Health Technician

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

US Department of Veterans Affairs, Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago, IL, seeks a non-licensed nursing team member to assist with telemetry monitoring, IV line insertion, phlebotomy, and 12-lead EKG, while providing continuous observation of critically ill patients.

The role emphasizes patient care support, safe equipment use, and accurate record keeping within the nursing service; preferred candidates have telemetry interpretation experience and health-related education.

Qualifications

• At least one year of telemetry interpretation experience.
• Direct patient care experience with basic medical procedures preferred.
• Experience with phlebotomy, EKG, and CPR is required or preferred.
• 4 years of college with 24 semester hours in health-related courses or related education may substitute for experience.

Responsibilities

• Perform IV line insertion, phlebotomy, and 12-lead EKG.
• Provide continuous observation of telemetry monitoring rhythms for critically ill patients.
• Observe and report changes in patient condition to nursing staff.
• Document patient information and vital signs in medical records.

Skills

Telemetry interpretation

Phlebotomy

EKG

IV line insertion

CPR

Patient care

Education

Bachelor's degree with 24 semester hours in health-related courses

Tools

Medical equipment

Job description

This position is located in Nursing Service, and is organizationally aligned under the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL. The position functions as a non-licensed member of the nursing care team and combines the responsibility and selected aspects of Intravenous (IV) line insertion, Phlebotomy, and 12 lead EKG, in addition to providing continuous observation of telemetry monitoring electrocardiographic (EKG) rhythms of critically ill patients.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/28/2026.

Time-In-Grade Requirement

Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade.

Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

Preferred experience: At least one year of Telemetry Interpretation experience (Telemetry interpretation certificate)

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-05) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: applying basic knowledge of basic anatomy/physiology and medical techniques to support direct patient care; effectively communicating and providing support to patients and healthcare professionals; utilizing and maintaining medical equipment and instruments; performing safety/emergency procedures related to patient transport, infection control, environmental safety; observing and reporting changes in patients physical and emotional behavior; performing medical tests and duties including phlebotomy, EKG, and CPR; and entering patient information and vital signs in computerized medical record systems using appropriate terminology. OR,
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed 4 full years of study leading to a bachelor's degree, with a major field of study with at least 24 semester hours in courses directly related to the Health Technician position. This would include course work such as human anatomy, physiology, medical terminology, etc.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.