Licensed Practical Nurse

US Indian Health Service; Davis (CA); On-site; USD 55,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Recruitment/Relocation Sign-On Bonus

Job summary

Indian Health Service in Davis, California seeks a Licensed Practical Nurse to deliver compassionate care in a federal health setting. You will support clinical operations with a focus on safety, infection control, and high-quality patient outcomes.

Candidates must be licensed or eligible for licensure, with the required nursing experience and PN program credentials described in the basic requirements. A recruitment/relocation sign-on bonus may be available.

Qualifications

• Active LPN license in state or territory or eligibility for licensure.
• 1 year of specialized nursing experience equivalent to GS-4/GS-5.
• For GS-4, PN program with 1 year of nursing assistant experience or 2-year PN degree.

Responsibilities

• Provide basic nursing care including bathing, feeding, dressing, and transport.
• Monitor vital signs, observe changes, and report promptly.
• Assist with diagnostic or treatment procedures while maintaining sterile technique.
• Assist surgeons and RNs in operating room activities and pass instruments.
• Maintain infection control, safety policies, and supportive patient education.

Skills

Licensure

Nursing care

Vital signs

Education

Practical Nursing Program (9 months) or 2-year PN degree

Job description

At the Indian Health Service, License Practical Nurse do more than practice medicine-they change lives. Guided by our mission to raise the health of American Indian and Alaska Native people, you'll deliver compassionate care where it's needed most.

Your expertise brings healing and hope across generations. Begin your journey with purpose AND receive a recruitment/relocation sign-on bonus, if eligible.

A REAL ID will be required beginning May 7, 2025, in accordance with 6 C.F.R. 37.5 (2021). To qualify for this position, your resume must state sufficient experience and/or education, to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are applying.

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; religious; spiritual; community; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer and part time experience. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week.

BASIC REQUIREMENT(S)

Individual Occupational Requirements

Licensure: Candidates must be currently licensed to practice as practical or vocational nurses in a State or territory of the United States or the District of Columbia or must have applied for a license to practice. Applications of candidates possessing a license must be accompanied by a certified or photostatic copy of the license, a notarized statement attesting to the fact, or a citation of the license number and State issuing it. Non‑licensed candidates who have completed their training may be appointed subject to obtaining the required license during the probationary period. Those not licensed must furnish the date on which they applied for a license and the jurisdiction involved. No person appointed pending licensure may be retained beyond the probationary period if licensure has not been attained.

Applicants who meet the licensure requirement are considered fully qualified for GS‑3.

Additional Requirements for Grades GS‑4 and Above

Experience:

Qualifying experience includes nursing care work in a hospital, outpatient clinic, nursing home, or other supervised medical, nursing, or patient care facility that provided a practical knowledge of human body structure and sterile techniques and procedures, performing such duties as:

• Providing pre‑ and post‑operative patient care.
• Observing, recording, and reporting changes in behavior of mentally ill patients.
• Providing reassurance and encouragement to mentally ill patients.
• Assisting surgeons and registered nurses in operating room activities, including passing instruments, maintaining sterile conditions, and draping and positioning patients.
• Setting up and operating special medical equipment and apparatus.

For GS‑4: 6 months of nursing experience is required.

For GS‑5 and above: 1 year of nursing experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level is required.

OR

Education/Training:

For GS‑4: Successful completion of a program in practical nursing of a least 9 months' duration combined with 1 year of nursing assistant experience; or successful completion of a 2‑year degree program in an accredited community college, junior college, or college or university in practical nursing.

In addition, to the Basic Requirements, you must also meet the Minimum Qualifications stated below-

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Your resume must demonstrate at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector performing the following type of work and/or tasks

Specialized Experience GS‑4:

Assist with basic nursing care tasks such as bathing, feeding, dressing, or transporting patients, measure and record vital signs and report changes in condition, assist with simple diagnostic or treatment procedures while maintaining sterile technique, and following infection control and safety policies.

Specialized Experience GS‑5:

Observe, record, and report changes in patients' behavior or physical condition; carry out nursing procedures in accordance with established guidelines and care plans; take vital signs, collect specimens, and maintain accurate documentation; set up and maintain medical equipment for procedures.

Specialized Experience GS‑6: P

erform a range of treatment procedures such as insert catheters, administer immunizations, change sterile dressings, and provide wound care; administer medications safely and monitoring for therapeutic or adverse effects; recognize urgent and emergent situations and initiate appropriate emergency interventions; provide patient and family education on health maintenance, medication use, and disease management, assist physicians and RNs with complex procedures and specialized diagnostic tests

You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.