Practical Nurse-GS-0620-05

License Practical Nurse/Vocational Nurse

This position is located within the Directorate of Medical Services, Pediatric Clinic at Alexander T. Augusta Military Medical Center (ATAMMC) located in Fort Belvoir, VA. Operating hours are 0730-1600, M-F.

Fort Belvoir is a United States Army base located on 8,656 acres along the Potomac River in Fairfax County, VA. It encompasses a population of 47,000 and is well-positioned a mere 12 miles south of Washington, DC.

A.T. Augusta Military Medical Center is a Department of Defense medical facility located on Fort Belvoir, Virginia, outside of Washington D.C. In conjunction with Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Belvoir provides the Military Health System medical capabilities of the National Capital Region Medical Directorate (NCR MD), a joint unit providing comprehensive care to members of the United States Armed Forces located in the capital area, and their families. The facility is located on a U.S. Army installation but operates as one of the first joint service medical facilities in the U.S. military, staffed with uniformed medical personnel from the Army, Navy, and Air Force. The hospital is one of the largest medical facilities in Northern Virginia and provides all levels of inpatient and outpatient medical care. The facility maintains a 24-hour emergency department but, like most U.S. military hospitals, transfers patients in need of a trauma center to equipped civilian medical facilities. As part of federal emergency planning in the National Capitol Region, the hospital is also tasked with maintaining unique capabilities to support continuity of government operations in the event of crisis.

The $1.03 billion, 1.3 million-square-foot facility opened in August 2011, replacing Fort Belvoir's existing medical facility, DeWitt Army Community Hospital, and integrating significant portions of the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., in accordance with 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Act. In addition to its primary facility at Fort Belvoir, the hospital also operates the DiLorenzo TRICARE Health Clinic (DTHC) at the Pentagon and satellite health centers in Fairfax and Dumfries, Virginia.

Working for the Department of Defense comes with an abundance of benefits and perks to include competitive compensation packages, paid time off, medical benefits, student loan repayments, and retirement package with Thrift Savings Plan to include matching employer contributions.

Responsibilities

As an License Practical Nurse/Vocational Nurse you will:

• Obtains information from patient and/or family to identify major complaints, symptoms, or reason for seeking health care.
• Takes vital signs (blood pressure, temperature, pulse, respiration, pain level, height, weight, measurement of head circumference and length)
• Provides individualized nursing care to patients based upon the physician's medical plan, the nursing assessment and the physical, mental and emotional needs of the patient.
• Assists the Credentialed Provider with various examinations and diagnostic procedures.
• Sets up and maintain a sterile field
• Reports changes in behavior of patients.
• Enters data related to the record of patients in computer systems; i.e., electronic medical records.
• Performs Other Duties as Assigned

Qualifications

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. 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; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. Basic Requirement for Practical Nurse: Licensure: A current license to practice as a practical or vocational nurse in a State, territory of the United States, or the District of Columbia; OR must have applied for a license to practice. Applications of candidates possessing a license must be accompanied by a certified or photostatic copy of the license, a notarized statement attesting to the fact, or a citation of the license number and State issuing it. Non-licensed candidates who have completed their training may be appointed subject to obtaining the required license during the probationary period. Those not licensed must furnish the date on which they applied for a license and the jurisdiction involved. No person appointed pending licensure may be retained beyond the probationary period if licensure has not been attained.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirement listed below: Experience: One year of nursing experience in a hospital, outpatient clinic, nursing home, or other supervised medical, nursing, or patient care facility that provided a practical knowledge of human body structure and sterile techniques and procedures, which includes duties such as: obtaining patient vital signs (i.e., respiration, temperature, blood pressure and heart rate); independently assessing the needs of patients, developing a plan of care based on assessment; administering intravenous fluids and medications; entering appropriate patient-related data into electronic medical records; and adhering to hospital policies and procedures. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service. (GS-05).

Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.