Nursing Assistant - Community Living Center

This Nursing Assistant position is located within the VA Community Living Center at the Fort Meade campus of the VA Black Hills Health Care System in South Dakota. You will provide care to Veterans across varied settings. The mission of a Community Living Center is to restore each Veteran to his or her highest level of well-being, to prevent declines in health, and provide comfort at the end of life.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. In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English.
• Experience, Education or Training. You must meet one of the following to meet the basic requirements for a Nursing Assistant (NA):
  1. Six (6) 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 stated above, the following qualification criteria must be met for each grade. The candidate's qualifications must clearly demonstrate the level of competence required for the grade.

GS-03 - None beyond the basic requirements. NAs at this grade NAs are considered entry-level and are closely supervised.

GS-04 - To qualify at the GS-4 level you must meet the following:

• EXPERIENCE: One (1) year of experience as a Nursing Assistant or 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 (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, in addition you must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (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 residents' 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.

GS-05 - To qualify at the GS-5 level you must meet the following:

• EXPERIENCE: One (1) 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 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, in addition you must demonstrate 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 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.

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.Education:IMPORTANT: If basing all or part of your basic qualifications on education or training, an unofficial copy of college transcripts showing completion of one year of education above high school related to the Nursing Assistant occupation or documentation showing completion of an intensive, specialized, occupation-related course of study of less than one year as a nursing assistant is required to verify you meet the basic qualification requirements.

If basing your qualifications on education at the GS-4 or -5 levels, you must submit a copy of all relevant transcripts with your application. You do not need to submit an official copy; however, your submitted transcript must include your name, name of school, name of program, total credits completed, date degree/certificate conferred. Your transcript will be reviewed for relevant coursework; therefore, the copy you submit must be legible.

Candidates who do not yet meet the basic education requirement but are currently enrolled in a post high school technical school, junior college, college, or university completing coursework related to the Nursing Assistant occupation, must provide proof of enrollment at the time of application.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.Employment Type: OTHER

Salary : $38,877