Health Technician - Nursing, Gec

Summary
This position is located at the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital, Hines, IL (578) - a Level 1a Complexity VHA Facility.
This job is open to

• The public
  U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency
ALL US CITIZENS.
DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.201) for this occupation.
Duties
The Health Care Technician provides a range of clinical services supportive to the delivery of quality patient care. The position combines duties that provide assistance to licensed nursing personnel and other medical technician duties (i.e. phlebotomy, EKG, respiratory care, activity-oriented exercises, and nutrition assistance.)
Clinical Support: Establishes helpful relationships with patients and others; interacts in a courteous manner; explains patient care provided. Provides emotional support, friendly assistance, sympathetic understanding and encouragement to patients/families. Contributes to patient's well-being by providing assistance with personal hygiene, bowel/bladder care, physical comfort and a clean and safe environment. Provides appropriate support to patients in meeting their nutritional needs by clearing overbed tables, placing meal trays/nourishments within easy reach, preparing food/beverages, obtaining additional items, feeding patients, recording intake and clearing trays.
Administrative Support and Coordination: Correctly and safely uses equipment and supplies. Cleans and returns equipment to appropriate location and reports needs for equipment repair to the appropriate person. Maintains a safe, clean, and orderly work environment through routine maintenance activities such as ordering and stocking equipment and supplies; cleaning equipment and patient care areas; providing proper containment/ disposal of discarded materials; reporting maintenance and security problems to appropriate personnel. Contributes to creating a work climate that encourages positive staff morale, motivation, and commitment for all who participate in the care of patients.
Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.
Work Schedule: Various Shifts - 7:30am-4:00pm; 3:30p-12a; 11:30p-8a with rotating shifts, 2 weekends a month and rotating holidays.. Details will be provided by management during interview.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Health Technician - Nursing, GEC/PD21231A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized
PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Requirements
Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
• Subject to a background/suitability investigation
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
• May serve a probationary period
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Qualifications
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/27/2023.
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-05 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-03; For a GS-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. 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.
You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

• GS 05 only education substitution. Copy of transcripts required if using education to qualify.
  
  • Must have completed four academic years above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with courses related to this occupation; OR
  • Must have equivalent combination of experience and education such as six months of experience in the health care field and two years of education above high school that included at least six semester hours in health care related courses such as, biological science, surgical technician courses, nursing assistant or other courses related to the position; or an associate's degree in a health care related field; OR six months of experience in the health care field and successful completion of a course for health care technicians, hospital corpsmen, or medical service specialists given by the U.S. Armed Forces.
• GS 05 Experience: In additional to meeting the basic requirements, you must also have one year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 level and be able to demonstrate the following knowledge, skills, and abilities.
  
  • Schedule appointments using an electronic scheduling system; obtain and document patient history and pertinent clinical information in electronic medical records;
  • Prepare the room and patient for procedures appropriately with the equipment for examination;
  • Monitor and maintain electronic schedule of rooms and patients; Administer the patient satisfaction survey;
  • Clean and perform minor routine maintenance as assigned Do you meet the experience requirements as described above?
• GS 06 Experience: In additional to meeting the basic requirements, you must also have one year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 level and be able to demonstrate the following knowledge, skills, and abilities. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:
  
  • Comprehensive knowledge of computer systems and programs to perform a variety of tasks.
  • Ability to communicate, consult, and interact with other members of the healthcare team, external relations, customer service and patient education.
  • Ability to provide and receive guidance and technical direction.
  • Ability to plan, organize, set priorities, work as a team member, and effectively complete assignments.
  • Ability to read, interpret, and apply complex written instructions.
  • Knowledge of general clinical policies and procedures in a healthcare environment.
  • Skilled in the use of telehealth technologies for the facilitation of clinical encounters.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
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.
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
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.
Additional information
The following will be communicated to applicants for VA employment in a testing designated position and will also be included in all VA vacancy announcements for such positions: All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drugs use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website which can be found at https://www.opm.gov/.
Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

• Benefits
  A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  Review our benefits
  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Applicants will be referred in the order in which they were received.

• Benefits
  A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  Review our benefits
  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
• Required Documents
  As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.
  Documents Accepted:
  
  • Cover Letter
  • DD-214/ Statement of Service
  • Disability Letter (Schedule A)
  • Disability Letter (VA)
  • License
  • OF-306
  • Other (1)
  • Other (2)
  • Resume
  • SF-15
  • SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
  • Transcript
  
  Documents Required:
  
  • Resume
  
  Please review the above list(s) to ensure you have included all necessary documents required for your application.Not every applicant will require the same documents, therefore it is the applicants responsibility to ensure that their application package includes all necessary documents to determine qualifications and eligibility for appointment, such as a copy of your SF-50, transcript, ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees).You will not be contacted for additional information. Applicants will be deemed ineligible if supporting documentation is not submitted.
  Veterans' Preference: Since the Direct-Hire Recruitment Authority is being used, traditional Veterans' Preference rules do not apply. Qualified veterans will, however, be given full consideration for this position.
  Applications are accepted online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application.
  If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
  Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by th...