Intermediate Care Technician

Summary

The full performance, Intermediate Care Technician (ICT) Generalist is assigned to the Department of Veteran Affairs, Veterans Health Administration (VHA). This position serves as an advance technician for outpatient care settings such as; primary care, mental health, and specialty clinics. As an ICT Generalist the incumbent may serve in a medical center, community-based outpatient clinic (cboc), mobile medical unit or may have virtual/remote assignments.

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Duties

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Major Duties include, but are not limited to:

Mental Health Services

• Assisting licensed personnel with crisis intervention, management of aggressive or suicidal psychiatric patients, by providing one-to-one observations and applying prevention and management of disruptive behavior techniques (PMDB).
• Performs duties focused on communication techniques required to complete the questioners and templates approved for use in any outpatient clinical setting, including active listening, restating, and mirroring.
• Maintain a safe and therapeutic environment for the patient while promoting a sense of worth and dignity under the supervision of the licensed personnel.

Clinical Staff:

• Assists outpatient licensed staff with the delivery of care to patients with complex, specialized, and potentially life-threatening situations.
• Assists licensed staff with preparing patients for medical evaluation, setting up equipment, passing instruments and providing treatment during in person or virtual visits.
• Operates specialized medical equipment to obtain diagnostic and therapeutic outcomes.
• Responsible for collecting a wide range of specimens and preparing them for transfer to processing.
• Observes patient status and keeps licensed clinical staff informed of any change in condition.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Clinical responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Vital signs. Examples: vital signs, 12-lead electrocardiogram (EKG).
• Point-of-care (POC). Examples: Abbott hand-held blood analyzer (I-STAT), glucometer.
• Equipment and surgical instrumentation set up . Examples: skin biopsies (excisional, shave, punch).
• Treatments and interventions. Examples: Cryotherapy, incision and drainage, ambulation, and Foley coude' catheter insertion.
• Wound care. Examples: bandaging, application of dressings and wound measurements.
• Specimen collection and Preparation. Examples: collecting and labeling venous blood samples and mucous specimens.
• Assisting with patient exams and screening. Examples: gynecology exams.
• Mental health care. Examples: Crisis intervention, performs behavioral/mental health screens, conducts interviews, and observes behavioral patients.
• Preparation of lab specimens and transfer to the lab for processing: Examples: Labeling, placing in the proper bin or tube system.
• Electronic Health Record (EHR): Thoroughly and appropriately documents actions, interventions and procedures in the medical record.
• Examples: Procedural notes, progress notes, screenings, photo-documentation and secure messaging.

Work Schedule: 7:00am - 7:30 pm; Monday - Sunday; Weekend and Holiday shifts required.

Position Description Title/PD#: Intermediate Care Technician/ PD99968A

Preferred Experience: Two years of ED or Urgent care experience preferred.

Physical Requirements: The work requires walking; standing; bending; carrying of light items such as papers, books, small pieces of equipment. Ability to physically examine patients in outpatient. Typically, the incumbent sits comfortably to complete documentation in electronic health record(s).

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
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• A complete application package; including Resume, Transcripts, etc. is required
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period , your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

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

Specialized Experience: 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

GS-07 grade level: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-06 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:

• Performing observation-based screening and collecting patient information in collaboration with licensed personnel.
• Completes approved templates and tools, such as the outpatient intake form, normal result notes, and follow up treatment protocols established by the agency.
• Utilizes communication techniques required to complete the questioners and templates approved for use in any outpatient clinical setting, including active listening, restating, and mirroring,
• Observes patient status and keeps licensed clinical staff informed of any change in condition.
• Delivers care to patients with complex, specialized, and potentially life-threatening situations.
• Operate specialized medical equipment to obtain diagnostic and therapeutic outcomes;
• Collect a wide range of specimens and prepare for transfer to processing;
• Assists licensed personnel with crisis intervention; performs behavioral/mental health screens and, conducts interviews.
• Observes patient status and keeps licensed clinical staff informed of any change in condition.

There is no educational substitution for the GS-07 level.

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:

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.Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf for more information.

Additional information

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf for more information.

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 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

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 an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Whole Health is an approach to health care that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their life to the fullest. The VA is committed to Whole Health and values Veteran and Employee health and wellbeing. As a VA employee, you will practice Whole Health in an environment that supports personalized and proactive care.

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.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.