Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to all U.S Citizens. DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.201) for this occupation.

Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• Supports professional, licensed providers, both nurses and physicians in designated clinical area using diagnostic and therapeutic medical instruments and equipment to perform non-invasive Electrocardiograms, Spirometry tests, Visual Acuity Screenings, and Bladder Scans according to established procedures.
• Performs Point of Care (POC) testing using glucometer and I-Stat devices and CLIA-waived testing as authorized, according to established unit procedures.
• Documents treatments, procedures, and/or telemetry identification conducted by the incumbent in the electronic medical record.
• Prepares and sets up equipment, etc., for procedures performed by licensed providers, including laceration repair, chest tube insertion, lumbar puncture, etc.
• Assists professional, licensed providers, including nursing staff and physicians, in the care and treatment of the critically ill and those with emergent needs.
• Reports observations of the condition of acute or chronic phase patients such as excessive vomiting, bleeding, type and amount of drainage; deviation in baseline cardiac rhythm, pulse, skin tone and integrity, respiration, temperature, blood pressure, protection and patency of airway; changes in wounds and reaction to treatments per protocol.
• Identifies life-threatening dysrhythmias; activates the appropriate codes and/or steps required to call for definitive help; initiates appropriate action according to established procedures.
• Performs Basic Life Support, including the operation of the Automated External Defibrillator (or equivalent).
• Responds to emergency mental health situations, where danger of physical attack by patients requires special training.
• Performs simple personal care duties such as bathing; demonstrates nursing standards for patient hygiene including bathing, oral, nail, and hair care.
• Performs basic personal nursing care that requires knowledge of standardized procedures such as performance of active/passive range-of-motion activities, ensuring that catheters and oxygen cannula, etc., remain intact.

Performs other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Various schedule which include either 7:00am to 7:30pm, 7:00pm to 7:30am, or 11:30am to 12:00am
Position Description Title/PD#: Health Technician/PD12144A
Physical Requirements: None.
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
• Subject to a background/suitability investigation
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• A complete application package; including Resume, Transcripts, etc. is required
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents).
• 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.

Beginning September 27, 2025, Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. Resumes longer than two pages will result in ineligibility for further consideration for the position. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages, and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying for a job. Resumes should include information relevant to the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies of the position to which you are applying. VA is unable to make assumptions about qualifications if not clearly listed.

Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files.

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 , 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.

This position has an Individual Occupation Requirement (IOR). You must meet the following:

• Positions in this series range widely in type and include support duties to medical or health personnel such as audiologists, speech pathologists, medical officers, and optometrists. Therefore, technician experience is experience that required application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of the position to be filled.

OR

• For GS-5: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position.

In addition to meeting the IOR above, you must meet the experience/education as described below:

GS-05 grade level: 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.

OR

Applicants may substitute education for the experience required for the GS-05 level.
Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position.

OR

Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-05 level.

To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 60 semester hours that you earned). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-05. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

GS-06 grade level: 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

OR

Applicants may substitute education for the experience required for the GS-06 level.
Successfully completed a Graduate education or internship where it is directly related to the work of the position.

OR

Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-06 level.

Preferred Experience:

• Formal ECG education and training required.
• 3-5 years of experience as nursing assistant in acute care setting within the last 5 years required.
• Current BLS and emergency preparedness training required.
• Actively involved in unit wide safety, unit based committee.

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.

How you will be evaluated

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.

Documents Accepted:

• Cover Letter
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• Transcript

Documents Required:

• Resume

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.

Next steps