Nursing Assistant-Acute Care

Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs; Baltimore (MD); On-site; USD 34,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

VA Maryland Health Care System is seeking a Nursing Assistant to provide care for patients with acute to chronic conditions in a hospital or long-term care setting. The NA will support licensed staff, document observations, and help ensure high-quality patient care in Baltimore, MD.

Candidates must meet basic requirements and KSAs, with opportunities for career progression from entry level to full performance as a Nursing Assistant.

Responsibilities

• Assist licensed nursing staff in care of patients/residents across settings.
• Support in monitoring glucose readings and using basic nursing equipment.
• Maintain a therapeutic environment and assist with activities of daily living.
• Document patient information accurately in charts and care plans.
• Participate in shift reports and collaborate with the health care team.

Job description

Summary

At the VA Maryland Health Care System - our health care teams are deeply experienced and guided by the needs of Veterans - their families - and caregivers. The Nursing Assistant (NA) will provide care to patients/residents with acute to chronic conditions in a health care setting. This position is located in Baltimore - MD.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

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
• Experience or Education or Training: Six months of general experience
• Experience must demonstrate the ability to acquire the knowledge and skills to perform the work of a NA;OR - One year of education above high school with courses related to the NA occupation
• OR Completion of an intensive - specialized - occupation-related [training]course of study [or program] of less than one year as a NA may also meet in full the experience requirements for GS-3.
• English Language Proficiency
• NAs 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 Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates
• GS-3 NA (Entry Level) Experience and Education
• None beyond the basic requirements
• o Assignments
• Individuals assigned as GS-3 NAs are considered to be at the entry level and are closely supervised
• GS-4 NA Experience
• One year of specialized experience as a NA or experience in another medical field (licensed practical nurse - 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 - healthcare 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)
• In addition - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: i Ability to provide a range of patient/resident care and contribute to the completion of the nurse care plan and recovery of patients/residents
• ii Ability to observe patients/residents' or resident's physical or emotional status and refer deviations and/or problems to supervisor in a timely manner
• iii 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
• iv Ability to communicate effectively with patients/residents - their families and other health professionals
• GS-5 NA (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 in subparagraph (c) 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(c) Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSAs)
• i 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
• ii 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
• iii 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: 3-5 years of experience in inpatient care within the last 5 years
• 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
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-03 to GS-05.

Duties

• The Nursing Assistant - Acute Care assists licensed nursing staff in the care of patients/residents receiving preventive - acute - sub-acute chronic - maintenance - and hospice care
• Major Duties include - but are not limited to: Appropriately utilize glucose monitoring machine to collect and document appropriate glucose readings for assigned veteran
• Performs their duties on an assigned patient area and using a team nursing approach
• Maintains a positive therapeutic relationships by displaying respect for human dignity with patient - families and/or significant others utilizing learned communication skills
• Utilize principles of proper body mechanics while caring for patients
• Maintain a therapeutic environment for patients according to established procedures and policies by reporting actual or potential accidents - fire hazards and faulty equipment
• Participate in patient centered conferences/shift reports and contributing information for the development and review of the nursing care plan
• Learning to be proficient with the utilizing rehabilitative principles to promote patient independence and recovery - encouraging and guiding patient/residents in bowel and bladder training
• Monitors Veterans who may be at risk for harming themselves and or others according to established policies and procedures and appropriately refers issues to the charge nurse or other health care professional
• Sets up patient care related equipment - such as hypothermia machines - oxygen delivery systems - portable and wall suction and assisting in monitoring proper functioning of equipment
• Provides direct physical and emotional care to the chronically ill and/or dying patient by attending the patient's grooming needs - feeding - elimination and psychosocial needs - thus improving the veteran's quality of life
• Enters information about the residents' condition in the chart - utilizing appropriate formats
• All other duties as assigned - pertaining to this occupation - to meet the needs of the Agency - Department - Facility - and/or Service
• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: Days (7:30am- 8:00pm) and Nights (7:30pm-8:00am) Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay - a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade)
• Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave - 13 days of sick leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior [work experience] or military service experience
• Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment - up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth - adoption - or foster care placement of a child
• Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment - full time employees with a total family income below $144 -000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66
• Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 512-25501-F - 512-25502-F - 512-25503-F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized