Psychiatric Nursing Assistant

The position is in the Department of Mental Health Services of the Patient Care Directorate located at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center (FHCC) in North Chicago, Illinois, West Campus. The FHCC is larger than just a single facility, but rather a system of facilities throughout Northeastern Illinois which provide medical and dental services to U.S. Military, Recruits, Active Duty, Veterans, and eligible beneficiaries.Qualifications:Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination Requirement for Title 38 Health Care Personnel The position to which you are applying for employment is considered a Title 38 Health Care Personnel position within the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) Veterans Health Administration (VHA). All new VHA Title 38 Health Care Personnel are required to participate in the Agency's COVID-19 vaccination program. The major requirement of this program consists of employees receiving either a complete COVID-19 vaccine series or receiving a medical or religious vaccination exemption. New employees must provide proper documentation of vaccination, initiate a COVID-19 vaccination series, or complete an exemption request within two (2) weeks of beginning employment with the DVA.To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement 03/21/2024.
BASIC REQUIREMENTS
Citizenship: Must be a Citizen of the United States. Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
English Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by VA Handbook 5005, part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j.
Education or Training: Must possess one year above high school with courses related to the Nursing Assistant occupation, OR completion of an intensive, specialized, occupation-related course of study of less than one year as a Nursing Assistant. (TRANSCRIPTS or CERTIFICATION REQUIRED)

In addition to meeting the basic requirements, you must meet the following GRADE REQUIREMENTS:

GS-3 Level: None beyond the basic requirements.
GS-4 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
In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following:
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (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 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;
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
In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following:
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (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.
References:
VA Handbook 5005/81, Part II, Appendix G46.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:
To perform in a fully successful manner, the individual must have the physical ability to perform the following job-related duties: moderate lifting (15-44 pounds); moderate carrying (15-44 pounds); requires potentially long periods of continued walking, standing, stooping, sitting, bending, pulling, and pushing; transferring patients and objects may be required; hearing aid permitted. The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations. The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on patient needs.
Work Environment:
Incumbent will rotate to both inpatient units. The following environmental factors may be encountered: working closely with others, exposure to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. A health examination must be successfully completed prior to this assignment and periodically thereafter as required by the Occupational Health Clinic policy. There may be intermittent exposure to blood and body fluids.
Preferred Experience: Experience working in Mental HealthEducation: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/.Employment Type: FULL_TIME