Nursing Assistant - Community Living Center 215-2

Veterans Health Administration • Los Angeles, CA

15d • Onsite

About The Position

The Nursing Assistant works on the night shift at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System’s West Los Angeles Community Living Center 215-2, alongside licensed nursing staff to provide preventive, acute, sub-acute, chronic, maintenance, and hospice care to Veterans with complex and varying healthcare needs. The role includes direct patient care, safety and infection-control responsibilities, virtual patient monitoring, clinical and technical support, admissions, transfers and discharges, documentation, professional judgment, and communication and coordination with interdisciplinary teams.

The position is a permanent federal appointment in the Excepted Service. The schedule is 7:30 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. and may include weekends or holidays. Compressed or flexible scheduling is available. Telework is not available, and the position is not virtual. Applicants must meet the VA’s basic and grade-specific qualifications, including applicable experience or education, and be proficient in written and spoken English. Additional conditions include U.S. citizenship, background and security investigation, pre-employment drug screening and physical evaluation, seasonal influenza vaccination, and a 1- or 2-year trial period.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship.
• Six months of general experience demonstrating the ability to acquire the knowledge and skills to perform Nursing Assistant work; alternatively, one year above high school with courses related to the Nursing Assistant occupation, or an intensive specialized occupation-related nursing assistant course of less than one year that may meet the GS-3 experience requirements.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English for direct patient-care work.
• For GS-4 qualification through experience: one year of specialized Nursing Assistant experience or experience in another medical field performing technical and nursing skills requiring knowledge of human physical and emotional states, therapeutic communication, and basic and intermediate treatments; alternatively, successful completion of two years above high school in relevant coursework.
• For GS-4, ability to provide a range of patient/resident care and contribute to the nurse care plan and recovery; observe physical or emotional status and report deviations promptly; properly use equipment and supplies in simple diagnostic and treatment procedures; and communicate effectively with patients, families, and health professionals.
• For GS-5 qualification through experience: one year of progressively responsible experience equivalent to GS-4 directly related to the assignment, and the required professional knowledge, skills, and abilities; alternatively, a four-year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor’s degree that included 24 semester hours of health-care courses, or a bachelor’s degree, plus the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.
• For GS-5, ability to assist with the full range of nursing care for patients with physical or behavioral problems under RN or LVN/LPN direction; communicate orally with patients, families, interdisciplinary teams, and other personnel; serve as a preceptor for new Nursing Assistants; and recognize and respond to emergency care situations while awaiting assistance.
• Meet applicable background and security investigation requirements and complete the online onboarding process and required application documentation.
• Pass pre-employment drug screening and physical evaluation; participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Serve a 1- or 2-year trial period.
• Ability to walk, stand, stoop, lift, bend, push, turn, and sometimes carry heavy loads; 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 from an accredited institution. Foreign education requires a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with transcripts.

Nice To Haves

• One or more years of Nursing Assistant experience in a Community Living Center, skilled nursing facility, long-term care, or another residential nursing-care setting.
• Experience providing direct nursing care to geriatric patients or residents with multiple chronic conditions and complex care needs.

Responsibilities

• Provide advanced assistance with activities of daily living, including hygiene, toileting, feeding, and mobility.
• Perform patient measurements, including vital signs, pain assessments, neurological checks, bladder scans, and oxygen monitoring.
• Perform non-complex procedures such as specimen collection and simple dressing changes with minimal supervision.
• Assist with complex mobility, lift-equipment operation, weight-bearing support, and safe patient handling.
• Recognize and promptly report changes in patient condition.
• Apply infection-control principles, including airborne, contact, and droplet isolation.
• Identify environmental hazards and escalate safety concerns; participate in fall-prevention and skin-integrity programs.
• Monitor patients remotely using approved VA virtual monitoring platforms; observe for unsafe behaviors and provide voice redirection when appropriate.
• Notify bedside staff of safety concerns requiring in-person intervention and document observations according to unit policy.
• Ensure virtual monitoring equipment readiness, camera positioning, privacy, and confidentiality.
• Collect, label, and process routine specimens according to policy.
• Provide basic wound-care support, including simple dressing changes, under licensed staff direction.
• Assist with telemetry, oxygen therapy, and suction equipment; support patient transport to procedures and continuity of observation.
• Document patient care accurately in electronic health records.
• Assist with admissions by obtaining vital signs, orienting patients, and providing basic instruction.
• Inventory, secure, and transfer patient belongings appropriately.
• Support discharges by escorting patients, coordinating transport, and assisting with final activities of daily living.
• Provide timely reports to unit staff, charge nurses, Patient Safety, and Flow Coordinators.
• Collaborate with Nursing Leadership and interdisciplinary teams in clinical and administrative workflows.
• Advise bedside teams when monitoring identifies patterns requiring intervention, such as restlessness or repeated unsafe actions.
• Document monitoring activities, behavioral observations, interventions, escalation steps, interruptions, equipment malfunctions, and changes in patient risk in accordance with applicable guidelines.
• Demonstrate situational awareness while monitoring multiple patients; use VA de-escalation and therapeutic communication strategies.
• Identify when virtual monitoring is insufficient and recommend bedside sitters or environmental changes.
• Communicate and coordinate with nurses, physicians, therapists, social workers, administrative staff, and interdisciplinary teams; participate in huddles and nursing-administration workflows.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases; a higher step rate may be considered for higher or unique qualifications or VA special needs.
• 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year, consisting of 13–26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, and 11 paid Federal holidays.
• Eligible employees may receive credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work or military service, subject to approval.
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment in connection with birth, adoption, or foster care placement.
• Eligible full-time employees may qualify for a child care subsidy after 60 days of employment, subject to income, child, cost, and monthly maximum requirements.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting and federal 401(k) with up to 5% in contributions by VA.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.

What This Job Offers

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