Nursing Assistant

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking a Nursing Assistant in Houston, TX, at the GS-5 level. The role requires U.S. citizenship, and either six months of general experience, one year of related education, or a short training program. English proficiency is required; duties involve assisting in nursing care and coordinating with the care team.

Full performance level is GS-05. Work setting is a VA office/clinic with safety precautions and routine patient care responsibilities.

Qualifications

• Citizenship: US citizen required (non-citizens may be appointed under certain VA provisions).
• Experience or Education or Training: six months of general experience, or one year of education above high school with related courses, or a short occupation-related training course.
• English language proficiency: must be proficient in spoken and written English per VA standards.

Skills

Communication skills

Nursing care assistance

Emergency response

Education

One year of education above high school

Six months general experience

Job description

BASIC REQUIREMENTS

• a. Citizenship. 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.)
• b. Experience or Education or Training. (1) Six months of general experience. Experience must demonstrate the ability to acquire the knowledge and skills to perform the work of a Nursing Assistant; OR, (2) One year of education above high school with courses related to the Nursing Assistant occupation; OR, (3) Completion of an intensive, specialized, occupation-related training course of study or program of less than one year as a Nursing Assistant may also meet in full the experience requirements for GS-3.
• c. English Language Proficiency. Nursing Assistants must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j. May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

GRADE REQUIREMENTS

• a. Creditable Experience.
  • (1) Knowledge of Current Practice. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with the current practice.
  • (2) 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.
  • (3) 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.
• b. Grade Determinations. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.
  • GS-5 Nursing Assistant (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 below;
    • 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;
    • Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (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.
  • Preferred Experience: 1-3 years of Inpatient Nursing Unit experience & Certified Nursing Assistant
  • Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

  The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-05.

  Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, puling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment.

  Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.