Clarification from the agency

Open to current permanent Department of Veterans Affairs employees, current permanent Federal employees of other agencies, and all US Citizens (Veterans' Preference does not apply). NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

• Responsible for the safe, prompt, and efficient transportation of specimens, medications, patients, and/or residents throughout the Medical Center.
• Provides patient care and services under the direction of a Registered Nurse (RN), Advance Practice Nurse, or MD/DO.
• Practices within the scope of a NA Escort in the area of assignment and demonstrates consistent practice if temporarily reassigned to other areas.
• Provides medical, psychological, physical, and social care and services to multiple populations served by and admitted to the Medical Center, contributing to optimized outcomes as a member of the multi-disciplinary healthcare team.
• Supports cultural activities of daily living.
• Provides care for patients/residents with dignity and continuous consideration of the individuals emotional and other needs.
• Completes appropriate reporting, communication, and documentation in the computerized patient record system.
• Maintains currency in required education and training as identified by regulating agencies, the Fayetteville VA Medical Center, the VISN, and other National Agencies.
• Demonstrates competency and consistency in the technical use of equipment, specialized training for the transport of patients and specimens, application of technical standards, and performance of administrative support duties.
• Demonstrates knowledge of and compliance with standard operating procedures for the maintenance of reusable medical equipment.
• Participates in medical Center activities and demonstrates skill and behaviors that provide and promote positive internal and external customer relationships.
• Attends unit level and Medical Center meetings and develops as an employee to support committee participation.
• Maintains resident/patient safety standards assuring patient/resident privacy, safety, and psychological wellness.
• Establishes working relationships with multi-disciplinary and multi-level members of the work team promoting the physical, psychological, and emotional safety of the work environment for all team members.
• Provides assistance and support to Registered Nurses (RNs) and/or other medical providers within scope and consistent with Medical Center policy.
• Provides care and services consistent with Infection Control Standards or Practice providing optimal outcomes for patients, residents, visitors, and employees.
• Recognizes, responds to, and initiates appropriate response to medical emergencies such as cardiac arrest and/or respiratory failure.
• Draws, processes, labels, and packages biological specimens for transport.

Preferred Experience

• Basic Life Support (BLS)

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 3:30pm - 12:00am
Compressed/Flexible:Not Authorized
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position
Functional Statement #: 00000

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.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• 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 dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial 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 trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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:

Citizenship: - Citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.)

Experience, Education, or Training - Six months of general experience that demonstrates the ability to acquire the knowledge and skills to perform the work of a Nursing Assistant; or one year of education 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..

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.

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 and objects may be required. The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to wear 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 NA must complete annual Employee Health requirements, such as annual TB screening or testing, as a condition of employment. These physical requirements will be consistent with VA Directive Handbook 5019.

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 Determinations:
In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

GS-3 Nursing Assistant (Entry Level)

Experience, Education, Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) - None beyond the basic requirements.

GS-4 Nursing Assistant

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, healthcare 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) -

• Ability to provide a range of patient/resident care and contribute to the completion of the nurse care plan and recovery of patients/residents.
• Ability to observe patients/residents' or resident's physical or emotional status and refer deviations and/or problems to supervisor in a timely manner.
• 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.
• Ability to communicate effectively with patients/residents, their families and other health professionals.

GS-5 Nursing Assistant (Full Performance Level)

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 (c) 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).

• 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.
• Ability to communicate orally with patients/residents, families, interdisciplinary team and other personnel. This includes serving as a preceptor to new NAs by assisting with the coordination of their orientation and overseeing/assessing their practical experience while in a clinical setting.
• 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.

Reference: - For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

NOTE: The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-5. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-3 to GS-5.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Area of Consideration
Veterans' Preference is not applicable for this specific occupational series per the Office of Chief Human Capital Officer Bulletin "FY2025 Annual Determination of Staffing Shortages". Eligible and qualified applications will be reviewed and referred in the following unranked order by grade level:

1. Current Permanent VA employees of the facility.
2. All other VA employees.
3. All other applicants.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

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.

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.

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.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Resume

Special Note for Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume Document. This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted 'Resume' document upload field.

Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field.

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• Other
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

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