Nursing Assistant

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

Job summary

The Nurse Assistant (NA) at the VA New Jersey Health Care System Community Living Center delivers Veteran-centered care across long-term care, sub-acute rehabilitation, dementia and mental health support, and hospice/palliative services. Assignments involve Veterans with complex needs in a dynamic clinical environment.

Qualifications include US citizenship requirements, English proficiency, and a mix of experience or education leading to NA certification.

Qualifications

• Six months of general experience to perform NA duties.
• One year of coursework above high school related to nursing care or health care.
• Completion of an intensive occupation-related course resulting in NA certification.

Responsibilities

• Provide patient/resident care under supervision and support nursing plan implementation.
• Observe patient status and report changes to supervisor promptly.
• Demonstrate knowledge of basic nursing skills and equipment use as needed.

Skills

Patient care

Communication

Observation

Emergent care

Education

Six months general experience

One year of coursework related to NA

Nursing Assistant certification

Job description

The Nurse Assistant (NA) provides Veteran-centered care within the VA New Jersey Health Care System Community Living Center (CLC), including long-term care, sub-acute/short-stay rehabilitation, dementia care, mental health/behavioral health, and hospice/palliative care. Assignments involve Veterans with complex and changing needs ranging from predictable to unpredictable.

Basic Requirements

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• English Language: Must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j.
• Experience, Education, or Training:
• Six months of general experience. (Experience must demonstrate the ability to acquire the knowledge and skills to perform the work of an NA); OR
• One year above high school with courses related to the NA occupation; OR
• Completion of an intensive, specialized, occupation-related course of study of less than one year which resulted in attaining certification as a nursing assistant may also meet in full the experience requirements for GS-3.

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).

Creditable Experience

• Knowledge of Current Practice. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with the current practice.
• 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.
• 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.

Grade Determinations

GS-3: None beyond the basic requirements.

GS-4: One year of specialized experience as a nursing assistant or experience in another medical field (LPN, health technician, hospital corpsman, etc.) performing technical and nursing skills requiring knowledge of the human physical and emotional states, therapeutic communication, and technical skills required for basic and intermediate treatments; OR Education: Successful completion of 2 years above high school in an accredited institution with courses related to nursing care, health care or in a field of study appropriate to the specialization of the position, such as education in a program for psychology, psychiatric, or operating room technicians;

AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) that include the following:

• 1. Ability to provide a range of patient/resident care and contribute to the completion of the nurse care plan and recovery of patients/residents.
• 2. Ability to observe patients/residents or resident's physical or emotional status of refer deviations and/or problems to supervisor in a timely manner.
• 3. Ability to properly use equipment, materials and supplies in simple diagnostic and treatment procedures such as bladder scan, continuous passive motion device, blood glucose monitoring machine, specimen collection, etc.
• 4. Ability to communicate effectively with patients/residents, their families and other health professionals.

GS-5: 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.

OR 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.

AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) that include the following:

• 1. 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 Vocation Nurse/Licensed Practical Nurse.
• 2. Ability to communicate orally with patients/residents, families, interdisciplinary team and other personnel. This includes serving as a preceptor to new nursing assistants by assisting with coordination of their orientation and overseeing/assessing their practical experience while in a clinical setting.
• 3. 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.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-5. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-3 to GS-5

Reference

For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/

Physical Requirements

The physical requirements of this position include lifting, prolonged standing and sitting, frequent bending, walking (distance), climbing, reaching (overhead, extensive/repetitive), pulling, pushing, repetitive motion and stooping. The mental/sensory requirements include recall, reasoning, problem-solving, hearing, speaking clearly, writing legibly, keyboarding, reading and logical thinking, depth perception, hearing (aide permitted); near/far vision correctable to meet Driver's License requirements. The environment's pace can vary from steady to a sometimes-fast pace requiring handling of multiple priorities, frequent, sometimes intense customer interactions, and the ability to adapt to frequent changes in a sometimes-noisy environment. There may be the need to use personal protective equipment to prevent exposure to disease, illness and hazardous materials. Work requires extensive walking, standing, stretching and bending in caring for patients.