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:
- United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
- Must be proficient in written and spoken English
- Education or Training:
- Six months of general experience. Experience must demonstrate the ability to acquire the knowledge and skills to perform the work of a NA; OR,
- One year of education above high school with courses related to the NA occupation; OR,
- Completion of an intensive, specialized, occupation-related [training] course of study [or program] of less than one year as a NA may also meet in full the experience requirements for GS-3.
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 Requirements.
- Creditable Experience.
- Knowledge of Current Practice. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with the current practice.
- Quality of Experience. To be creditable, NA experience must be documented on the application or resume and verified in an employment reference, or through other independent means.
- Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience as a NA is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time workweek. For example, a NA employed 20 hours a week, or on a 1/2-time basis, would receive 1 full time workweek of credit for each 2 weeks of service.
Grade Determinations:
GS-5 Nursing Assistant - (Full Performance Level) (a) 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,
(b) 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 KSAs
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
Preferred Experience:
1-2-year experience required
Current BLS required
1-2-year inpatient experience preferred
CNA licensure preferred
Basic Microsoft Skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
References: VA Handbook 5005 APPENDIX G46 NURSING ASSISTANT QUALIFICATION STANDARD GS-621
The full performance level of this vacancy is GS 5. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS 5.
Physical Requirements: This position requires the following physical functional requirement: a. Moderate lifting 15-44 pounds; Moderate carrying 15-44 pounds; Straight pulling, 1 hour; Pushing, 1-3 hours; Reaching above shoulder; Use of fingers ; both hands required; Walking, 4 hours ;Standing, 2-7 hours; Kneeling, 2 hours; Repeated bending, 2 hours ; Climbing, use of legs and arms ; Both legs required ; Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4; : 20/40 DVA; both eyes required; ability to distinguish basic colors; hearing (aid may be permitted); sitting (8 hours); Simple grasping (2-4 hours); Fine manipulation (including keyboarding 4 - 6 hours); twisting (2 hours); Mental and emotional stability