Clarification from the agency

ALL US CITIZENS. DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.201) for this occupation.

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Major duties and responsibilities will include:

• Knowledge of routing computerized medical records; knowledge of computer operations and ability to use computer equipment; knowledge of routing modified diets, combinations of diet modifications, and knowledge of Nutrition and Food Service Commercial Off the Shelf Dietetics Software programs.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, in person and telephonically; communicate effectively with people from a wide variety of backgrounds.
• Ability to follow oral and written instructions.
• Ability to work under pressure and to maintain composure under adverse conditions.
• Handles patient meal service orders in person or by phone.
• Interacts with Veterans, dietitians, nursing staff, and other medical center employees.
• Receives patient meal orders and preferences, meal and nourishment requests from nursing, clinical staff, and other members of the interdisciplinary team.
• Takes whatever action necessary, within authority, to maximize patient satisfaction with meal service.
• Completes select and non-select menus as required.
• Retrieves computerized information to assist with tray and/or nourishment assembly such as standing orders, nourishment labels, tabulated recipe lists, and other simple information to assist in meal delivery.
• Provides education and information on local facility therapeutic diets to patients, guests, and nursing staff.
• Assists patients in selection of the proper foods according to their individual diet.
• Performs clerical and administrative duties in support of the service.
• Ability to organize work, analyze data, and work under time constraints,

Work Schedule: Includes various shifts between the hours of 6:00 am - 6:30 pm with weekends and holidays, based on the needs of the Service.
Position Description Title/PD#: Health Technician (Dietetic)- NFS Ambassador/PD99855S
Physical Requirements and Work Environment: The work requires walking, standing, bending, lifting, and carrying of light items, such as food trays, instruction materials, books, and manuals. Frequently lifts or moves objects weighing up to 20 pounds and pushing loaded carts of trays and/or nourishments; may be necessary to lift and/or push equipment. Requires long periods of sitting and moving about in an office environment, including repetitive motion activities of the hands and fingers for extensive keyboard and computer mouse use, and office tasks such as answering and holding a telephone and writing. The work may require walking, indoors, outdoors, or to and from other areas of the medical center; may be subject to periods of continuous standing, sitting, walking and frequent stooping, reaching, pushing, pulling, and bending. Work is performed in a hospital and involves some exposure to contagious diseases. Standard precautions may necessitate the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in situations of potential exposure.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
• Subject to a background/suitability investigation
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
• May serve a probationary period
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc
• 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.
• Selected applicant is subject to a restriction on movement following competitive appointment in 5 C.F.R. 330.502 for the first 90 days.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

All applicants must meet one of the Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR) to receive additional consideration:

• Specialized Experience (for positions at GS-4 and above): 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; OR,
• Education for GS-05: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position; AND,

In addition to to meeting the IOR, to qualify for the GS-05, all applicants must meet one of the following criteria:

• Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-04) in the Federal service that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of this Health Technician (Dietetic) NFS Ambassador position. Specialized experience includes: Performing duties in food service in a hospital environment; knowledge of tray assembly area procedures; using dietetics software programs; familiarity with regular and modified diets, assisting with food selections; following verbal and written instructions; using computer equipment, phone systems, and printers; effective communication skills both verbally and in writing. Note: applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must clearly indicate the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment; OR,
• Education and/or Training: A 4-year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation and/or completion of appropriate training such as in-service training programs, training acquired while serving in the Armed Forces, and government-sponsored developmental training programs, will be allowed credit on a month-for-month basis, generally through the GS-05 level. Education must have been obtained in an accredited business or technical school, junior college, or a college, or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the norm prerequisite. Such training meets general or specialized experience requirements depending upon its applicability. Note: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials; education cannot be credited without documentation; OR,
• Combining Experience and Education: Equivalent combination of successfully completed post-high school education and experience are also qualifying. If education is used to meet specialized experience requirements, then such education must include courses directly related to the work of the position (When crediting education, prorate the number of hours of related courses required as a proportion of the total education to be used). For this GS-05 position, only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. Two full academic years of study, or 60 semesters hours, beyond the second year is equivalent to 1 year of specialized experience. To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 60 semester hours that you earned). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-05. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position. Note: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

Preferred Experience: Room service ordering experience using computer system and hospital food service experience is preferred but not required.

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.

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. Applicants will be referred in the order in which they were received.