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Veterans Health Administration is Hiring a Nursing Assistant (Open Continuous) Near Vancouver, WA

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.

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.
• Education or Training- One year above high school with courses related to the NA occupation. Completion of an intensive, specialized, occupation-related course of study of less than one year as a nursing assistant may also meet in full the experience requirements for GS-3.
• 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.

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-3 Nursing Assistant: Experience and Education- None beyond basic requirements.

GS-4 Nursing Assistant: One year of experience as a Nursing Assistant or in another medical field; OR Education- 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:
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.

GS-5 Nursing Assistant: One year of progressively responsible assignments and experience equivalent to the GS-4 level; OR Education- 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 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

Preferred Experience: 2 years Nursing Home or inpatient hospital experience, ventilator experience and AHA approved BLS

References: VA Handbook 5005 - http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/Directives-Handbooks/Documents/5005.pdf. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office.

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: Heavy lifting (45 pounds and over), straight pulling (3 hours), pushing (3 hours), reaching above shoulder, use of fingers, both hands required, walking (7 hours), standing (7 hours), kneeling, repeated bending (4 hours), both legs required, ability for rapid mental and muscular coordinating simultaneously, near vision correctable at 13' to 16' to Jaeger 1 to 4, far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other, depth perception, ability to distinguish basic colors, hearing (aid permitted), mental and emotional stability required.

Responsibilities:

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Utilizing glucose monitoring machine to receive glucose readings for Veterans and referring deviations to appropriate health care staff
• Providing direct care for complex Veterans
• Making observations of subtle changes in resident's condition, i.e. behavior shifts, mood, skin coloring, appetite, etc., and taking action accordingly within the NAs assigned role
• Documenting care given, observations, and responses on appropriate tools or forms.
• Responding appropriately to subtle patient changes by contacting the appropriate nursing personnel
• Administering complete tracheostomy care, including suctioning
• Monitoring and documenting patient intake and output, and reporting deviations timely and accurately
• Performing nursing procedures within scope of practice and according to policies and standard procedures to care for the Veteran for procedures such as: enemas, catheterization, colostomy care, skin care simple dressing, and application of braces and prosthetic devices
• Working on small group activities with Veterans/residents according to the individual treatment plan
• Recognizing the residents' autonomy and promoting independence by means of respect, limit setting and individualized treatment
• Actively participating in Treatment Planning Meetings- Utilizing equipment to promote Veteran self-care, such as: lift equipment, hydro sound tubs, and Veteran/Resident Wandering System
• Verbally providing patient information to the treatment team for inclusion in the Veteran/resident plan of care and participating in treatment team meetings for resident care planning
• Entering information about the residents' condition in the chart, utilizing appropriate formats
• Participating in the maintenance of a clean and safe environment for Veteran care
• Removing defective equipment, reporting hazards, observing safety regulations, contributing to infection control, and utilizing proper aseptic technique in performance of duties
• Serving as the unit safe patient handling liaison
• Serving as preceptor and mentor to other NAs
• Orienting members of the health care team to the units as appropriate
• Functioning as a member of the Unit Based Council (UBC)
• Managing disruptive patient behavior and appropriately Intervening and requesting assistance from other health care members
• Appropriately initiating basic life support and taking appropriate action

Work Schedule: Days, Evenings or Nights with rotating weekends. Days: 6:00am - 2:30pm, Evenings: 2:00pm - 10:30pm & Nights: 10:00pm - 6:30am
Compressed/Flexible: Not available.
Telework: Not available.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Job Summary