Nursing Assistant - Escort Unit

Veterans Health Administration • Temple, TX

5d

About The Position

The Nursing Assistant (NA) works as part of a nursing care team and assists licensed nursing staff in caring for patients and residents receiving preventive, acute, sub-acute, chronic, maintenance, and hospice care. Assignments typically involve more complex nursing needs that may range from predictable to unpredictable. The NA provides activities of daily living and other care that contributes to Veterans’ treatment plans, recovery, and wellness under the direction of a licensed health care provider. Work may take place in outpatient, inpatient, home, or Community Living Center settings and involves caring for patients with acute and chronic conditions.

The facility is shifting from a disease-focused approach to the VA Whole Health System of Care, emphasizing interdisciplinary, holistic care, self-care, and the Veteran’s definition of health and well-being. This includes integrating conventional approaches with Complementary and Integrative Health approaches.

The NA assists with nursing care under the direction of a Registered Nurse and/or Licensed Vocational Nurse, communicates with patients, families, and the interdisciplinary team, and may precept new NAs. The role includes responding to emergent situations, monitoring and documenting patient status and care, providing tracheostomy care and suctioning, and performing procedures within the NA’s scope of practice and applicable policies.

The work schedule includes shifts of 7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m., 3:30 p.m.–midnight, and 11:30 p.m.–8:00 a.m., with rotating weekends and holidays and occasional rotations to other shifts. The position is permanent, with an actual selection grade range of GS-03 to GS-05 and a full performance level of GS-05.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, except where non-citizen appointment is permitted under VA policy when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• Meet one of the basic education or experience pathways: six months of general experience demonstrating ability to acquire NA skills; one year of post-high-school education with related courses; or completion of an intensive, specialized, occupation-related NA training program of less than one year.
• For GS-04, either one year of specialized NA or related medical-field experience involving technical and nursing skills, or two years of post-high-school education in a related field; candidates must also demonstrate the specified patient-care, observation, equipment-use, and communication KSAs.
• For GS-05, either one year of progressively responsible experience equivalent to GS-04 or a four-year course of study leading to a bachelor’s degree that included 24 semester hours of health-care-related courses, or a bachelor’s degree; candidates must also demonstrate the specified nursing-care, communication, precepting, and emergency-response KSAs.
• Meet physical requirements, including visual acuity, keen hearing, clear speech, and manual dexterity; the work may involve prolonged walking, standing, stooping, sitting, bending, pulling, pushing, and transferring patients or objects.
• Be able to work effectively in stressful situations, shift priorities based on patient needs, and respond to potentially combative patients.
• Complete required background/security investigation, onboarding, and pre-employment requirements; selected applicants in testing-designated positions are subject to pre-appointment drug testing.
• Register for Selective Service if required.
• Participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Submit transcripts when using education to qualify; foreign education requires the applicable equivalency documentation.

Nice To Haves

• Evidence of Lean Belt training or experience.
• Professional Governance participation.
• Certified Nursing Assistant certification.
• Current BLS certification.

Responsibilities

• Assist licensed nursing staff with the full range of nursing care for patients and residents with physical and/or behavioral needs, under the direction of an RN and/or LVN/LPN.
• Provide activities of daily living and direct care that contribute to Veterans’ treatment plans, recovery, and wellness.
• Communicate with patients, residents, families, interdisciplinary team members, and other personnel.
• Precept new Nursing Assistants by helping coordinate their orientation and overseeing and assessing their practical clinical experience.
• Recognize and respond to emergent care situations, including basic life support needs, bleeding, and behavioral crises, while awaiting assistance.
• Use a glucose monitoring machine to obtain readings and refer deviations to appropriate health care staff.
• Provide direct care to complex Veterans and observe subtle changes in condition, including changes in behavior, mood, skin color, or appetite; take appropriate action within the assigned role.
• Document care, observations, and patient responses using appropriate tools or forms.
• Contact appropriate nursing personnel when patient changes or deviations are observed.
• Provide complete tracheostomy care, including suctioning.
• Monitor and document patient intake and output, and report deviations promptly and accurately.
• Perform procedures within scope of practice and according to policies and standard procedures, including enemas, catheterization, colostomy care, skin care, simple dressings, and application of braces and prosthetic devices.

Benefits

• 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year, including 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 of a child.
• Eligible full-time employees with total family income below $144,000 may qualify for a childcare subsidy of up to 25% of eligible costs, subject to a monthly maximum of $416.66.
• 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 may be carried into retirement.
• Competitive salary and regular salary increases.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed