Nursing Assistant- Acute Care

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 35,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

The Washington DC VA Health Care System, part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, seeks a Nursing Assistant to join Nursing Services. The position is located at the VA Medical Center and provides patient care under supervision in inpatient and outpatient settings within a VA hospital network.

Basic requirements include U.S. citizenship; six months of general experience or one year of education above high school or completion of related training.

Qualifications

• Six months of general experience.
• One year of education above high school with courses related to the NA occupation.
• Completion of an intensive, specialized occupation-related training course of study or program as a NA may meet the experience requirements.
• Grandfathering provisions may apply to current VHA employees in this occupation.

Job description

The Washington VA Medical Center is a major VA hospital providing comprehensive inpatient, outpatient, and primary care services to Veterans in Maryland and beyond. The Nursing Assistant position is located at The Veterans Health Administration, Washington D.C. VA Health Care System in Nursing Services.

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:(1) Six months of general experience. Experience must demonstrate the ability to acquire the knowledge and skills to perform the work of a NA; OR,

• (2) One year of education above high school with courses related to the NA occupation; OR,

• (3) 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.

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).

Grandfathering Provisions

All NAs employed in VHA on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the series and grade held that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:

• (1) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.

• (2) If an employee who was retained (grandfathered) under this provision leaves the occupation, the employee loses protected status of the grandfathering provision and must meet the full VA qualification standard basic requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation.

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)

• (a) Experience and Education. None beyond the basic requirements.
• (b) Assignments. Individuals assigned as GS-3 NAs are considered to be at the entry level and are closely supervised.

GS-4 NA

• (a) 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,
• (b) 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
• (c) 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).

Preferred Experience: Two years inpatient experience in a acute care setting or outpatient clinic setting.

Reference

For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is 05. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of 03 to 05.

Physical Requirements

USE THIS STATEMENT FOR YOUR PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements