You will serve as a Health Technician for the Nursing Service's Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (MHRRTP) with the VA Puget Sound Health Care System in Tacoma, Washington. The program has a 64-bed residential facility which operates an 18-bed homeless program, a 20-bed residential substance abuse program, 18-bed PTSD programs, and 8-beds for the Restorative Pain program.
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. This occupational series (0640) has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR). An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for the Health Technician occupational series. All applicants, regardless of grade level must meet minimum education or specialized experience requirements. For this occupation, the education must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. 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. OR successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position. AND GS-05 grade level: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-04 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: Assists medical and nursing staff through technical and specialized support services which aids in the diagnosis or treatment of patients; Performs clinical, laboratory, and administrative work in support of the inpatient services; Takes vital signs of human patients; obtains laboratory specimens and prepares them for transport by labeling and sealing within biohazard bags; Performs Urine Drug Screens to determine illicit substances used by human patients; Arranges and passes medical instruments or supplies to medical provider or registered nurse during procedures such as dressing changes, wound care, nail care/clipping, foot care, and post-operative patient care management; Gathers diagnostic information for medical providers by monitoring patients using specialized machines including continuous pulse oximetry monitoring, point of care whole blood glucose testing, orthostatic blood pressure monitoring, halter monitoring, and 12-lead EKG; Educates patients on the use of medical devices such as TENS units, CPAP machines, BPAP machines, nebulizers, and splints. OR EDUCATION (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED): Successfully completed a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. This education must have been obtained in an accredited school, junior college, college, or university. One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university, or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks. OR COMBINATION: EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED): Have a combination of specialized experience as described in A but less than one year, and I have some education more than the first 60 semester hours (i.e., beyond the second year) is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. One full academic year of study (30 semester hours) beyond the second year is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience. I have computed the percentage of these requirements that I meet, and the total is at least 100%. (To compute the percentage, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of graduate education beyond two years by 18. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify.) To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 60 semester hours that you earned). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-XX. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. 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.
Perform diagnostic support duties such as taking, reporting, and recording vital signs. Obtain laboratory specimens and prepare them for transport. Arrange and pass medical instruments or supplies to medical provider or registered nurse during procedures such as dressing changes, wound care, nail care/clipping, foot care, and post-operative patient care. Monitor patients, identify, and document any changes, and report any concerns to the medical provider and treatment team members. Perform direct patient care activities including intakes, breathalyzers, obtaining vital signs, 12-lead EKGs, educational reminders, medication reconciliation, and any other procedures requested by the medical provider. Adhere to safety and infection control procedures. Initiates first aid and basic life support in the event of an emergency such as cardio-pulmonary failure or distress, hemorrhaging, or shock. Provides crisis intervention in medical, psychiatric, or behavioral situations. Recognize signs and symptoms of an opioid overdose and those at high risk. Recognize the signs of suicide and promptly takes action to intervene by providing emotional support, encouragement, and escort to a medical provider. Perform other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Evening shift: 8-hour shift, 1530-midnight with weekend and holiday rotation. Position Description Title/PD#: Health Technician/PD41369A Physical Requirements: Overall duties require occasional lifting, carrying 50+ lbs., sitting, standing, walking, climbing stairs, climbing ladders, kneeling, bending, stooping, twisting, pulling/pushing, simple grasping, and reaching above shoulder. Conditions may also include heat, cold, excess humidity, work with chemicals, dust, noise, driving a vehicle, fire manipulation. Work Conditions: The work is performed both in the milieu providing medical/psychiatric care directly to patients in public use spaces and offices. The employee performs independent work with Veterans in the exam rooms, nursing station, medication room, group rooms, in vehicles, and outdoors both on and off grounds. Special health and safety precautions such as the use of personal protective equipment are required. The employee regularly conducts inspections, supervises building cleanup, and may be required to make rounds throughout the medical center including hospital buildings, dining hall, etc. Depending on training needs, the employee may need to attend trainings outside of the MHRRTP buildings which will primarily be located at the main VA facility, clinic or in the surrounding community.