Nursing Assistant - (Community Living Center)

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Amarillo (TX); On-site; USD 42,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

The Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking a Nursing Assistant to learn and perform basic nursing duties across diverse care settings under close supervision.

You will care for patients with acute to chronic conditions, support care plans, observe status, and communicate with the care team. The role requires basic experience or education in nursing, and affiliation with a VA healthcare environment is expected.

Qualifications

• Six months general experience or one year of related education to NA work.
• Completion of an intensive NA-related training program may meet experience.
• Related coursework in nursing care, healthcare or psychology may satisfy requirements.
• Demonstrated KSAs: patient care, observation, communication, and teamwork.

Responsibilities

• Provide patient/resident care under supervision and contribute to care plans.
• Observe patient status and refer deviations to supervisor promptly.
• Use basic equipment and perform simple procedures as trained.
• Communicate effectively with patients, families and health staff.

Skills

Patient care

Observation

Communication

Teamwork

English proficiency

Education

Six months general experience

One year education above high school

NA training program <1 year

Bachelor's degree related to health care

Tools

Bladder scan

CPM device

Blood glucose monitor

Specimen collection

Job description

This vacancy will remain open until filled. The first cut-off date is Thursday, 10/08/2026. Additional applications will be referred as needed.

The Nursing Assistant is learning to perform basic nursing duties under close supervision in a variety of health care settings such as outpatient, inpatient, home, or community living care, acute, sub-acute. The Nursing Assistant will care for patients/residents with acute to chronic conditions.

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 Proficiency: Must be proficient in written and spoken English

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 (must submit TRANSCRIPT with application); 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 the full experience requirements for GS-3.

Grade Determinations

GS-3 NA (Entry Level)

Experience and Education. None beyond the basic requirements

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; (must submit TRANSCRIPT with application); AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• Ability to provide a range of patient/resident care and contribute to the completion of the nurse care plan and recovery of patients/residents.
• Ability to observe patients/ residents' or resident's physical or emotional status and refer deviations and/or problems to supervisor in a timely manner.
• 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.
• 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 (KSAs) that are directly related to the specific assignment. Specialized experience includes but is not limited to functioning as a member of the nursing care team and assisting licensed nursing staff and other members of the care team in the full range of nursing care of patients/residents receiving outpatient care, home, or community living care or other patients/residents who are receiving preventative, acute, sub-acute, chronic, maintenance, and hospice care.

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; (must submit TRANSCRIPT with application); AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following 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

• 2 years patient care experience.
• Long term care experience preferred.

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

Physical Requirements

Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation and would generally not require a pre-placement examination.