Summary

The Oklahoma City VA Health Care System is hiring for one (1) Nursing Assistant. The Nurse Aide Provides direct care for complex - acute - primary care and long-term patients/residents per established Oklahoma City Veterans' Health Care System ( OKC VAHCS). The Nurse Aide will attend to needed and vital requirements of the patient/resident and ensure all regulatory and hospital guidelines and practices are followed - providing for a positive care experience within the OKC VAHCS.

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. Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

Basic Requirements:

• Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy
• 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
• 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 Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates
• Nursing Assistant - GS-3- Entry Level Experience and Education
• None beyond the basic requirements
• Nursing Assistant - GS-4 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 - 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 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
• Nursing Assistant - GS-5 (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 KS As 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 Demonstrated KSA's
• 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
• 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
• Physical Requirements: This position requires visual acuity - keen hearing - clear distinctive speech - and manual dexterity
• This position requires potentially extended periods of continued walking - standing - stooping - sitting - bending - pulling - and pushing
• Transferring patients and objects may be required
• Mechanical inpatient lifts are provided
• The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations - operative/invasive procedures - or home settings
• The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium - dementia - or psychiatric disorders
• The incumbent must be a mature - flexible - sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations - able to shift priorities based on patient needs

Duties

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Duties include - but are not limited to: The Nurse Aide will work within their scope of practice - competency level and the defined skills list for Nurse Aides for the Oklahoma City VAHCS
• Safely and accurately perform personal care skills
• Measures and records vital signs to include temperature - pulse - respirations - blood pressure and measuring height and weight
• Measures and records intake and output - feeding techniques - non-sterile specimen collection - transfer - positioning - and turning techniques
• The need to maintain appropriate communication with patients - families - and other health care workers - use medical asepsis and universal precautions - and document care given is inherent to the role
• Collects Veteran data - participates in care planning - performs approved skills per orders or by protocol in accordance with the care planning
• Assists with patient education and documentation of education provided
• Promotes independence of Veteran by means of respect - limit setting - and individualized treatment
• Initiates basic life support and promptly recognize/respond to emergent situations
• Participates in unit based educational activities and continuing education opportunities to increase clinical and professional knowledge
• Completes orientation - unit-based in-services - and mandatory educational activities in a self directed manner by established timeframes
• Identifies own deficits in skills and knowledge and acts to correct performance
• Offers supportive nursing care to critically or terminally ill patients/residents
• Provides emotional support to patient/resident and/or family and significant other
• Receptive to constructive feedback and self-directed in improving performance and interpersonal skills to enhance professional development
• Submits completed annual self-evaluation to the supervisor in a timely manner by the requested deadline
• Annual self-evaluation is realistic as measured by the qualification standards and the functional statement
• Attend daily huddle and team meetings as designated by area
• Completes pre-visit calls for appointment reminders as per area
• Actively participates in Committees and tasks groups that improve the overall nursing program
• Uses the Electronic Medical Record - and other approved software as needed to perform duties in assigned area
• Maintains confidentiality of patients/residents in all areas (verbal - written and computer-based)
• Work Schedule: 7:30 pm to 8:00 am - rotating schedule with coverage every other weekend and holiday coverage
• Compressed: This will be a compressed schedule
• Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
• 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) Functional Statement #: 55018-A - 55019-A - 55020-A