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Health Technician

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position serves as a Health Technician in the Emergency Department assisting with patient care activities under the direction of the Nurse Management, Assistant Nurse Manager, or Chief of ER.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
05/20/2022 to 08/31/2022
Salary
$46,416 to - $60,341 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 6
Location
2 vacancies in the following location:
Houston, TX
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
CBST-11506847-22-JW
Control number
655706200

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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As a Health Technician, you will:

  • Serve as a member of the ER staff and participate in the assessment of physical, functional, psychosocial, and spiritual and discharge planning needs of patients assigned in collaboration with the provider, social workers, nurses and/or other health care providers.
  • Utilize Universal Precautions in caring for the ER patients.
  • Perform EKG at the bedside upon arrival of patients with chest pain or angina equivalent symptoms.
  • Request and apply prosthetic equipment required by patient to aid in minimizing functional limitations: and instruct patients on equipment issued.
  • Perform blood sugar testing, Troponin testing, phlebotomy including blood culture collection using aseptic technique to avoid specimen contamination.
  • Perform sterile dressing changes, ace bandage application, application of ice pack, Kthermia pads hypo and hyperthermia equipment's.
  • Take patient's vital signs, height, weight, neuro-vital signs, pulse oximetry-all with appropriate documentation. - Enter notes or patient data into patient electronic medical record.
  • Perform administrative and clerical duties as directed by Nurse Manager or designee, such as answering phones at the front desk, answering call lights, obtaining supplies, and printing patient rosters each shift.
  • All other duties assigned by management.

Work Schedule: Monday - Sunday 7:30am - 4:00pm, 11:30am - 10:00pm, or 3:30pm - Midnight (Shift work), subject to change based on needs of the facility.
Position Description Title/PD#: Health Technician/ PD#3737A
Physical Requirements: The work can be physically taxing and will require standing and walking. It may require lifting and moving patients into and out of stretchers or chairs and pushing or pulling wheeled equipment.

This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until August 31, 2022. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be June 6, 2022, with subsequent cut-off dates on the 1st of each month. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled.

Requirements

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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

Qualifications

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

GS-06 grade level: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: providing clinical support to healthcare providers, using aseptic techniques to draw blood cultures and other patient procedures; performing patient care which may include activities of daily living, changing complex and simple dressing changes, Foley catheter insertion, and feeding patients and oral hygiene; performing clerical tasks such as answering phones, answering light calls, obtaining supplies, and preparing or obtaining information, that will need to be documented for current or future patient care.

OR

Applicants may substitute education for the experience required for the GS-06 level. You must have successfully completed one half year of graduate education (9 semester hours or equivalent) with a major that included courses directly related to the work of this position. Such graduate education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

OR

Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-06 level. You must have an equivalent combination of successfully completed graduate-level education and specialized experience, as described above, which meet the total qualification requirements for this grade level. This education must have been obtained at an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college, or university. NOTE: Your experience must be documented in your resume and transcripts are required.

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-06. 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 A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

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.

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.

Additional information

COVID-19 Pandemic Expanded Telework Program - Due to COVID-19, VA is currently in an expanded telework posture. If selected, you may be expected to temporarily telework, even if your home is located outside the local commuting area. Once employees are permitted to return to the office, you will be expected to report to the duty station listed on this announcement. Management officials will provide information about returning to the official, pre-pandemic worksite, when applicable. At that time, you may be eligible to request to continue to telework depending upon the terms of your organization's telework policy and the duties of the position.

VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

The following will be communicated to applicants for VA employment in a testing designated position and will also be included in all VA vacancy announcements for such positions: All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drugs use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.

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 well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website which can be found at https://www.opm.gov/.

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.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

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.

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