Summary
The primary purpose of the position is to assist the primary nurse with patient care, receives and directs patients, answers routine inquiries. The incumbent functions under the direction of the RN. The incumbent provides clinical, programmatic, technical, and clerical support in the Emergency Department.
Duties
The VA has adopted Core Values and Characteristics that apply universally across the Department. The five Core Values define "who we are," our culture, and how we care for Veterans, their families and other beneficiaries.
The Values are Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect and Excellence ("I CARE").As a VA professional, your opportunities are endless. With many openings in the multiple functions of VA, you will have a wide range of opportunities and leadership positions at your fingertips.
Major Duties Include:
- Performs direct patient care including personal hygiene, physical comfort, nutrition, elimination, prevention of skin breakdown, safety, etc.
- Receives and directs patients, answers routine inquiries and makes referrals.
- Receives and responds to a number of unclear inquires form patients concerning a variety of medical personnel and administrative matters.
- Maintains stock of supplies and sterility of instruments.
- Point-of-Care. Examples: glucometer, COVID swabbing
- Performs or assists Triage staff with diagnostic procedures including EKGs, venipunctures, and alcohol breathalyzer used to diagnose medical conditions.
- Assists in the performance of or independently performs procedures such as insertion of urinary catheters and intravenous catheters.
- Performs patient care procedures such as collection of specimens, applying dressings, and adjusting supportive equipment.
- Performs duties in accordance with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and applicable laws and policies.
- Instructs patients in crutch, walker and or cane use and ensures correct fitting of equipment.
- Performs duties involving customer service and or public liaison.
- Performs duties in accordance to applicable safety precautions and infection control.
- Operate emergency department equipment such as Telemetry and automated external defibrillator (AED).
- Provides general clerical/administrative support coordination work for the Triage area.
- Collects and organizes statistical data for reports.
- Performs patient charting using standard medical terminology entering information regarding care rendered, condition and progress.
- Performing observation-based screening and collecting patient information in collaboration with licensed personnel, this may involve completing clinical reminders, obtaining patient health history, chief complaints, medication history, and identification of health- related conditions that may impact the patient's health status.
- Completing approved templates and tools, such as, intake/outtake forms, normal result note follow up, clinical reminders, procedure and intervention notes established by the agency.
- Assisting in behavioral/psychiatric situations in an outpatient setting. This can include assisting licensed personnel with crisis intervention, management of aggressive or suicidal psychiatric patients, by providing one-to-one observations and applying prevention and management of disruptive behavior techniques (PMDB). Assists licensed staff with the delivery of care to patients with complex, specialized, and potentially life-threatening situations. You will assist licensed staff with setting up equipment and providing treatment during in person or virtual visits.
- Operating specialized medical equipment to obtain diagnostic and therapeutic outcomes. Observes patient status and keeps licensed clinical staff informed of any change in condition. You will assist clinical providers with emergency medical care, provides emergency response as part of the Rapid-Response-Team (RRT), and assists with training of other hospital clinical staff.
- Performing Diagnostic Tests. Examples: Vital Signs, 12-lead electrocardiogram (EKG)
- Specimen collection and Preparation. Examples: collecting and labeling venous blood samples
- Minor Procedures. Examples: simple one-layer laceration repairs, incision and drainage, skin stapling, STERIS trips, Dermabond
- Medication Administration: nebulized medications, topical, limited PO meds, vaccine administration
- Wound Care. Examples. wound debridement, Wet-to-Dry dressings, Unna Boot placement, compression dressings- Forflex and Profour, wound vac placement, graft application
- Patient education within scope of care or while providing an intervention
- Electronic Health Record (EHR): Thoroughly and appropriately documents actions, interventions and procedures in the medical record. Examples: Procedural notes and progress notes.
Work Schedule: Varies.
Position Description Title/PD#: Intermediate Care Technician/PD04342A
Physical Requirements: The work requires moderate to heavy (15-44 pounds) lifting of equipment or patients and requires standing, walking, bending, stooping, stretching, pushing, pulling, twisting, reaching and similar activities in an immediate or limited time frame.
Requirements
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
- May serve a probationary period
- Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
- A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc
- Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
Qualifications
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
Must meet Individual Occupational Requirements: 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.
AND
Have specialized experience and/or education as described below:
- Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Advanced EMT or Paramedic certification; Experience in supporting Triage activities, from care to therapeutic treatment and specimen collection; Knowledge of safety precautions and infection control as it relates to patients presenting in the Emergency Department; Experience in applying age appropriate direct patient care procedures including ADL's (Activities of daily living); Skill in communicating in a tactful and courteous manner with a wide variety of individuals with various levels of understanding; Ability to work as a member of the interdisciplinary team to provide care to patients. - Demonstrated ability to prioritize emergency care of critical or unstable patients; Experience in treatment of behavioral emergencies or psychiatric patients.
OR,
- Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successful completion of 1 year of graduate education (18 semester hours) directly related to the work of this position.
OR,
- Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond 1 year of full-time study.
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
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.
Required Documents
Documents Accepted:
- Cover Letter
- DD-214/ Statement of Service
- Disability Letter (Schedule A)
- Disability Letter (VA)
- License
- Other (1)
- PCS Orders
- Professional Certification
- Resume
- Separation Notice (RIF)
- SF-15
- SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
- Transcript
Documents Required:
- Resume
- SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
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.
How to Apply
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 10/21/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12811702.
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.