Summary

This Nursing Assistant position is in Geriatrics and Extended Care/Community Living Center at the Manchester VA Medical Center - located in Manchester - NH. This position is full time at 40 hours per week. Recruitment incentive may be paid to a Highly Qualified candidate (new to federal government or 90 days or more break in service).

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: Six months of general experience
• Experience must demonstrate the ability to acquire the knowledge and skills to perform the work of a NA
• OR One year above high school with courses related to the Nursing Assistant occupation
• OR Completion of an intensive - specialized - occupation-related course of study of less than one year as a nursing assistant may also meet in full the experience requirements for GS-3. English Language Proficiency: Nursing Assistants 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)
• Grade Requirements
• Creditable Experience
• Knowledge of Current Practice
• To be creditable - the experience must have required the use of knowledge - skills - and abilities associated with the current practice
• 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
• 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
• Grade Determinations: GS-3 Experience and Education: None beyond the basic requirements
• Assignments: Individuals assigned as GS-3 are considered to be at the entry level and are closely supervised
• GS-4 Experience: One year of specialized experience as a Nursing Assistant 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 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 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 patients/residents
• 2
• Ability to observe patients/residents' or resident's 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 patients/residents - their families and other health professionals
• Assignment 1
• Individuals assigned as GS-4 are considered to be at the intermediate or developmental level and are closely supervised
• At this grade level function as a member of the nursing care team and assist higher graded - licensed nursing staff - and other members of the care team 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 significant factor is that they provide care under close supervision and refer issues/questions to supervisors - higher graded or other healthcare professionals
• 2
• In this role - the Nursing Assistant functions as a member of the nursing care team and assists higher graded - licensed nursing staff - and other members of the care team in the care of patients/residents receiving outpatient care - home or community living care - or other patients who are in acute - sub-acute - or chronic states of illness
• The Nursing Assistant in this role provides care under close supervision and refers issues/questions to supervisors - higher graded - or other healthcare professionals
• GS-5 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 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)
• 1
• 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
• 2
• Ability to communicate orally with patients/residents - families - interdisciplinary team and other personnel
• This includes serving as a preceptor to new 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
• Assignment
• This is the full performance level for Nursing Assistants
• 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
• At this level also assume more of a peer education/mentorship role
• Preferred Experience: Long Term Care experience
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS5
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS3 to GS5
• Physical Requirements: This position requires visual acuity - keen hearing - clear distinctive speech - and manual dexterity
• This position requires potentially long periods of continued walking - standing - stooping - sitting - bending - pulling - and pushing
• Transferring patients with assistance and transferring of objects may be required
• The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations or operative/invasive procedures
• The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium - dementia - or psychiatric disorders
• The incumbent must be a mature - flexible - sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations - able to shift priorities based on patient needs
• The incumbent must be able to navigate all areas of the facility
• This position potentially requires flexibility in schedule and assignments - as this is a 24/7 Medical Center.

Duties

• The Nursing Assistant performs duties in a variety of healthcare settings such as outpatient - inpatient - home or community living care - acute - sub-acute
• The NA will care for patients/residents with acute to chronic conditions
• Utilizes glucose monitoring machine to receive glucose readings for veterans refers to deviation to appropriate health care staff Provides direct care for complex veterans Makes observations of subtle changes in the resident's condition - i.e. - behavior shifts - mood - skin coloring - appetite - etc
• and takes action accordingly within the NA's assigned role
• Documents care given observations and responses on appropriate tools or forms
• Responds appropriately to subtle patient changes by contacting the proper nursing personal Administers complete tracheostomy care - including suctioning
• Monitor and documents patient intake and output reports deviations timely and accurately Perform nursing procedures within the scope of practice and according to policies and standard procedures to care for the veteran for such systems but not limited to: enemas - catheterization - colostomy care - simple skincare dressing - application braces - and prosthetic devices Works on small group activities with veterans/residents according to the patients/resident treatment plan
• Recognizes the residents' autonomy and promotes independence through respect - limit setting - and individualized treatment
• Actively participates in Treatment Planning Meetings
• Utilizes equipment to encourage the veteran self-care - such as
• lift equipment - Hydro sound Tubs - and Veteran/Resident Wandering System
• Verbally provides patient information to the treatment team for inclusion in the veteran/residents' plan of care - participates in treatment team meetings for resident care planning
• Enters information about the residents' condition in the chart - utilizing appropriate formats
• Participates in maintaining a clean - safe environment for the patient/resident Removes defective equipment - reports hazards - observes safety regulations - contributes to infection control - and utilizes a proper aseptic technique to perform duties
• Serves as the unit safe patient handling liaison Serves as preceptor and mentor to other NA's - Orients members of the health care team to the units as appropriate Functions as a member of the unit base counsel Manages distributed patient behavior and appropriately intervenes and requests assistance from other health care members
• Appropriately initiates basic life support takes action as appropriate
• Preferred Experience: Long-term Care Work Schedule: Rotating Shifts - Weekends Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May Be 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) Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: F4065 - F4066 - F4067