Summary

This Nursing Assistant is a member of the Acute Care Team who will assist providers - the nursing leadership team - registered nurses - and other team members. The NA demonstrates the knowledge and ability to provide care to Veteran patients within the Acute Care Service Line. Patients may have a combination of acute or chronic health conditions - diminished cognitive functioning - including dementia - mild to severe disability - or receiving palliative or hospice care.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

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
• 1) Six months of general experience
• Experience must demonstrate the ability to acquire the knowledge and skills to perform the work of a NA
• OR 2) One year of education above high school with courses related to the NA occupation
• OR 3) Completion of an intensive - specialized - occupation-related training course of study or program of less than one year as a NA may also meet in full the experience requirements for GS-3. English Language Proficiency
• NAs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005 - part II - chapter 3 - section A - paragraph 3j
• GRADE REQUIREMENTS
• Creditable Experience
• 1) Knowledge of Current Practice
• To be creditable - the experience must have required the use of knowledge - skills - and abilities associated with the current practice
• 2) Quality of Experience
• To be creditable - NA experience must be documented on the application or resume and verified in an employment reference - or through other independent means
• 3) Part-Time Experience
• Part-time experience as a NA is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time workweek
• For example - a NA employed 20 hours a week - or on a 1/2-time basis - would receive 1 full-time workweek of credit for each 2 weeks of service
• Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates
• GS-3 NA (Entry Level)
• Experience and Education
• None beyond the basic requirements
• GS-4 NA
• 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
• AND Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSAs)
• In addition - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: 1
• Ability to provide a range of patient/resident care and contribute to the completion of the nurse care plan and recovery of patients/residents
• 2
• Ability to observe patients/residents' or resident's physical or emotional status and refer deviations and/or problems to supervisor in a timely manner
• 3
• 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
• 4
• Ability to communicate effectively with patients/residents - their families and other health professionals
• GS-5 NA (Full Performance Level)
• 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 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
• AND Demonstrated KSAs
• 1
• 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
• 2
• 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
• 3
• 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: There are no physical requirements for this occupation per OCHCO Communications email to VA Handbook 5019 - updated on 4/17/2026.

Duties

• This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until September 30 - 2026
• The first cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be 6/22/2026
• All eligible applicants will be reviewed and referred to the hiring manager no later than 6/30/2026
• Eligible applications received after 6/22/2026 will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis
• The duties listed are the GS-5 Full Performance Level - GS-3 and GS-4 duties will differ in complexity and level of supervision
• The NA on the inpatient acute care units develop their practice and adhere to a high level of respect and knowledge of Veteran patient rights and responsibilities
• The NAs practice includes all activities of daily living - and general nursing duties and tasks to help the team restore the Veteran patient to the highest level of independence or remain comfortable toward the end of life
• Participate in activities and actions to improve the quality of care for Veteran patients to include fall and pressure sore prevention
• Ensure the Veteran is wearing the correct identification bracelet
• Adhere to responsibility of timely maintenance of all education required - including TMS - BLS - HIPAA - and Privacy training
• Supervise patients and mentor other NAs in personal hygiene - rest - and eating
• Feed and bathe patients who require assistance
• Help patients in and out of bed - and with mobile devices
• Instruct and assist patients in the skills necessary to gain independence in activities of daily living
• Contribute to a safe - clean - clutter-free - and therapeutic environment for patients and staff
• Follow Medical Center and Nursing Service policies and procedures
• Provide care to patients in isolation and patients on chemotherapy precautions
• Maintain privacy of patients and staff
• Perform and mentor other NAs in a variety of general nursing duties including measurement and recording of vital signs - EKGs - weight - height - intake and output - post-mortem care - simple treatments such as hot and cold packs - change clean or sterile dressings - apply external catheters - and catheter care
• Maintain oxygen therapy as directed by the RN - assignment - or written care plan - to include management and operation of oxygen tanks
• Perform or instruct patients in learning range of motion exercise - turning and positioning - ambulation - and other routine care procedures
• Prepare patients for tests - examinations - treatments - and for surgery
• Collect and label specimens such as urine - sputum - and stool for laboratory examinations
• Demonstrate safe body mechanics
• Observe and report patient physical and mental status - report unusual changes to the RN
• Report information obtained from patients or family and participate in developing a plan of care
• Assist with admission - discharge - and transfer of patients
• Effective communication skills for reporting and recording pertinent information to the nursing and medical staff
• Knowledge and skill sufficient to use standardized nursing principles - procedures - equipment - and supplies for providing nursing care to assigned patients
• Knowledge of basic human body structure - function - diseases - and skill sufficient to care for patients appropriate to current level
• Knowledge of developmental needs (cognitive - emotional - physical - age related) of the young adult to the geriatric age category
• Knowledge and skill of aseptic techniques
• Demonstrate knowledge of proper body mechanics and skill in patient transfer procedures and other items requiring resident transfer or movement
• Knowledge of special dietary needs - (i.e. - patient unable to chew food for lack of teeth or a patient who is unable to feed self)
• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: Nightshift - 7:30pm to 8:00am / 11:30pm to 8:00am with rotating weekends
• Days to be determined
• Recruitment / Relocation Incentive: Not authorized
• Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
• 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)
• 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
• Functional Statement #: 000000
• Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.