Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. This announcement is open to: • First area of consideration - Current Permanent Bay Pines employees including Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) and Past/ Current/Upcoming VHA HPT Graduates. • Second area of consideration - Current permanent VA Nationwide employees and other federal employees. • Third area of consideration - The Public

Becoming proficient with maintaining positive therapeutic relationships by displaying respect for human dignity with patient, families and/or significant others utilizing communication skills
- Utilize observation skills for data collection, reporting and recording
- Participate in patient centered conferences/shift reports, and contributing information for the development and review of the nursing care plan
- Maintain a therapeutic environment for patients according to established procedures and policies by reporting actual or potential accidents, fire hazards and faulty equipment
- Competent with performing aspects of nursing care to meet patient'/resident needs for:

• Personal hygiene
• Physical comfort
• Activity, exercise, and rest
• Nutrition
• Elimination
• Prevention of skin breakdown
• Rehabilitative aspects of care

- Performing and documenting prescribed medical treatment and interventions for patients, such as diabetic urine testing and blood testing, simple dressing changes
- Learning to be proficient with the utilizing rehabilitative principles to promote patient independence and recovery, encouraging and guiding patient/residents in bowel and bladder training
- Engaging in-group activities such as off-station trips, reality orientation, current events and other therapeutic groups with direction and close supervision
- Monitors patients according to levels of observations i.e. (one to one suicide, continuous observation, 15-minute checks, and hourly rounding
Monitors Veterans who may be at risk for harming themselves and or others according to established policies and procedures and appropriately refers issues to the charge nurse or other health care professional.
- Utilizes principles of proper body mechanics while caring for patients
- Reports patient status to the RN and documents pertinent observations in the medical record according to established procedures
- Sets up patient care related equipment, such as hypothermia machines, oxygen delivery systems, portable and wall suction and assisting in monitoring proper functioning of equipment
- Utilizes glucose monitoring machine to collect glucose values on veterans when needed and refer deviations to appropriate nursing staff or other health care provider
- Organizing and obtaining routine supplies and equipment
- Assisting with patient education including orienting patient/family to unit routines and policies
- Working as a cooperative, courteous member of the interdisciplinary team
- Safeguarding the patient's right to privacy by judiciously protecting information of a confidential nature
- Utilizes principles of proper body mechanics and follows procedures for use of patient care equipment to prevent injury
- Begin to orient lower-level nursing assistance

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional
Preferred Experience: Candidate should have 6-12 months experience as a Nursing Assistant in acute or sub-acute areas, as well as restorative nursing care experience with knowledge of skin breakdown, elimination, safety and nutritional needs for compromised patients.
Work Schedule: Part-Time, 20 Hours, Days, 0730am to 4:00pm with weekend rotation
Compressed/Flexible: Not Available
Recruitment/Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be authorized for highly qualified candidates.
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).
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)Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.
Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
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 (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Telework: This position is not eligible for telework
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statements: 21954F, 21955F, 21956F

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.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• 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 examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• 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:

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:

• Citizen of the United States (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g, this part
• Experience or 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.
• Physical Requirements See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements. d. English Language Proficiency. NAs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j

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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates
  • GS-3 NA (Entry Level)
    • Experience and Education: None beyond the basic requirements
    • Assignments: Individuals assigned as GS-3 NAs are considered to be at the entry level and are closely supervised
  • GS-4 NA
    • Experience: One year of specialized experience as a NA 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, health care 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): In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following 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
    • Assignment
      • Individuals assigned as GS-4 NAs are considered to be at the intermediate or developmental level and are closely supervised. NAs at this grade level function as a member of the nursing care team and assist higher graded NAs, licensed nursing staff, and other members of the care team in the care of patients/residents receiving outpatient care, home or community living care or other patients/residents who are in acute, sub-acute, or chronic states of illness. The significant factor is that they provide care under close supervision and refer issues/questions to supervisors, higher graded NAs or other health care professionals
      • In this role, the NA functions as a member of the nursing care team and assists higher graded NAs, licensed nursing staff, and other members of the care team in the care of patients/residents receiving outpatient care, home or community living care, or other patients who are in acute, sub-acute, or chronic states of illness. The NA in this role provides care under close supervision and refers issues/questions to supervisors, higher graded NAs, or other health care professionals
  • GS-5 NA (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 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
    • Assignment: This is the full performance level for NAs. NAs at this grade level function as a member of the nursing care team and assist licensed nursing staff in the care of patients/residents receiving outpatient care, home or community living care or other patients/residents who are in acute, sub- acute or chronic states of illness. The distinguishing factor is that patient/resident assignments typically involve more complex nursing needs which can vary within a range of predictable to unpredictable requirements. NAs at this level also assume more of a peer education/mentorship role
• NOTE: Students/trainees may be appointed in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7405(a)(1)(D). See Part II, Chapter 3, paragraph 5 of VA Handbook 5005

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 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 (Schedule A)
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans' Preference.

Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.

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