Nursing Assistant (Community Living Center)
About The Position
The Nursing Assistant (NA) provides safe, resident-centered care at the San Francisco VA Health Care System’s Community Living Center. The NA is part of the nursing care team and assists licensed nursing staff and other care team members with patients and residents receiving long-stay care, rehabilitation, skilled nursing, dementia care, and/or hospice services. Care is provided to adults from age 18 through older adulthood, including people with acute symptoms and severely restricted activity. The position may be filled at GS-3, GS-4, or GS-5; GS-5 is the full performance level. Assignments range from closely supervised entry-level work to care involving more complex and variable nursing needs. The role includes personal and restorative care, observing and documenting changes in condition, contributing to care planning and quality improvement, communicating with the interdisciplinary team, and maintaining a safe therapeutic environment. Work schedules may be 7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m., 3:30 p.m.–midnight, or 11:30 p.m.–8:00 a.m., based on organizational needs. The announcement is open continuously until December 28, 2026, with an initial referral cutoff of November 12, 2026, followed by cutoffs every two weeks.
Requirements
- U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated VA policy exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
- Proficiency in spoken and written English.
- One year of education 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 experience requirement for GS-3.
- For GS-4, one year of specialized Nursing Assistant or other medical-field experience involving technical and nursing skills, knowledge of human physical and emotional states, therapeutic communication, and basic/intermediate treatment skills; or two years of relevant education above high school.
- For GS-4, ability to provide patient/resident care and contribute to care plans; observe physical or emotional status and promptly refer problems; use equipment and supplies for simple diagnostic and treatment procedures; and communicate effectively with residents, families, and health professionals.
- For GS-5, one year of progressively responsible experience equivalent to GS-4 with directly related knowledge, skills, and abilities; or a four-year degree including 24 semester hours of health-care-related courses, or a bachelor's degree.
- For GS-5, ability to assist with the full range of nursing care under an RN and/or LVN/LPN; communicate orally with residents, families, the interdisciplinary team, and other personnel; support the orientation and practical development of new Nursing Assistants; and recognize and respond to emergencies while awaiting assistance.
- Ability to meet the physical requirements, including visual acuity correctable to 20/40, hearing clear distinctive speech correctable to 20 dB, and manual dexterity for procedures and computer use.
- Ability to work varying duty hours and be floated to other patient-care areas as necessary.
- Selected applicants must meet applicable pre-employment requirements, including background/security investigation, drug testing for testing-designated positions, and seasonal influenza vaccination requirements.
- Applicants must complete the required application documentation and any applicable onboarding requirements.
Nice To Haves
- Experience in long-term care, a skilled nursing facility, rehabilitation, hospice, and/or medical-surgical care.
- Experience in a healthcare-related field involving direct patient care.
Responsibilities
- Provide personal care, including restorative care, hygiene, activities of daily living, elimination, and nutrition assistance.
- Respect resident and family rights to privacy and dignity, advocate for Veterans, explain procedures, and provide resident-centered customer service.
- Observe and report changes in residents’ behavior, communication, or physical condition, and document observations, changes, and responses to nursing interventions as applicable.
- Assist with nursing care plan development and quality assurance/performance improvement activities by identifying problems and needs and suggesting actions.
- Provide restorative nursing care under RN oversight, supporting independence, function, self-reliance, and resident responsibility.
- Share resident information and reactions with the interdisciplinary team.
- Maintain a safe, clean, and therapeutic environment; identify problems, suggest corrective actions, and anticipate or respond appropriately to critical situations and emergencies.
- Provide basic physical and emotional care to residents with simple to complex needs and use proper hand hygiene and isolation precautions.
- Escort residents to appointments using a stretcher, wheelchair, or other mobility device as needed.
- Assist licensed nursing staff and other care team members in caring for residents receiving long-stay, rehabilitation, skilled nursing, dementia, and hospice care.
- Use leave appropriately and reliably to support patient and resident care.
Benefits
- Competitive salary with regular salary increases; a higher step rate may be considered based on higher or unique qualifications or VA needs.
- 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year, including annual leave, sick leave, and 11 paid Federal holidays; prior work or military service may qualify for annual-leave accrual credit.
- Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment in connection with birth, adoption, or foster care placement.
- Childcare subsidy may be available to eligible full-time employees after 60 days of employment, subject to income and other eligibility limits.
- Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting and a 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.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
Education Level
High school or GED
