This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/473029300. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan" by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans.
Please read the entire announcement before beginning the application process to ensure you submit all the required documents. All applicable forms must be completed and signed prior to uploading to receive consideration for this position (see Required Documents section).
VA Northern Indiana Health Care Systems is larger than just a single facility. Rather, it is a fully-integrated medical care facility with a dual campus and combined VA mission. The combined mission of the VANIHCS means military retirees, and eligible veterans receive health care at these facilities.
This position is located within Patient Care Service with in the VA Northern Indiana Health Care System at the Peru CBOC.
VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.
06/27/2017 to 07/11/2017
$32,263 - $50,055 per year
GS 03 - 06
1 vacancy in the following location:
Not required
No
Permanent - Excepted Service Permanent
Full-time - Full Time
No
610-17-KB-1979425-BU
473029300
The Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) provides nursing care in accordance with duties, knowledge, and the skills identified in this functional statement as outlined in VA Handbook 5005/3. The LPN functions under the direct supervision of the Registered Nurse who is responsible for the coordination of resident care. The LPN works with the RN and others to appropriately orient less experienced LPN's, Nursing Assistants (NAs) or Health Care Technicians (HCT). The LPN administers medications according to policies and procedures. The LPN also documents observations, treatments, procedures, medications and conditions electronically, via CPRS and BCMA, and reports them verbally to the appropriate person, generally the Registered Nurse. Recurring duties are carried out independently. The employee recognizes the need for, and seeks guidance when necessary, to ensure quality resident care. The LPN provides age appropriate nursing care to residents.
The VA Northern Indiana Health Care System (VA NIHCS) is a multi-campus facility, having a total of 285 operating beds (75 psychiatric; 150 Nursing Home Care Unit beds; 30 inpatient acute medical/surgical/ICU; 30 Residential Beds), Community Based Outpatient Clinics in South Bend, Goshen, Peru and Muncie, Indiana and Veterans Resource Centers in Fort Wayne and Logansport, Indiana. The facility also serves a large outpatient population encompassing approximately 40,000 Veterans in Northern Indiana and Northwestern portion of Ohio.
Work Schedule: Typically administrative hours but may have occasional extended hours that may include evenings and weekends.
Functional Statement Title/#: Licensed Practical Nurse
Physical Requirements: May require heaving lifting (45 lbs and over); moderate carrying (15-44 lbs); standing, walking, and kneeling; pushing/pulling; the use of fingers on both hands; ability to reach above shoulders; repeated bending; climbing using legs and arms; ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; near vision correctable to 13" to 16" so Jaeger 1/to 4; far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other; depth perception; ability to distinguish basic color and shades of colors; and hearing (hearing aid permitted).
Basic Requirements:
Preferred Experience: Minimum of 2 years experience as a Licensed Practical Nurse
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.
Grade Determinations:
Your starting grade (salary) will be recommended by a professional standards board based on your professional experience. In addition to the basic requirements, the following qualification criteria must be met for each grade. The candidates qualifications must clearly demonstrate the level of competence required for the grade.
GS-3. None beyond the basic requirements. LPNs at this grade level are expected to perform all duties within the scope of their license (e.g., medication administration); however, completed work may require routine or detailed higher level review depending upon the complexity of the duties involved.
GS-4. LPNs at the GS-4 grade level perform all duties expected of employees at the GS-3 grade level; however, they are expected to exercise greater judgment, require less supervision, and to operate in accordance with all established policies, procedure, and techniques. They may may be appointed at or advanced to GS-4 if they meet any of the following criteria:
Six months of qualifying experience as an LPN or LVN; OR
Graduation from an approved school and one year of experience that involved nursing care work in a hospital, outpatient clinic, nursing home, or other supervised medical, nursing, or patient care facility that provided a practical knowledge of human body structure and sterile techniques and procedures; OR
Graduation from an approved school of at least 24 months duration.
GS-5. Individuals at this grade level are expected to have a broad working knowledge of practical nursing procedures. However, completion of more complex practices or procedures may be subject to closer higher-level review. In addition the following criteria must be met:
Completion of at least 1 year of qualifying experience at the GS-4 level or equivalent.
Demonstrated knowledge and ability to provide a full range of practical nursing care to patients with a variety of physical and/or behavioral problems.
Demonstrated ability to serve as a responsible member of the nursing team and interact in an appropriate manner with patients, family members, professional and other supportive personnel.
Knowledge and skill sufficient to prepare, administer, and appropriately document actions taken specific to commonly prescribed oral, topical, subcutaneous, intramuscular, and/or intravenous medications as permitted by approved local facility policies and procedures.
Knowledge and ability to recognize the need for and to institute emergency measures when indicated, promptly seek the assistance of the RN or MD/DO, and assist in resuscitation procedures in cardiac and/or pulmonary arrest.
Recognize and appropriately respond to breakage/malfunction or loss of equipment, safety hazards, and supply deficiencies, promptly reporting to appropriate personnel for corrective action.
GS-6. Requires at least 1 year of additional qualifying experience at the GS-5 level or equivalent and fully meeting all performance requirements for the GS-5 LPN. In addition the following criteria must be met:
Technically proficient in initiating, performing and completing assigned duties in providing care to variable patient populations.
Knowledge and ability to appropriately carry out assigned patient care based on the patients conditions.
Ability to observe, identify and respond to the patients needs for care, including medication, equipment-assisted care and patient/family education.
Prepare and administer prescribed medications (oral, topical, subcutaneous, intramuscular and/or intravenous) and performs treatments according to established policies/procedures. Observes for physical and/or emotional changes in patients condition from prescribed medications/treatments, promptly and accurately documenting noted changes, and reporting any deviations from normal to RN or MD/DO.
Knowledge and ability to recognize urgent or emergent patient care situations, seek assistance of the RN and/or MD/DO, and initiate appropriate emergency interventions as directed.
Knowledge and understanding of human behavior, patient motivations and reactions to situations, and ability to appropriately utilize this knowledge in working effectively with patients, family members, and other staff.
Establish constructive relationships with individual patients and their families to elicit feelings and attitudes, and to promote positive relationships, communication and socialization skills.
Knowledge and skill in performing support duties for complex diagnostic tests and/or specialized practices or procedures, which include preparing the patient, assisting in the diagnostic examination, preparing and handling specialized instruments or other specialized equipment, and monitoring the patients condition before, during, and following the procedure.
Actively seek out educational opportunities to enhance nursing knowledge and skills, sharing new knowledge gained with other staff to improve and advance nursing practice.
References: VA Handbook 5005/3, Part II, Appendix G-13, LICENSED PRACTICAL OR VOCATIONAL NURSE QUALIFICATION STANDARD, dated April 2003, and OPM Practical Nurse Qualification Standard at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/Standards/IORs/gs0600/0620.htm.
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.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.
Selectee will not be required to file a financial disclosure report.
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, résumé and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.
NOTE: The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-6. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-3 to GS-6. The Professional Standards Board (a peer-review group) will recommend the grade and salary for new appointments.
You must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
1. CV or Resume.
2. VA Form 10-2850c - Application for Associated health Occupations (Available at http://www.va.gov/vaforms/medical/pdf/vha-10-2850c-fill.pdf). Note: Current VA Northern Indiana Healthcare System (VANIHCS) LPN's do NOT need to submit this form. All other LPN applicants MUST provide a VA Form 10-2850c as part of the application package.
3. Answers to the Assessment Questionnaire
4. Most recent SF-50 - Notification of Personnel Action that indicates your status i.e. permanent, career, career conditional etc. (NOT required for VANIHCS employees)
Please use this checklistto make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.
Veterans' Preference: When applying
for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference on the
Occupational Questionnaire in the section provided and provide a legible
copy of your DD214(s) and/or documentation related to your active duty
service which shows dates of service, character of service (honorable,
general, etc.), or dates of impending separation. Additionally,
disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as
widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15
"Application for 10 Point Veterans Preference" with required proof as
stated on the form. For more information, please review the information
for disabled Veterans in the application checklist or visit http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/index.aspx.
Faxing Applications or Supporting Documents: You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. If you are unable to apply online or unable to upload your supporting documents to your online application, follow the directions located at the following site: Fax Options. The Vacancy ID of the job opportunity announcement is 1979425.
NOTE: If you applied online and your application is complete, do not fax the paper application (1203-FX) as this will overwrite your prior online responses and may result in you being found ineligible.
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
All applicants are encouraged to apply online.
To apply for this position, you must complete the View Occupational Questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on Tuesday, July 11, 2017 to receive consideration.
1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. During our review, if your résumé and application package do not support your questionnaire answers, we will adjust your rating accordingly. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email (if provided); otherwise, applicants will receive a notification letter via the U.S. Postal Service. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.
You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USAJOBS account and clicking on Application Status. For a more detailed update of your status, click on more information. Information regarding applicant notification points can be found in the USAJobs Resource Center.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/473029300. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
Learn more about
Vacancy Identification Number (VIN) 1979425