Nursing Assistant

Summary

The Nursing Assistant (NA) for Inpatient Geriatric Services (IGS) is assigned to the Office of the Chief Nurse Executive at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center (FHCC) in North Chicago, Illinois. FHCC is a VA and DoD dually integrated healthcare center providing care services to Veterans, Active-Duty Military Personnel, and their beneficiaries, including outpatient pediatric services. FHCC is a Level lC interdisciplinary teaching facility.

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Duties

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Major Duties and Responsibilities

Personal Patient Care Duties

The performance of these tasks involves direct working relationships with patients and participation as a member of the treatment or nursing care team in direct service to patients. The following are assigned duties but not limited to the list below with documented competency. In the intermediate role and continued developmental capacity the GS-5 major duties included, but are not limited to:

1. Performs and completes all verbal and written tasks assigned during the tour of duty.

2. Answer call lights promptly and take appropriate actions.

3. Makes occupied beds and unoccupied beds, and launder elder clothing, linen and other articles.

4. Administers therapeutic bath and soaks.

5. Provides care for patients in isolation provides instruction to visitors in protective procedures and use of personal protective equipment.

6. Provides hands on support for residents in:

- progressive mobility programs such as ambulation, bed mobility, and transfer, including strengthening and endurance exercise and range of motion (ROM);

- application of prosthetic equipment and splint & brace use;

- cognitive re-orientation;

- dining and eating programs;

- communication programs;

- dressing and grooming programs;

- scheduled toileting and bladder retraining program.

7. Sets up and administers oxygen and postural drainage as instructed.

8. Reports and records care and changes noted in patients' condition to the supervising RN/Charge Nurse or Team Leader, on the progress notes and other forms as instructed and according to standards.

9. Performs urinary catheterization care and applies external urinary devices as directed.

10. Assist in emergency situations, including cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, seizures, Heimlich maneuver.

11. Performs post-mortem care and assists in support of the family members as needed.

12. Performs tube feeding via nasogastric, gastrostomy and jejunostomy tubes with supervision.

13. Performs colostomy/urostomy care after instructions from nurse.

14. Teaches residents regarding rehabilitations/restorative techniques as directed by the discipline.

15. Participates in regularly scheduled in-service programs related to restorative and maintenance topics.

16. Performs restorative/rehabilitation and maintenance program procedures and activities as required.

17. Performs comprehensive nursing care to long-term residents who typically present with complex medical and psychiatric conditions and related functional and/or cognitive deficits. Deficits require the resident to receive partial or maximal assistance with the activities of daily living.

18. Active member of the Restorative Care Team.

19. Documents restorative nursing care according to policy. Instrumental in motivating residents and redirecting their behavior towards treatment plan goals.

20. Performs all duties of a GS-5 Nursing Assistant at a higher level, yet duties performed do not require professional nurse education or knowledge and skills represented by licensure but does require initiative in implementing programmatic goals for the resident.

Communication and Documentation Duties

1. Complies with all ADP security and confidentiality requirements in accordance with Privacy Act of 1974, HIPAA, and VHA handbook regarding Privacy Act.

2. Participates in nursing care conferences and interdisciplinary team meetings, using good judgment in identifying and reporting patient problems, planning individual care, and discharge planning.

3. Serves as a member of the treatment team in motivating patients and redirecting their behavior toward treatment plan goals.

4. Uses the approved method to record and report patient care including obvious physical and/ or behavioral changes of patients, vital signs, early signs of skin breakdown, slight drooling from the mouth; changes in sensorium in the medical record.

5. Maintains flow sheets and patient records, documenting patient care as per expected standards.

6. Suggests feasible means to meet patient needs. Serves as a member of the treatment team in motivating patients and redirecting their behavior toward treatment plan goals.

7. Maintains flow sheets and patient records, documenting patient care as per expected standards.

8. Assists the professional nurse and/or other staff in resident/family teaching activities (i.e., ADL, bowel and bladder training, urine test, resident education programs, proper nutrition, postural drainage, breathing exercises, etc.).

Work Schedule : Day Shift 7:00am to 7:30pm. Rotating Weekends/Holidays and other tours as needed during staffing needs.

Telework : Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : 03426F

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives : Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

The following are requirements for appointment as a Nursing Assistant (NA) in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). These requirements apply to all VHA NAs in the GS-0621 series.

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• 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

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 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.
• 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.

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).

Grandfathering Provisions. All NAs employed in VHA on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the series and grade held that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:

• (1) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
• (2) If an employee who was retained (grandfathered) under this provision leaves the occupation, the employee loses protected status of the grandfathering provision and must meet the full VA qualification standard basic requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation.

GRADE REQUIREMENTS.

a. Creditable Experience.

• (1) Knowledge of Current Practice. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with the current practice.
• (2) 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.
• (3) 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.

b. Grade Determinations.

• In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

Grade Determinations : The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-05.

GS-5 Nursing Assistant (Full Performance Level).

(a) 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,

(b) 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

(c) Demonstrated KSAs.

• i 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.
• ii 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.
• iii 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.

(d) 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. NOTE: Students/trainees may be appointed in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7405(a)(1)(D). See Part II, Chapter 3, paragraph 5 of VA Handbook 5005.

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

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

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

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.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

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.

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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