Nursing Assistant - Emergency Department

Veterans Health Administration • Los Angeles, CA

2d • Onsite

About The Position

The Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System in West Los Angeles is seeking a Nursing Assistant (NA) for its Emergency Department (ED), working the day shift. Under the direction of licensed nursing staff, the NA provides direct care to Veterans with acute, chronic, and behavioral health needs in a fast-paced, high-acuity environment. The role supports patient safety, recovery, care coordination, and efficient ED operations.

The NA provides advanced assistance with activities of daily living; performs and documents patient observations and routine clinical tasks; monitors high-risk patients; and recognizes and responds to emergency situations. The role includes continuous observation and behavioral-risk supervision, therapeutic communication and de-escalation, support for emergency workflows and procedures, operation of specialized equipment, and coordination with interdisciplinary staff. When assigned, the NA also uses virtual monitoring platforms to observe patients and escalate safety or clinical concerns.

The position requires compliance with infection-control and isolation protocols, maintaining clean and stocked treatment spaces, identifying environmental or equipment hazards, and accurate, timely documentation in the electronic health record. The NA also participates in ED huddles and coordination meetings and mentors GS-3 and GS-4 Nursing Assistants on ED protocols, equipment, and workflow. The work requires walking, standing, stooping, lifting, bending, pushing, turning, and sometimes carrying heavy loads, as well as stamina to withstand stress.

The position is permanent and full-time. The stated schedule is day shift, 7:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; compressed/flexible scheduling is available. Telework is not available, and the position is not virtual.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship.
• Six months of general experience demonstrating the ability to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to perform Nursing Assistant work, or qualifying education/training as specified for the basic requirements.
• One year above high school with courses related to the Nursing Assistant occupation, or completion of an intensive, specialized, occupation-related Nursing Assistant course of less than one year that may meet the GS-3 experience requirements.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English for direct patient-care work.
• For GS-4 qualification, one year of specialized Nursing Assistant experience or relevant medical-field experience performing technical and nursing skills, or successful completion of two years of related post-high-school education; applicable KSAs must also be demonstrated.
• For GS-5 qualification, one year of progressively responsible experience equivalent to GS-4 with directly related KSAs, or qualifying bachelor's-level education as described in the announcement; applicable KSAs must also be demonstrated.
• Ability to assist with nursing care for patients with physical or behavioral problems under the direction of an RN, LVN, or LPN.
• Ability to communicate orally with patients, families, interdisciplinary team members, and other personnel; GS-5 KSAs include serving as a preceptor to new Nursing Assistants.
• Ability to recognize and react to emergency patient-care situations and intervene while awaiting assistance, including basic life support, bleeding control, and behavioral-crisis support.
• Successful completion of a pre-employment physical evaluation and required background/security investigation.
• Subject to pre-employment urinalysis for illegal drug use; refusal results in denial of employment.
• Participation in the VA seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Must complete the required online onboarding and application documentation.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period.
• Ability to meet the physical demands of the work, including walking, standing, stooping, lifting, bending, pushing, turning, and at times carrying heavy loads; must use good body mechanics and have stamina to withstand stress.
• Education used to qualify must be recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and be from an accredited institution; foreign education requires a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with transcripts.

Nice To Haves

• At least one year of direct patient-care experience in a hospital or nursing-home setting.
• Experience monitoring vital signs, performing EKGs, upper-airway suctioning, and routine diagnostic tests.
• Experience assisting physicians and nurses with medical, surgical, psychiatric, or outpatient patient care and treatment.
• Experience setting up and assisting with complex medical equipment, including respirators, surgical wound suction equipment, and traction devices.
• Experience assisting with diagnostic examinations and procedures such as lumbar punctures, minor surgical procedures, pap smears, bone marrow procedures, and chest-tube insertions.
• Experience recognizing and reporting patient changes such as excessive vomiting, bleeding, drainage, skin-integrity issues, and airway concerns.
• Experience recognizing emergencies and providing appropriate interventions while awaiting assistance.
• Experience documenting care, observations, and condition changes in medical records or EHRs.
• Experience identifying and reporting subtle changes in patient behavior or clinical condition.
• Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification and experience performing CPR.

Responsibilities

• Provide advanced activities-of-daily-living support, including complex hygiene, feeding, and mobility assistance involving specialized equipment.
• Perform and document vital signs, neurological checks, bladder scans, oxygen monitoring, intake and output, and pain assessments.
• Collect specimens and perform simple dressing changes with minimal supervision.
• Prepare rooms, equipment, and patient positioning for trauma and rapid-response workflows.
• Recognize changes in patient condition and promptly report concerns requiring urgent intervention.
• Conduct one-to-one observation, continuous monitoring, and behavioral-risk supervision for high-acuity and psychiatric presentations.
• Support de-escalation and use therapeutic communication in accordance with PMDB and ED policies.
• Perform environmental safety checks and identify ligature, elopement, and other safety risks.
• Set up, operate, and maintain ED equipment, including oxygen delivery devices, suction systems, and telemetry leads.
• Assist with complex admissions, transfers, and discharges in coordination with multidisciplinary staff.
• Support emergency procedures and workflows, including chest-pain protocols, sepsis and stroke alerts, and trauma evaluations, within competency.
• When assigned, operate virtual monitoring platforms, observe multiple patients, provide verbal redirection, notify emergency responders, and escalate changes requiring RN involvement.
• When assigned, check virtual monitoring systems before shifts, report technical malfunctions, and document safety events, triggers, interventions, and escalations using standardized templates.
• Participate in ED huddles, treatment planning, and coordination meetings; communicate patient changes and recurring safety, behavioral, or clinical patterns to the team.
• Educate and mentor GS-3 and GS-4 Nursing Assistants on ED protocols, equipment, and workflow.
• Maintain clean, safe, and stocked ED treatment spaces; follow airborne, droplet, and contact isolation protocols; and report hazards, equipment failures, and infection-control risks.
• Promptly and accurately document assessments, interventions, observations, safety events, and responses in the EHR, using ED-specific templates when available.

Benefits

• 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year, including annual leave, sick leave, and 11 paid Federal holidays.
• Potential credit toward annual-leave accrual based on prior work or military service, subject to request and approval.
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment, in connection with birth, adoption, or foster-care placement.
• Potential childcare subsidy after 60 days for eligible full-time employees and children, subject to income and other limits.
• Traditional federal pension, with five-year vesting, and federal 401(k) with up to 5% in VA contributions.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term-life, and long-term-care insurance; many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.
• Competitive salary and regular salary increases; a higher step rate may be considered based on higher or unique qualifications or VA special needs.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED