The Central Iowa Health Care System is recruiting for a Nursing Assistant position in the Specialty Care Department. This position requires a professional individual with a broad-based clinical knowledge that enables them to effectively provide care to a veteran population with widely diverse conditions/diagnoses, including caring for residents at end-of-life. 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. [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 above high school with courses related to the Nursing Assistant occupation; OR, 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. Grandfathering Provisions: All Nursing Assistants employed in VHA on the effective date of this qualification standard (March 12, 2015) 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: 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. 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 reentry to the occupation. Grade Determinations: The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-5. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-3 through GS-5. In addition to the basic requirements stated above, the qualification criteria outlined below must be met for each grade. To receive full consideration at the GS-4 and -5 levels, your application must clearly demonstrate the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) described below. GS-3 - Entry Level: Individuals assigned as GS-3 NAs are considered to be at the entry level and are closely supervised. Experience and Education. None beyond the basic requirements. GS-4 - Developmental Level: Individuals assigned as GS-4 NAs are considered to be at the intermediate or developmental level and are closely supervised. 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 (transcripts required). 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. GS-5 - Full Performance Level: This is the full performance level for Nursing Assistants. 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 KSAs listed 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 (transcripts required). AND Demonstrated KSAs: 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 5. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS 3 to GS 5. Physical requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination. ["This is an open continuous announcement until February 4, 2025. Qualified applicants will be considered and referred as vacancies become available. The Central Iowa Health Care System is recruiting for a Nursing Assistant position in the Primary Care Department. This position requires a professional individual with a broad-based clinical knowledge that enables them to effectively provide care to a veteran population with widely diverse conditions/diagnoses, including caring for residents at end-of-life. Duties of this position are, but not limited to: Assisting medical personnel in the care or treatment of residents with diverse conditions/diagnoses. Preparing, ambulating, transporting, and positioning residents with use of equipment. Providing a variety of personal care including but not limited to bathing, shaving, feeding, incontinence care, trimming nails, range of motion, and ambulation of residents. Performing a wide variety of duties aimed at increasing the comfort and spirit of the resident. Encourages residents and assists in completing restorative programs. Recognizes and reports obvious changes in resident condition. Delivers care to residents in a respectful, non-judgmental manner. Maintains resident privacy/confidentiality and residents rights to privacy/confidentiality. Accurately documents resident information on flow sheets and Computerized Patient Records System (CPRS). Provides resident information to the accountable LPN/RN for inclusion in the resident's plan of care. Completes assignments, reports to the accountable LPN/RN when assignment has been completed, or when unable to complete activities. Able to adjust to assignment changes. Work Schedule: Sunday- Saturday, Night shift: 11:30pm - 8am and 7:30pm -8:00am, rotating weekends/holidays. Compressed/Flexible: Authorized 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. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized"]
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.