Health Technician

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 56,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking a nursing support role at Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago, IL. The position combines IV line insertion, phlebotomy, 12-lead EKG, and continuous telemetry observation for critically ill patients.

Responsibilities include direct patient care, coordination with physicians and case managers, and maintaining medical records while upholding confidentiality. Telemetry experience is preferred; incumbents may have opportunities for advancement as

Qualifications

• Specialized Experience: 1 year at GS-05 level in the usual progression.
• Experience applying anatomy/physiology knowledge to support patient care.
• Ability to communicate with patients and healthcare professionals.
• Experience using medical equipment and recording vitals.
• Knowledge of safety procedures for patient transport and infection control.

Responsibilities

• Provide clinical, administrative, technical and direct patient care support.
• Establish goals and priorities for fluctuating clinical needs.
• Assign and evaluate subordinate staff work; resolve problems for patient services.
• Evaluate new products, equipment, and systems; recommend improvements.
• Plan and direct the activities of MSA staff; track performance.

Skills

Telemetry interpretation (Preferred)

Phlebotomy

EKG

IV insertion

Telemetry monitoring

Education

Graduate education related to the work

Tools

Medical equipment handling

Electronic health records

Job description

Summary

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.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement - 11/03/2026.

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.

Individual Occupational Requirement: Specialized Experience: Positions in this series range widely in type and include support duties to medical or health personnel such as audiologists - speech pathologists - medical officers - and optometrists. Therefore - technician experience is experience that required application of the knowledge - methods - and techniques of the position to be filled. IN ADDITION TO MEETING THE

Basic Requirements

• LISTED ABOVE - YOU MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING GRADE REQUIREMENTS TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION
• 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 medical terminology OR - Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience
• To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have half a year of graduate education (usually 9 semester hours) that is directly related to the work of this position
• One full year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent one year of full-time study
• If that information cannot be obtained from the school - 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the one year of full-time study requirement
• Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended
• Transcripts required
• OR - Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level
• You must have an combination of specialized experience and graduate education as described that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of this position
• Transcripts required - and experience must be detailed in your resume to receive credit
• Preferred: 1 year of Telemetry Interpretation certification (Telemetry interpretation certificate) 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/

Duties

• Major Duties: This position provides clinical - administrative - technical and direct patient care support
• In this capacity - the incumbent must be skillful and flexible in establishing goals and setting priorities due to fluctuating needs of the clinical staff
• Such as: -Assigns and evaluates the work of subordinate staff
• -Resolves complex problems to ensure patient services are met
• -Evaluates new products - equipment - and systems in order to make recommendations for improved operations
• -Identifies educational or training needs of staff
• -Makes final decision on selections for vacant positions
• -Evaluates performance and takes disciplinary action when necessary .-Responsible for planning and directing the activities of the MSA's
• -Extracts and analyzes data in order to provide reports in support of performance measures to senior management
• -Plans and organizes work to meet local and VA-wide time frames to complete analysis requirements - reports and special assignments
• -Reports backlogs - difficulties in meeting deadlines - uncooperative physicians - or difficulty in securing information from clinicians or the record
• -Responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of information obtained to carry out required duties
• -Communicates with physicians - case managers - and other allied health professional staff
• -Works independently making decisions based on guidelines - precedents and regulations
• -Other related duties as assigned
• Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory - qualification - and performance requirements are met
• Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level
• Work Schedule: 7:30pm- 8 :00am/11:30pm- 8 :00am Monday-Sunday incl Holidays and Weekends
• Telework: NO telework Authorized
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Position Description/PD#: 13351A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not authorized