This position serves as the Mental Health Technician that provides technical, patient care, personnel, computer, and data management support services for the Nursing Service Mental Health Unit at the Orlando VA Healthcare Center.
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/22/2025. 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-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. This occupational series has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) which is a minimum qualification requirement. To be considered for the position, you must ensure that the experience is reflected in your resume. 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. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Monitoring temperatures, blood pressure, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation measurements, measuring height and weight, and patient transfers in support of outpatient Behavioral Health clinics; Performing direct patient support work including personal patient care; Providing detailed instructions and collect data for various procedural tests and the requirements needed to complete the test, that include but not limited to urine drug screening, EKG, vital signs, breathalyzer and glucometer testing, as well as providing results to appropriate team members; Documenting pertinent information including current health status mild subtle changes in patients' status; Participating in the admission of patients and assisting nurse in by obtaining information, orienting patients to the unit and treatment team. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Medical Information Planning and Evaluating Technical 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: The work requires regular reoccurring, periods of standing and walking. The duties also require occasional bending and lifting that is 45 pounds or more, reaching, carrying, pushing, stooping, stretching, and similar activities 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/.
Major duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to the following: Work directly with patients in a behavioral health setting and perform Prevention and Management of Disruptive Behavior. Perform vital signs, blood sugar tests, EKG, and safety companion duties. Monitor meal times per policy. Escort patients to off-unit appointments, and treatments. Utilize recovery model approach to promote recovery on a one-to-one and group interaction level. Performing a range of diagnostic support duties such as collecting, recording, and reporting to RN. Completes hazardous items checks of unit, Q15 rounding for safety, and post-visitor, and room checks. Determines technical factors, sets daily controls, and operates equipment, instruments, and monitors. Gather and records information needed such as preparing for admissions, off-unit appointments, and discharges. Coordinate nursing leisure activities for Veterans. Work Schedule: 7:00pm-7:30am with rotating weekends. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health Technician/PD06911A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized