Nursing Assistant, Emergency Department

Summary

The VA St. Louis Health Care System in St. Louis, Missouri is currently recruiting for a Nursing Assistant for the Emergency Department service within the John Cochran facility. Responsible personal patient care duties, supporting diagnostic procedures, technical nursing treatments, patient charting, and patient instruction which involves direct work relationships with patients and participation as a member of the nursing care team in direct services to patients.

Duties

VA St. Louis Health Care System (VASTLHCS) is seeking to hire a Nursing Assistant to help serve our Veterans in our various services. Under the clinical supervision of a licensed Registered Nurse (RN), the Nursing Assistant (NA) performs work assisting other medical personnel in the diagnosis and/or treatment of patient medical conditions. Duties include but not limited to: Performs/Assists patients with activities of daily living/personal care and routine and prescribed patient care, utilizing Medical Center resources, as indicated. Perform EKG to patients and provide results to supervisor. Assist resident's ability to adjust and adapt to living as independently and as safely as possible Responsible for safety monitoring with patients. Work with phlebotomy, sample collection in the service. Communicates with patients and families in a courteous, professional manner and provides patient, family/significant others instruction within the incumbent's level of training and education. Other duties as assigned. Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: Rotational shifts Compressed/Flexible: As per progress in role, based on the needs of the facility. Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade). 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) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience. 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 authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 00000

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. 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. English Language Proficiency: Nursing Assistants must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j. Education or Training: One year above high school with courses related to the Nursing Assistant occupation. Completion of an intensive, specialized, occupation-related course of study of less than one year as a Nursing Assistant may also meet in full the experience requirements for GS-3. You must submit evidence of this education or training. 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 Nursing Assistant (Entry Level)(a) Experience and Education. None beyond the basic requirements.(b) Assignments. Individuals assigned as GS-3 NAs are considered to be at the entry level and are closely supervised. GS-4 Nursing Assistant (Mid-Level)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; (Transcripts required) AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Ability to provide a range of patient/resident care and contribute to the completion of the nurse care plan and recovery of patients/residents. Ability to observe patients/residents' or resident's physical or emotional status and refer deviations and/or problems to supervisor in a timely manner. 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. Ability to communicate effectively with patients/residents, their families and other health professionals. Assignment Individuals assigned as GS-4 NAs are considered to be at the intermediate or developmental level and are closely supervised. NAs at this grade level function as a member of the nursing care team and assist higher graded NAs, licensed nursing staff, and other members of the care team in the care of patients/residents receiving outpatient care, home or community living care or other patients/residents who are in acute, sub-acute, or chronic states of illness. The significant factor is that they provide care under close supervision and refer issues/questions to supervisors, higher graded NAs or other healthcare professionals. In this role, the Nursing Assistant functions as a member of the nursing care team and assists higher graded NAs, licensed nursing staff, and other members of the care team in the care of patients/residents receiving outpatient care, home or community living care, or other patients who are in acute, sub-acute, or chronic states of illness. The Nursing Assistant in this role provides care under close supervision and refers issues/questions to supervisors, higher graded NAs, or other healthcare professionals. GS-5 Nursing Assistant (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 in subparagraph (c) 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 o