Health Technician

Summary

This Health Technician position is located in the Medical/Surgical/Telemetry Unit, part of Inpatient Acute Care Directorate at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center (FHCC) in North Chicago, Illinois, West Campus. The purpose of the position is to assist in the care and management of patients in the acute care setting. The position provides clinical, technical, and direct patient care support.

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Major duties and responsibilities include: Admits and provides patient orientation to the room and unit. Performs basic nursing skills including temperature, pulse, blood pressure, respiration, and oxygen saturation via pulse oximetry, finger stick for glucose monitoring, oral suctioning, nasal swabs, and discontinuation of peripheral IV catheter. Documents patient information on flow sheets in the Electronic Health Record and/or paper flow sheets. Notifies ICU telemetry monitoring technician when admitting patient to telemetry. Performs standard 12-lead EKG using the multi-channel EKG machine. Activates Code Blue and initiates CPR when indicated. Reinforces patient education provided by physician or RN on infection prevention and signs and symptoms of infection. Assists with toileting needs as appropriate; provides catheter care. Responds appropriately and sensitively to death and dying patients, their families, and loved ones. Ambulates patients with/without assistive devices and provides passive range of motion as directed by the RN. Feeds patients orally including those who are at risk for aspiration, after appropriate training. Transports patients to and from appointments from any area within the hospital and infrequently, to designated appointments outside the hospital. Prepares patient rooms for admission. Prepares patient room for cleaning after discharge. Restocks supplies and equipment used outside and inside of room. Assists charge nurse as necessary with updating the Bed Management System Board, answering phones. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 3:00pm-11:30pm with rotating holidays Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved DESIGNATED DRUG-TESTING POSITION: Applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Applicants will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test result is received.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position. -AND- You may qualify at the GS-6 level if you fulfill one of the following qualifications: -SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: One (1) year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the Health Technician position. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-5 level. Technician experience is experience that required application of the knowledges, methods, and techniques of the Health Technician position, including: providing basic patient care including assistance with Activities of Daily Living (ADL); performing basic nursing skills, such as obtaining and documenting vital signs (temperature, pulse, blood pressure, respiration, and oxygen saturation via pulse oximetry); performing hourly rounding on patients with a purpose (pain, potty, positioning, proximity, pump); and documenting electronic patient medical records. -OR- -EDUCATION: Successful completion of one-half year of graduate education or an internship in course matter that directly relates to the work of the Health Technician position. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) -OR- -COMBINATION: Equivalent combinations of graduate education and specialized experience (as described above) to meet the requirements at the GS-6 level. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) Physical Requirements: The work involves periods of prolonged extensive or considerable standing/walking or sitting, lifting, positioning, pushing and/or transferring patients. The position requires lifting supplies and equipment and considerable reaching, stooping, bending, kneeling, and crouching. The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. They are not intended as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skill required of personnel so classified. 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/.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. NOTE: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.