Career Center

This position is with the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Nursing Service, SHBS. The health technician will work closely with the acute care team and will provide clinical, programmatic, technical, and clerical support in the interdisciplinary inpatient setting. The health technician performs basic care to patients under the supervision of the Nurse Supervisor/designee, and in collaboration with medical providers, to improve efficiency and quality of care provided by the acute care team. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 06/01/2022. Health Aid and Technician Series, 0640 Individual Occupational Requirements Specialized Experience: Positions in this series range widely in type and include support duties to medical or health personnel such as audiologists, speech pathologists, medical officers, and optometrists. Therefore, technician experience is experience that required application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of the position to be filled. AND English Language Proficiency: In accordance with VA Policy, No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. AND Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-6 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. AND You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Knowledge of the various services within the health care system and divisions, and the policies and procedures of each unit as they relate to patient care; Knowledge of scheduling/admissions/discharge/transfer, patient processing, etc., and availability of contract services; Skill in communication and interpersonal relations, including the ability to appropriately and courteously relate to internal and external customers; Experience maintaining the confidentiality of patient/employee information, electronic and print; Knowledge of the Health Care System Service Improvement Model and process improvement fundamentals; Knowledge and skill in working and functioning in the Medical Center in a safe manner, including infection control and the correct operation of equipment; Knowledge of age-specific care; Knowledge of changes associated with aging and principles of growth and development relevant to the adult and geriatric age groups; Ability to identify age- specific needs and provide the appropriate care based upon the age-related factors noted; Knowledge and skill in observing the patient's physical and emotional needs and reacting to these needs in order to provide nursing care; Knowledge in performing basic health screening; Knowledge, skill, and competency in performing Basic Life Support (BLS) and operating Automated External Defibrillators (AED); Knowledge in nursing care terminology and tests for measuring and recording vital signs and assisting with examinations for the purpose of recording accurately in the patient's record and for communicating with patients, family, doctors, and nurses; Knowledge of the structure of various hospital departments and services in order to effectively respond to patient care needs and to support professional staff; Knowledge in operating various medical equipment used in the performance of tests/procedures to provide quality services to patients and effectively assist Physicians and Nurses in their daily routines; Skill in use of computer equipment and computer programs; Knowledge of medical terminology and usages, covering the full range of general medical, surgical, pharmaceutical, hospital terms and abbreviations; Knowledge of basic health care sciences as they relate to the tests/procedures to be performed by the incumbent in order to better understand the clinical impact of the procedure and instructions of the professional clinical staff; Knowledge in scheduling and Clinic operating procedures, Clinic profiles, Clinic requirements, and internal processing procedures; Knowledge of Infection Control, aseptic and sterile technique, and proper handling of Reusable Medical Equipment/Durable Medical Equipment (RME/DME). OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have Six months of graduate education. Six months of graduate education meets the requirements for GS-6 in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position. Six months of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent six months of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 9 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the six months of full-time study requirement. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to six months of full-time study at the school attended. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Oral CommunicationPatient CareTechnical Competence Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: Good hearing and visual acuity are required. The work involves standing long hours, walking, bending and reaching on a routine basis. The work requires the incumbent be mobile throughout the Medical Center as needed, involving standing, walking, bending, pushing, and lifting (moderate to heavy). The incumbent must be capable of prolonged standing/walking and be physically capable of pushing equipment, and escorting patients that may be in wheelchairs and/or gurneys. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. ["The Health Technician will provide significant coordination and support to ensure smooth hospital flow and operations. The Health Technician will be responsible for keeping medical teams informed of pending patient needs including goals of care, pending consults and advanced directives. Additional duties include but are not limited to the following: Interviews patients and completes basic health screening; Organizes patient care activities and makes adjustments as patient care priorities change; Uses appropriate body mechanics in lifting, moving, and transferring patients and equipment; Recognizes the need for, and assists with emergency measures.; Elicits administrative and clinical information from callers through utilization of interviewing skills and a sound medical knowledge base; Collects patient data specific to health care needs including vital signs, pain level, weight, height, functional status and observation of overall condition; Recognizes any communication by patient with depressed, suicidal, or homicidal behaviors; Recognizes, reports, and responds appropriately to unusual patient behavior; Performs radiology procedures such as MRI and CT; Performs specified diagnostic tests and treatments; Ensures safety of procedures and exams by enforcing policy and following procedure protocol; Initiates e-team and codes when indicated. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30 am to 4:00 pm\nCompressed/Flexible: Not Available\nTelework: Not available, position is not suitable\nVirtual: This is not a virtual position.\nPosition Description/PD#: Health Technician/PD00817A\nRelocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Available\nFinancial Disclosure Report: Not required"]