Intermediate Care Technician (Critical Care / Step-down / PACU) Job in Aurora, CO

Summary

This job is open to

• The public

  U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

• Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

  Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.

Duties

This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be December 5, 2024 and applicants will be referred on an 'as needed' basis. NOTE: This posting will remain open until no longer needed but no later than February 5, 2025.

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. 2023 VHA Total Reward$ of an Allied Health Professions Career Brochure (va.gov)

Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
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)
Parental Leave: Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child (conditions apply).
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

The Intermediate Care Technician is an occupational specialty, especially for former military combat medics, medical technicians, and corpsmen.

As an ICT, you will operate within clearly defined clinical competencies. For the purposes of this national job announcement, you may work in multiple clinical settings based on facility needs, these include but are not limited to, Critical Care, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Step-Down Unit, and/or Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU).

The clinical activities for the hospital will include but are not limited to:

• Performing observation-based screening and collecting patient information in collaboration with licensed personnel, this may involve obtaining patient health history, chief complaints, medication history, and information about health-related conditions that may impact the patient's health status.
• Completing approved templates and tools, example: MiniCog screening established by the agency.
• Assisting in behavioral/psychiatric situations within the critical care setting. This can include assisting licensed personnel with crisis intervention, assisting with observation and documentation of aggressive or suicidal psychiatric patients, by providing one-to-one observations and applying Prevention and Management of Disruptive Behavior (PMDB) techniques. Assists critical care licensed personnel 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 passing instruments in the event of defibrillation, cardioversions, insertion of chest drainage tubes, insertion of thoracostomy tubes, rapid sequence intubation, or initiation of mechanical ventilation to restore normal physiological function or prevent deterioration of patient's condition.
• Operating specialized medical equipment such as defibrillators, electrocardiographs, and oxygen apparatus in accordance with applicable training and standards. Observes patient status and keeps licensed personnel informed of any change in condition. Responds to medical emergencies on the facility grounds, and sometimes encounters situations which may be life threatening as part of the Rapid Response Team (RRT), Code Blue, or medical transport team. Conducts or assists with the training of personnel.
• Performing diagnostic studies, examples: vital signs, EKGs.
• Performing POC (point of care) studies, examples: glucometer, bedside ultrasound, I-STAT.
• Specimen collection, examples: venous blood samples, and wound samples and cultures. Preparation and transfer to the lab.
• Assisting with patient exams and screening, examples: orthostatic vital signs, 6-minute walk assessment, CAM and fall risk. Patient transport as a secondary assistant, example: with or without cardiac monitoring and/or ventilation to and from diagnostic tests. Cardiovascular monitoring.
• Medication Administration: nebulized medications, topical, intramuscular, normal saline IV push, local anesthetics, or other.
• Wound care, examples: vacuum-assisted closure (wound vac), dressings, topical ointments, and wound measurements.
• Maintains a safe and therapeutic environment for the patient.
• Electronic Health Record (EHR): Thoroughly and appropriately documents actions, interventions and procedures in EHR. Examples: documents in the telemetry record.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
• 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) - See "Required Documents" below for details.
• 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.

How You Will Be Evaluated

Required Documents

How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include the initial online questionnaire and submission of the required documentation specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. To preview the application questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12612252. The application process is as follows:

1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents.
2. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation.
3. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date, 02/05/2025. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
4. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice.
5. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials.
6. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended.
7. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. NOTE: Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused.

Next steps

Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. After we receive application packages (including all required assessments and documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications 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. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.

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.

You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center.