Nursing Assistant

Summary

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.

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Duties

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Functions or Scope of Assigned Duties:

• Completes duties at the lower grade 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.
• Performs these duties in a variety of health care settings, such as outpatient, inpatient, home, Community Living Center (CLC), acute, and subacute.
• Cares for patients/residents with acute to chronic conditions.
• Demonstrates the following knowledge, skills, and abilities: Provides a range of patient/resident care and contributes to the completion of the nurse care plan and recovery of patients/residents. Observes patients or residents' physical or emotional status and refers deviations and/or problems to supervisor in a timely manner. Uses 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.
• Communicates with patients/residents, their families, and other health professionals. The NA becomes proficient in maintaining positive therapeutic relationships by demonstrating respect for human dignity toward patients, families,, and/or significant others, utilizing communication skills.
• Utilizes observation skills for data collection, reporting, and recording.
• Participates in patient-centered conferences/shift reports and contributes information for the development and review of the nursing care plan.
• Maintains a therapeutic environment for patients in accordance with established procedures and policies by reporting actual or potential accidents, fire hazards, and faulty equipment.

Customer Service Requirements:

• Meets the needs of all customers while supporting the Medical Center and Service missions.
• Communicates and treats customers (patients, visitors, volunteers, and all Medical Center staff) in a courteous, tactful, and respectful manner.
• Provides customers with consistent information in accordance with established policies and procedures.
• Handles conflicts and problems with customers constructively and appropriately.

Age, Development, and Lifestyle Needs of Patient Requirements:

• Provides care and/or services appropriate to the age of the patients served and to the patients' cognitive, emotional, and chronological maturation.
• Assesses data reflecting the patient's status and interprets the information needed to identify each patient's requirements relative to their age-specific needs, and provides the care needed as described in the services' policies and procedures.
• Takes into consideration age-related differences of the various Veteran populations with this institution.
• Demonstrates the knowledge of the changes associated with aging and possesses the ability to provide care/support based upon age-related factors.

Computer Security Requirements:

• Protects printed and electronic files containing sensitive data in accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974 and other applicable laws, federal regulations, VA statutes and policy, and VHA guidelines.
• Protects the data from unauthorized release or from loss, alteration, or unauthorized deletion.
• Follows applicable regulations and instructions regarding access to computerized files, release of access codes, etc., as set out in the computer access agreement that the employee signs.

Work Schedule : M- F 6:30am-3:00pm

Compressed/Flexible :Available

Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized

Pay: When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).

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 # : 613260; 613270; 613280

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.
• 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

*** This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until October 13, 2026. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be August 26, 2026. 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****

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.
• 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.
• Experience or Education or Training. (1)Six months of general experience. Experience must demonstrate the ability to acquire the knowledge and skills to perform the work of a NA.

OR,

(2) One year of education above high school with courses related to the NA occupation;

OR,

(3) 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.

OR,

(4) 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).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 Determinations :

GS-3 Nursing Assistant

• Experience and Education: None beyond the basic requirements.

GS-4 Nursing Assistant

• Experience. One (1) 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 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;

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 .

GS-5 Nursing Assistant

Experience . One (1) 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 Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) . In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following 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.

Preferred Experience: 1 year of experience as CNA OR 6 months Front desk/clerking 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:

This position includes a level of physicality normally associated with duties performed by nursing assistants such as direct patient care, and potentially long periods of walking, standing, sitting, moderate lifting, repeated bending, or kneeling.

Examples may include but are not limited to:

- Significant amounts of time standing assisting assigned patients

- Utilization of safe patient handling and mobility protocols Position-specific duties/expectations are detailed in the associated competency and should be performed once the competency has been validated. This position potentially requires flexibility in schedules and assignments.

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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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.