Nursing Assistant (Visual Safety Attendant)

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Richmond (VA); On-site; USD 36,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Richmond VA Medical Center, seeks a Nursing Assistant (GS-5) to provide direct patient care on Medical/Surgical, Rehabilitation or CLC units.

The NA works under supervision of RNs and LPNs to support patient safety and well-being. Applicants may be referred and tentatively selected before all requirements are met; full qualification requires completion of basic requirements and KSAs as outlined in VA policy.

Qualifications

• Six months of general experience or one year of education above high school.
• Completion of an intensive, occupation-related training program for Nursing Assistants.
• English language proficiency as required by VA standards.
• Grandfathering provisions may apply for current VHA employees.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct patient care on Medical, Surgical, Rehabilitation, or CLC units.
• Assist patients/residents with activities of daily living under RN/LPN supervision.
• Maintain safety and comfort, observe and report changes in patient condition.

Job description

The Nursing Assistant (NA) /Virtual Safety Attendant (VSA) is a member of the health care team who helps assure that each patient/resident attains optimal physical, physiological, emotional, cultural, and social well-being at the Richmond VAMC. The Nursing Assistant provides direct patient care to patients/residents on a regular and ongoing basis in a Medical, Surgical, and Rehabilitation, or CLC inpatient units.

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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

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.

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.

GS-5 (Full Performance Level)

(a) 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; OR,

(b) 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): In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

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 Vocational 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 NAs by assisting with the 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.

Assignment. This is the full performance level for NAs. NAs at this grade level function as a member of the nursing care team and assist licensed nursing staff in the care of patients/residents receiving outpatient care, home or community living care or other patients/residents who are in acute, sub acute or chronic states of illness.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-05. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is the GS-05.

Preferred Experience: 1 year experience as a CNA and long term care experience.

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

Physical Requirements: Requires potentially long periods of continued walking, standing, stooping, sitting, bending, pulling, and pushing. This position also requires visual acuity, keen hearing, clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. Transferring patients and objects may be required. The NA many be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situation or during procedures. The NA may be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. The NA must be mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on patient needs. The NA must obtain and maintain appropriate level of PMDB training for area of assignment. The NA must complete annual employee health requirements, such as annual TB screening or testing, as a condition of employment. These physical requirements will be consistent with VA Directive Handbook 5019.