Summary

This position is for the Inpatient Mental Health - Nursing Assistant. The NA function as a member of the nursing care team and assist licensed nursing staff in the care of patients/residents receiving preventive - acute - sub-acute chronic - maintenance - and hospice care. This position is a Full-time position that will be on a Not-to-Exceed (NTE) basis of 12 months. The incumbent will have the ability for extension based upon the candidate and needs of the unit.

Qualifications

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: Nursing Assistants 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: Six months of general experience
• Experience must demonstrate the ability to acquire the knowledge and skills to perform the work of a Nursing Assistant
• OR One year of education above high school with courses related to the Nursing Assistant occupation
• OR Completion of an intensive - specialized - occupation-related [training] course of study [or program] of less than one year as a Nursing Assistant may also meet in full the experience requirements for GS-03
• 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: GS-03 Entry Level- Experience and Education
• None beyond the basic requirements
• GS-04 Developmental Level: Experience: One year of specialized experience as a Nursing Assistant 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 two 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
• (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) AND Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSAs)
• In addition - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: 1
• Ability to provide a range of patient/resident care and contribute to the completion of the nurse care plan and recovery of patients/residents
• 2
• Ability to observe patients/residents' or resident's physical or emotional status and refer deviations and/or problems to supervisor in a timely manner
• 3
• 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
• 4
• Ability to communicate effectively with patients/residents - their families and other health professionals
• Assignment: i
• Individuals assigned as GS-4 NAs are considered to be at the intermediate or developmental level and are closely supervised
• NAs at this grade level function as a member of the nursing care team and assist higher graded NAs - licensed nursing staff - and other members of the care team 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 significant factor is that they provide care under close supervision and refer issues/questions to supervisors - higher graded NAs or other health care professionals
• ii
• In this role - the NA functions as a member of the nursing care team and assists higher graded NAs - licensed nursing staff - and other members of the care team in the care of patients/residents receiving outpatient care - home or community living care - or other patients who are in acute - sub-acute - or chronic states of illness
• The NA in this role provides care under close supervision and refers issues/questions to supervisors - higher graded NAs - or other health care professionals
• GS-05 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
• 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
• (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) AND In addition to the requirements listed above - candidates must demonstrate all of the following Knowledge - Skills and Abilities (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 Nursing Assistants 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 distinguishing factor is that patient/resident assignments typically involve more complex nursing needs which can vary within a range of predictable to unpredictable requirements
• NAs at this level also assume more of a peer education/mentorship role
• Preferred Experience: At least 1 year of direct patient care experience
• At least 1 year of Inpatient Mental Health experience
• Familiarity with Mental Health / Behavioral Health care (documentation - terminology - observation - safety precautions)
• CNA Certification - 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-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: Physical Requirements: This position requires visual acuity - keen hearing - clear distinctive speech - and manual dexterity
• This position requires potentially long periods of continued walking - standing - stooping - sitting - bending - pulling - and pushing
• Transferring patients and objects may be required
• The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations or operative/invasive procedures
• These physical requirements will be consistent with VA Directive Handbook 5019.

Duties

• Nursing Assistant - vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Nursing-Assistant-Career-Flyer.pdf Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Duties are but not limited to: GS-03: - All duties performed will be completed under close supervision with appropriate training and competencies for assigned task
• - Will learn to appropriately utilize glucose monitoring machine to collect and document appropriate glucose readings for assigned veteran
• - Maintains a positive therapeutic relationship by displaying respect for human dignity with patient - families and/or significant others utilizing learned communication skills
• - Begins to utilize observation skills for data collection - reporting and recording patient/resident observations
• GS-04: - The NA may perform these duties in a variety of health care settings such as outpatient - inpatient - home or community living care - acute - sub-acute
• ---- The NA will care for patients/residents with acute to chronic conditions
• - Becoming proficient with maintaining positive therapeutic relationships by displaying respect for human dignity with patient - families and/or significant others utilizing communication skills
• - Utilize observation skills for data collection - reporting and recording
• - Participate in patient centered conferences/shift reports - and contributing information for the development and review of the nursing care plan
• - Maintain a therapeutic environment for patients according to established procedures and policies by reporting actual or potential accidents - fire hazards and faulty equipment
• GS-05: - Participates in treatment team meetings for resident care planning
• - Enters information about the residents' condition in the chart - utilizing appropriate formats
• - Participates in maintaining a clean - safe environment for the patient/resident
• - Removes defective equipment - reports hazards - observes safety regulations - contributes to infection control - and utilizes proper aseptic technique in performance of duties
• - Serves as the unit safe patient handling liaison
• - Serves as preceptor and mentor to other NA's -
• - Orients members of the health care team to the units as appropriate
• - Functions as a member of the unit base counsel
• - Manages distributed patient behavior and by appropriately intervenes and request assistant from other health care members
• - Appropriately initiates basic life support - takes actions appropriate action
• Work Schedule: Full-Time - Night shift (7:30pm- 8:00am)
• 6 12-hour shifts + 1 8-hour shift per pay period for a total of 80 PP
• (This position is on a Not-to-Exceed (NTE) basis of 12 months
• The incumbent will have the ability for extension based upon the candidate and needs of the unit)
• Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay - a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade)
• 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)
• Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 52804-F - 52795-F - 52871-F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized