Nursing Assistant-Acute Care

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Baltimore (MD); On-site; USD 36,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs—VA Maryland Health Care System in Baltimore, MD—seeks a Nursing Assistant to provide care to patients with acute to chronic conditions.

The role requires meeting basic requirements and may advance from GS-3 entry to GS-5 full performance based on experience and education. Applicants must have English proficiency and meet specific education or training pathways; grandfathering provisions may apply for current VA employees.

Qualifications

• Six months of general experience, education, or training to perform NA work.
• One year of education above high school with NA-related courses.
• Completion of an intensive, specialized NA training course of less than one year may meet requirements.

Responsibilities

• Provide care to patients/residents with acute to chronic conditions in a health care setting.

Skills

Patient care

Communication

Observation

Education

Two years above high school in related field

Bachelor's degree with 24 sem hours in health care

Job description

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.

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

• 2 Years of Acute Care experience.
• Basic Life Support (BLS)
• 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. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-03 to GS-05.