Nursing Assistant -Transporter

Summary

This Nursing Assistant-Transporter is organizationally aligned under Patient Care Services - working in Operations. S/he works at a two-divisional teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Kentucky (UK) Medical Center at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center - Lexington - Ky. Incumbent will normally work at one of the locations for the two divisions (Sousley Campus or Bowling Campus) but is required to work at the other location as necessary.

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
• 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: 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
• 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
• 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates
• GS-3 (Entry Level): Experience and Education
• None beyond the basic requirements
• GS-4 (a) Experience
• One 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 - (b) Education
• Successful completion of 2 years above high school in an accredited institution with courses related to nursing care - health care 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 (c) Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSAs)
• In addition - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: 1 Ability to provide a range of patient/resident care and contribute to the completion of the nurse care plan and recovery of patient/residents
• 2 Ability to observe patients/residents physical or emotional status and refer deviations and/or problems to supervisor in a timely manner
• 3 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
• 4 Ability to communicate effectively with patient / residents - their families and other health professionals
• GS- 5 (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
• 1 Ability to assist in the full range of nursing care to patient/resident 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
• 2 Ability to communicate orally with patients/ residents - families - interdisciplinary team and other personnel
• This includes serving as a preceptor to new nursing assistants by assisting with the coordination of their orientation and overseeing/ assessing their practical experience while in a clinical setting
• 3 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: SRNA preferred 3-5 years Nursing Assistant experience preferred BLS Certified preferred Demonstrated ability to work in teams with strong communication skills 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 GS-3/4/5
• Physical Requirements: Heavy lifting (45 lbs
• and over)
• Heavy carrying (45 lbs
• and over)
• Straight pulling (up to 8 hours)
• Pushing (up to 8 hours)
• Reaching above shoulders
• Use of fingers
• both hands required
• walking (up to 8 hours)
• standing (up to 8 hours)
• kneeling (2 to 3 hours)
• repeated bending (up to 8 hours)
• both legs required
• hearing (aid permitted).

Duties

• The incumbent in this position is an active participant in the nursing team at the Lexington VA Health Care System and works a day tour of duty in Operations - providing transportation within the facility
• The incumbent will transport patients who may require close observation and support
• Accompanies selected patients as assigned
• Assures safety during transportation process
• assures proper hand-off and accountability for return of patients
• Collects and labels specimens of sputum - urine (routine and sterile) - feces - and assists with the collection of other sterile specimens - as directed by the team leader for storage and/or delivery to the laboratory
• The incumbent will build upon knowledge of basic nursing care and standardized procedures to provide service to patients
• He/she is able to perform tasks after receipt of patient data and information
• The incumbent's assignment is related to the specific needs of the area during a given tour as well as routine functions of the area
• The incumbent is assigned tasks by the House Supervisor to function on any assigned area and not a specified assignment of a group of patients
• However - an assignment of a designated group of patients or specific patient interventions may be required
• Managing equipment special to the area is required
• The incumbent will assist the RN with patient care - obtain vital signs - obtain electrocardiograms - proper lead placement for monitoring - perform phlebotomy and do simple wound dressings
• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Pay Plan: V0F3 Work Schedule: M-F Day Tour of Duty Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: View phone number on careers.biausa.org & 31364 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases 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)

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.