Summary
This is and Open and Continuous listing used to fill current and future vacancies for up to 90 days after the announcement closes. Candidates will be referred to hiring managers every 10 days.
Health Technician serves as a unit-based member of the healthcare delivery team under the supervision of the Nursing Care Coordinator. Performs routine venipuncture and physician orders to ensure proper collection, labeling, handling and delivery of blood specimen to the lab and other as assigned.
Clarification from the agency
ALL US CITIZENS.
DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.201) for this occupation.
Duties
***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION***
Duties may include but are not limited to:
- Performs and documents patient/family teaching which includes patient instruction for home care concerning breathing exercises/treatments/rehab.
- Instructs patients to perform incentive spirometry and follows up on their performance.
- Records treatments, findings and progress in the patient record. Reports to the professional nurse or physician any significant signs, symptoms or behavioral changes observed in the patient.
- Performs standard 12 - lead EKGs and mounts tracings for interpretation. HT is responsible for routine maintenance, storage and cleaning of EKG equipment.
- Performs venipuncture according to written protocols to ensure proper collection, labeling, handling and delivery of blood specimens to the lab.
- Uses aseptic technique to obtain blood cultures.
- Collects specimens for blood glucose analysis, using the blood glucose monitoring instrument. Enters and verifies completed test results and reports results to appropriate individual& Calibrates, cleans and maintains the instrument.
- Completes appropriate laboratory slips to accompany blood samples to the lab.
- Observes patients' general reaction, rate of absorption of intravenous fluids - notifying nurse of changes in accordance with set limits.
- Taking, recording and reporting to nurse deviations in vital signs.
- Transports patients to required destinations.
- Prepares and assists with examinations, diagnostic and therapeutic tests according to written procedures and policies.
- Obtaining and preparing equipment and supplies for peritoneal dialysis. Hangs solution, empties bottles, records quantities and reports abnormalities.
- Carries out other duties as assigned. This includes performing described Health Tech duties for an additional unit, or in a reassigned unit or float position. The HT rotates to all tours of duty, days, evenings and nights.
- Caring for patients in isolation.
Work Schedule: Various schedules available, will be discussed at interview.
Position Description Title/PD#: HEALTH TECHNICIAN/PD08272A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Physical Requirements: The work requires standing and walking for long periods of time. The HT must frequently lift, bend, reach, stop and stretch to perform necessary procedures.
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.
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this 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
- You may be required to serve a probationary period
- Subject to background/security investigation
- Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
- Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)
- Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.
Qualifications
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
Preferred specialized experience: successful completion and current of Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) certification
GRADE DETERMINATIONS. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.
GS-5:
GS-5 Time in Grade (TIG) To be eligible for the GS-05 level, applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a grade at any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements. For this vacancy, applicants must have held grade GS-04 or higher for at least one year to be eligible for the GS-05. The grade must have been held in the Federal service but may have been in any occupation. (You must provide a copy of your last or most recent SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action" to indicate your current federal status. You must also submit additional SF-50(s) to clearly demonstrate one year time-in-grade as required in the announcement. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate that you possess one year time-in-grade. In this instance, you should provide an additional SF-50 to clearly demonstrate one year time-in-grade.)
And
GS-05 Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-04 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: Responsible for records vital signs and treatments, findings and progress in the patient record, performs standard 12 - lead EKGs and mounts tracings for interpretation, collects specimens for blood glucose analysis, cleans and maintains instruments used for blood glucose monitoring, enters and verifies completed test results and reports results to appropriate individual. OR
Applicants may substitute education for the experience required for the GS-05 level.
EDUCATION (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED): must have successfully completed a 4-year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation, if required. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business or technical school, junior college, college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. One year of full-time undergraduate study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business or technical school.
COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED): must have equivalent combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience are also qualifying. The combination described below are the GS-05 position. If education is used to meet specialized experience requirements, then such education must include courses directly related to the work of the position. (When crediting education, prorate the number of hours of related courses required as a proportion of the total education to be used.) For GS-5 level positions, only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. Two full academic years of study, or 60 semester hours, beyond the second year is equivalent to l year of specialized experience. Determine the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the year of specialized experience required at the GS-5 level. Then determine the applicant's education as a percentage of the education that meets the requirements for GS-5. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for GS-5.
GS-6:
GS-6 Time in Grade (TIG) : One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: Responsible for records vital signs and treatments, findings and progress in the patient record, performs standard 12 - lead EKGs and mounts tracings for interpretation, Performs venipuncture according to written protocols and physician orders to ensure proper collection, labeling, handling and delivery of blood specimen to the lab.. Knowledge and skills sufficient to understand and properly use equipment, materials and supplies in a large of diagnostic and treatment procedures that support specialized nursing care for critically ill patients.
And
GS-6 Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: Responsible for records vital signs and treatments, findings and progress in the patient record, performs standard 12 - lead EKGs and mounts tracings for interpretation, Performs venipuncture according to written protocols and physician orders to ensure proper collection, labeling, handling and delivery of blood specimen to the lab.. Knowledge and skills sufficient to understand and properly use equipment, materials and supplies in a large of diagnostic and treatment procedures that support specialized nursing care for critically ill patients.
There is no educational substitution for the GS-06 level.
You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
- Clinical Data Collection/Documentation
- Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)
- Diagnostic Medical Testing
- Patient Care
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; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
Education
There is no educational substitution at GS-6 grade level.
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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/.
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.
Benefits
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.
Review our benefits
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.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.
Applicants will be referred in the order in which they were received.
Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.
The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.
For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.
Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.
It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.
Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.
Documents Accepted:
- Cover Letter
- DD-214/ Statement of Service
- Disability Letter (VA)
- Resume
Documents Required:
Please review the above list(s) to ensure you have included all necessary documents required for your application.Not every applicant will require the same documents, therefore it is the applicants responsibility to ensure that their application package includes all necessary documents to determine qualifications and eligibility for appointment, such as a copy of your SF-50, transcript, ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information. Applicants will be deemed ineligible if supporting documentation is not submitted.
Veterans' Preference: Since the Direct-Hire Recruitment Authority is being used, traditional Veterans' Preference rules do not apply. Qualified veterans will, however, be given full consideration for this position.
Applications are accepted online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
All applicants are encouraged to apply online.
To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 01/15/2024 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12167421.
1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
Next steps
After the vacancy announcement closes, applicants are evaluated to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email.
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