Health Technician

Summary

The Health Technician position within the Acute Care and Mental Health Nursing Service is a vital part of the healthcare team at William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital. The Health Technician is responsible for providing direct patient care activities under the supervision of a registered nurse. The technician may receive specialized training for specific functions such as phlebotomy, 12-lead EKGs, Health Unit Coordinator clerical duties, or telemetry monitoring.

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Duties

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DUTIES:

• Acts as a member of the Acute Care and Mental Health medical team to do jobs usually done by multiple staff to include, but not limited to, taking vital signs, EKG's, assisting with procedures, phlebotomy, etc.
• Obtains lab specimens and transports blood, etc. to lab in accordance with lab regulations and standards.
• Records necessary information into CPRS.
• Acts in the capacity of liaison/expeditor and as advocate between patients and health care team members, as well as other practice groups, specialty services and ancillary services.
• Bathes, turns, lifts, and performs oral care, and other related hygienic care; performs post-mortem care.
• Assists medical staff with or performs diagnostic procedures used to diagnose medical conditions.
• Operates and maintains medical instruments for treatment procedures.
• Recognizes deviations in patient's condition and takes appropriate action.
• Sets up all necessary accessories or supplies and other medical personnel of new equipment, accessories or supplies.
• Places patients on monitoring systems and ensures proper functioning. Promptly reports any problems to medical staff.
• Reviews the flagging of special information such as allergies.
• Assist with discharges of patients with appropriate instructions from the nursing staff when treatment is completed.
• Assists in tracking and keeping a record of patients who leave the area without being seen; documents this in the record and completes the encounter.
• Assists in the follow-up of these patients as needed.
• Assists medical staff when a patient leaves without medical care.
• Ensures that patients are involved and informed of all scheduled appointments to minimize no-shows and rescheduling.
• Receives telephone calls and visitors to the area.
• Reviews area's admission and discharge log daily to find patients who left without being seen.
• Performs direct patient support work to include collecting information from patients, providing personal patient care.
• People's skills must be exceptional.
• Ensure patients are comfortable and treated courteously, enthusiastically and timely. Patient privacy must always be protected.
• Telephone skills and other forms of communication with all customers should always be professional and polite.
• Demonstrates or verbalizes knowledge of age-related competencies for the position.
• Has a working knowledge of the correct answers to the most frequently asked questions to assist providers, patients and families. This includes questions regarding prosthetics, dental care, outside referrals, and other special procedures which may be necessary or requested.
• Monitors equipment scheduling and maintenance of levels for specialized supplies. Responds to inquiries from patients, family members and caregivers
• Comprehensive knowledge of all services, activities and operations and can direct and conduct the activities of this position.
• Works with team members to ensure that patients are seen in a timely manner.
• Tracks patients' time through the system and keeps team members informed on a real-time basis of how long it is taking to get patients through the steps in the system.
• Incumbents should inform the team and immediately seek help to address delays. Ensure rooms are neat, clean, and prepared for the next patient.
• Transports patients as needed.
• Keeps rooms and equipment clean and ready to be used, i.e. EKG cables, vital check, pulse oximetry probe, IV pumps.
• Stocks supply appropriately.
• Enters work orders for equipment and environmental repair needs.
• Takes equipment out of service and labels appropriately.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.

Work Schedule: AM/PM

Position Description/PD#: Health Technician/ PD04003A

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• 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.
• 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
• 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)

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 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, 06/05/2026.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:
• Communication and interpersonal relations, including the ability to appropriately and courteously elate to internal and external customers. - Maintenance of confidentiality of patient/employee information, electronic and print.- The medical center performance improvement program.- How to work and function in the medical center in a safe manner, including infection control and the correct operation of equipment.- Age-specific/population-specific care as identified in the Age-Specific/Population-Specific Competencies (see Competencies Checklist), including knowledge of changes associated with aging and principles of growth and development relevant to the adult and geriatric age groups; ability to assess and interpret data about the patient's status; and ability to identify age/population- specific needs and provide the appropriate care based upon the age/population- specific factors noted.

OR,

• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. Graduate education or an internship meets the specialized experience required above GS-5 only in the instance where it is directly related to the work of this position.

OR,

• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education. This may include 1 year equivalent to at least next lower grade level GS-5 with Graduate education or an internship that meets the specialized experience required and is education related to the duties of the position.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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. 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.

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 qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at

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.