Nursing Assistant

Summary

This position is located at the Kansas City VA Medical Center. The Nursing Assistant at this grade level functions as a member of the nursing care team and assists licensed nursing staff in the care of patients receiving outpatient, inpatient, or emergency care who are in acute, sub-acute, chronic, or end of life states of illness.

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Duties

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The major duties and responsibilities of aNursing Assistant-(Medical/Surgical) include, but are not limited to:

• Serves as a preceptor and mentor to other NA's and orients members of the health care team to the units as appropriate.
• Makes observations and accurately documents care and patient response to treatment, and appropriately seeks assistance and guidance by informing RN or medical provider of changes in patient condition.
• The NA performs delegated procedures and treatments, including but not limited to venipuncture, EKG, bladder scan, accurate I&O documentation, wound care, ortho splinting, doppler, visual acuity, vital signs, blood glucose monitoring, lab specimen collection, personal/oral hygiene, 1:1 observation, and other procedures requested within the NA scope of practice.
• Prepares rooms for use and rooms patients in a timely and efficient manner to enhance patient access through efficient hospital through-put.
• Maintains mandated facility and unit specific certifications and education.
• Adheres to KCVA Medical Center policies and procedures.
• Promptly recognizes urgent or emergent patient care situations and seeks assistance and effectively intervenes, i.e., performs CPR, assists in managing aggressive behavior, follows emergency management procedures.
• Follows established hospital safety policies and procedures to maintain a safe and hazard free work environment, including the use of safe patient handling equipment, adherence to safety and infection prevention guidelines, and appropriate verbal/behavioral responses to potential risk/danger to patients, visitors, employees, or property.
• Serves as a resource and advocate to patients and their families by recognizing patient autonomy and incorporating patient preferences into care and providing patient education within the NA scope.
• Actively participates in unit huddles and/or meetings to coordinate work and improve care delivery.
• Manages assigned workload by prioritizing and organizing tasks according to unit and patient needs to complete assignments in an efficient and appropriate manner.
• Demonstrates positive, effective communication skills and professional behaviors that promote cooperation and teamwork with internal and external customers.
• Possesses ability to proactively assist the RN or provider in addressing complex patient needs.
• Recognizes and appropriately responds to breakage/malfunction or loss of equipment, safety hazards, and supply deficiencies, promptly reporting to appropriate personnel for corrective action.
• Contributes to the improvement of overall care delivery and patient and/or family satisfaction levels through active participation in Shared Governance, process improvement activities, and as a skills/education champion.

Work Schedule : Multiple shifts: 7:30am-8:00pm or 7:30pm-8:00am; 80 hours per pay Period.

Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (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 Authorized

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : 000000

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• 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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation/examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial 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 trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

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:

• Six (6) months of general experience. Experience must demonstrate the ability to acquire the knowledge and skills to perform the work of a Nursing Assistant. OR
• One (1) year of education above high school with courses related to the Nursing Assistant occupation. OR
• Completion of an intensive, specialized, occupation-related training course of study or program of less than one (1) year as a Nursing Assistant. 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 employeeswho are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

GRADE DETERMINATIONS: Nursing Assistant

GS-03: (Entry Level) Experience and Education. None beyond the basic requirements. Individuals assigned as GS-03 are considered to be at the entry level and are closely supervised.

GS-04: Experience. One (1) year of specialized experience as a Nursing Assistant 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 two (2) years above high school in an accredited institution with courses related to nursing care, healthcare 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.

In addition , the candidate must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (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.

GS-05 Experience . One (1) year of progressively responsible assignments and experience equivalent to the GS-04 level which demonstrates knowledge, skills, and abilities that are directly related to the specific assignment.

OR

Education . Successful completion of a four (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.

In addition , the candidate must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (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.

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).

Preferred Experience: 1 year hospital experience.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-05. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-03 to GS-05.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.

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. For further information, visit:

Additional information

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. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. 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.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

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.

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.

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. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

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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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.