Health Technician

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Orlando (FL); On-site; USD 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair seeks a Health Aid and Technician for a psychiatric or substance abuse unit. The role includes patient personal care, diagnostic services, treatment, and charting under the supervision of a nurse manager.

Applicants must meet the IOR and Specialized Experience or Education requirements. For GS-5, a full 4-year degree with related coursework or equivalent experience is required, and graduate education may count toward specialized requirements when directly related.

Qualifications

• Must meet IOR (Individual Occupational Requirement) and Specialized Experience or Education for Health Aid and Technician Series (0640).
• Specialized Experience required for GS-5; education may substitute per guidelines.

Responsibilities

• Performs a wide range of patient personal care, diagnostic services, treatment, and charting in a psychiatric or substance abuse unit.
• Assists in patient care under supervision of a nurse manager or designee.

Skills

Observation of patient condition

Data collection

Documentation

Education

Bachelor’s degree (4-year) with relevant coursework

Job description

The primary purpose of this position is to perform a very wide range of patient personal care, diagnostic services, treatment, and charting activities in a psychiatric or substance abuse treatment unit. The incumbent assists in patient care under the direct supervision of a nurse manager or designee. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/23/2026.

Applicants must meet the Individual Occupation Requirement and Specialized Experience/Education. Each of these items are separate requirements.
Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) for Health Aid and Technician Series (0640): 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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below.
Specialized Experience (for positions at GS-4 and above): 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. OR
Education and Training: For GS-5: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position. (Transcripts Required).
In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements you must also meet the Specialized Experience or Education requirement for the Health Technician 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: Observes, collects data, documents, and reports to the professional team changes in patient behavior, attitude, physical complaints, appearance, vital signs and/or changes in the patients' condition that may be related to medications, sensory distortions, or medical conditions. Performs a range of diagnostic support duties such as collecting, recording, and
  reporting to RN deviations in vital signs/withdrawal symptoms, collecting and labeling specimens for the laboratory.

NOTE: Graduate education or an internship meets the specialized experience required above GS-5 only in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position.

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/