinary team. Join us in improving the health outcomes of over 2 million American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Agency contact information

Traci Covers Up
Phone
505-422-7513
Email
traci.coversup@ihs.gov
Address
Gallup Service Unit
516 E Nizhoni Blvd
P O Box 1337
Gallup, NM 87301
US

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http://www.ihs.gov

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