Nursing Assistant

Summary

We are recruiting for a full-time Nursing Assistant within VA Western New York Healthcare System - Buffalo VA Medical Center in Buffalo NY. The nursing assistant successfully completes duties at the lower grades - and in this position performs activities of daily living and provides a range of care that contributes to the Veteran's treatment plan - recovery - and wellness under the direction of a licensed health care provider.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy
• Experience or Education or Training
• Six months of general experience
• Experience must demonstrate the ability to acquire the knowledge and skills to perform the work of a NA
• OR - One year of education above high school with courses related to the NA occupation
• OR - Completion of an intensive - specialized - occupation-related [training] course of study [or program] of less than one year as a NA may also meet in full the experience requirements for GS-3. Physical Requirements
• See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 - Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements
• English Language Proficiency
• NAs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005 - part II - chapter 3 - section A - paragraph 3j
• Grandfathering Provisions
• May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria)
• GRADE REQUIREMENTS
• Creditable Experience
• Knowledge of Current Practice
• To be creditable - the experience must have required the use of knowledge - skills - and abilities associated with the current practice
• Quality of Experience
• To be creditable - NA experience must be documented on the application or resume and verified in an employment reference - or through other independent means
• Part-Time Experience
• Part-time experience as a NA is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time workweek
• For example - a NA employed 20 hours a week - or on a 1/2-time basis - would receive 1 full-time workweek of credit for each 2 weeks of service
• Grade Determinations
• In addition to the basic requirements for employment - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates
• GS-3 NA (Entry Level) Experience and Education
• None beyond the basic requirements
• Assignments
• Individuals assigned as GS-3 NAs are considered to be at the entry level and are closely supervised
• GS-4 NA Experience
• One year of specialized experience as a NA or experience in another medical field (licensed practical nurse - health technician - hospital corpsman - etc.) - performing technical and nursing skills requiring knowledge of the human physical and emotional states - therapeutic communication - and technical skills required for basic and intermediate treatments
• OR - Education
• Successful completion of 2 years above high school in an accredited institution with courses related to nursing care - health care or in a field of study appropriate to the specialization of the position - such as education in a program for psychology - psychiatric - or operating room technicians
• AND Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSAs)
• In addition - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Ability to provide a range of patient/resident care and contribute to the completion of the nurse care plan and recovery of patients/residents
• Ability to observe patients/residents' or resident's physical or emotional status and refer deviations and/or problems to supervisor in a timely manner
• Ability to properly use equipment - materials and supplies in simple diagnostic and treatment procedures such as bladder scan - continuous passive motion device - blood glucose monitoring machine - specimen collection - etc
• Ability to communicate effectively with patients/residents - their families and other health professionals
• Assignment
• Individuals assigned as GS-4 NAs are considered to be at the intermediate or developmental level and are closely supervised
• NAs at this grade level function as a member of the nursing care team and assist higher graded NAs - licensed nursing staff - and other members of the care team in the care of patients/residents receiving outpatient care - home or community living care or other patients/residents who are in acute - sub-acute - or chronic states of illness
• The significant factor is that they provide care under close supervision and refer issues/questions to supervisors - higher graded NAs or other health care professionals
• In this role - the NA functions as a member of the nursing care team and assists higher graded NAs - licensed nursing staff - and other members of the care team in the care of patients/residents receiving outpatient care - home or community living care - or other patients who are in acute - sub-acute - or chronic states of illness
• The NA in this role provides care under close supervision and refers issues/questions to supervisors - higher graded NAs - or other health care professionals
• GS-5 NA (Full Performance Level)
• Experience
• One year of progressively responsible assignments and experience equivalent to the GS-4 level which demonstrates knowledge - skills - and abilities that are directly related to the specific assignment
• In addition - the candidate must demonstrate the professional KSAs in subparagraph (c) below
• OR - Education
• Successful completion of a 4-year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor's degree that included 24 semester hours of courses related to health care or possession of a bachelor's degree
• AND Demonstrated KSAs
• Ability to assist in the full range of nursing care to patients/residents with physical and/or behavioral problems in a hospital - long-term care or outpatient setting under the direction of a Registered Nurse and/or Licensed Vocational Nurse/Licensed Practical Nurse
• Ability to communicate orally with patients/residents - families - interdisciplinary team and other personnel
• This includes serving as a preceptor to new NAs by assisting with the coordination of their orientation and overseeing/assessing their practical experience while in a clinical setting
• Ability to recognize and react to emergent patient/resident care situations and intervene while waiting for assistance
• For example - recognizing need for basic life support - controlling bleeding and assisting with behavior crisis - etc
• Assignment
• This is the full performance level for NAs
• NAs at this grade level function as a member of the nursing care team and assist licensed nursing staff in the care of patients/residents receiving outpatient care - home or community living care or other patients/residents who are in acute - sub acute or chronic states of illness
• The distinguishing factor is that patient/resident assignments typically involve more complex nursing needs which can vary within a range of predictable to unpredictable requirements
• NAs at this level also assume more of a peer education/mentorship role
• Preferred Experience: Applicants with BLS experience and 1 year of acute care or emergency department experience.
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-5. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-3 to GS-5. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 - Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.

Duties

• Duties include - but are not limited to: The Nursing Assistant (NA) GS-3 is the entry level nursing position
• The candidate will be provided opportunities to develop basic nursing assistant skills to provide care to patients/residents with acute to chronic conditions in a health care setting
• Individuals assigned as GS-3 NAs are at the entry grade and are closely monitored and supervised
• The significant factor is that they provide care under close supervision and refer issues/questions to supervisors - higher graded NAs - or other healthcare professionals
• Performs activities of daily living and provides a range of care that contributes to the Veteran's treatment plan - recovery - and wellness under the direction of a licensed health care provider
• The Nursing Assistant (NA) GS-4 is the intermediate or developmental level and is closely supervised
• The NA at this grade level is learning to provide complex nursing care independently as a member of the nursing care team by assisting higher graded NAs - licensed nursing staff - and other members of the care team
• The significant factor is that they provide care under close supervision - are learning to perform complex nursing skills - and will refer issues/questions to supervisors - higher graded NAs - licensed nursing staff or other healthcare professionals
• Performs activities of daily living and provides a range of care that contributes to the Veteran's treatment plan - recovery - and wellness under the direction of a licensed health care provider
• The Nursing Assistant (NA) GS-5 is the full performance level for this occupation
• The NA at this grade level function as a member of the nursing care team and assist licensed nursing staff in the care of patients/residents receiving preventive - acute - sub-acute chronic - maintenance - and hospice care
• The distinguishing factor is that patient/resident assignments typically involve more complex nursing needs which can vary within a range of predictable to unpredictable requirements
• The NA at this level also assumes peer education/mentorship
• Performs activities of daily living and provides a range of care that contributes to the Veteran's treatment plan - recovery - and wellness under the direction of a licensed health care provider
• Work Schedule: Full-time - 10am - 10:30pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
• Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave - 13 days of sick leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior [work experience] or military service experience
• Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment - up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth - adoption - or foster care placement of a child
• Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment - full time employees with a total family income below $144 -000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66
• Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 10969-F - 10970-F - 10971-F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.