The position is an intermediate developmental position; Incumbents will be given opportunities to provide basic nursing care and procedures in alignment with the competencies learned in the academic setting and validated by VA staff in order to provide care to patients/residents with acute to chronic conditions in a health care setting.
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: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. Education: SNTs must be enrolled in a school of professional nursing approved by the appropriate State-accrediting agency and accredited by one of the following accrediting bodies at the time the program was completed by the applicant, the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Must maintain a 2.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale. A transcript from the school of nursing must be submitted with the application when all or part of the qualifications are based on education. Experience: No formal work experience is required. It is recommended that SNTs be hired following completion of fundamentals in nursing or first nursing clinical course. This allows for the attainment of basic nursing skills and knowledge for application to the SNT position. Grade Determinations: GS-3 grade determination: Completion of 1 academic year of post-high school study; An academic year of undergraduate education is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in an accredited college or university. GS-4 grade determination: Completion of 2 academic years of post-high school study or associate's degree; An academic year of undergraduate education is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in an accredited college or university. GS-5 grade determination: Completion of 4 academic years of post-high school study; An academic year of undergraduate education is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in an accredited college or university. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS5. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS3 to GS5. Physical Requirements: Heavy lifting (45+ lbs.), moderate lifting (15 - 44 lbs.), moderate carrying (15 - 44 lbs.), straight pulling, pushing, reaching above shoulder, use of fingers, walking, standing, kneeling, repeated bending, ability for rapid mental and muscular coordinating simultaneously, near vision correctable at 13" to 16", far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other, ability to distinguish basic and shades of color, and emotional/mental stability.
The VA Student Nurse Technician is a position for nursing students that are presently enrolled in a ACEN or CCNE accredited nursing program. This opportunity gives students a chance to gain clinical experience caring for Veterans under the direct supervision of a Registered Nurse preceptor. The Student Nurse Technician delivers fundamental knowledge--based care while working on developing technical skills. She/he has very limited clinical experience and works in conjunction with an RN preceptor who has a full understanding of the patient situation. The student will bring principles and a theory of nursing to the bedside while developing critical thinking and learns from experience what typical events to expect in a given situation and how plans need to be modified in response to these events. The Student Nurse must be poised and articulate in communicating with people of varied educational levels and varied ethnic backgrounds and willing to work cooperatively as a member of a team in all assignments. The student makes caring for the Veteran his/her priority while in the work setting and demonstrates customer service principles in all aspects of work. The Student Nurse Technician provides a full range of nursing care to acute and long-term care patients with complex care needs utilizing the nursing process based on the ANA Standards of Nursing. Practice in conjunction with the RN; safely and effectively uses patient care equipment; Correctly and safely performs nursing procedures within their scope of practice after verification of competency by RN Preceptor. Recognizes abnormal signs and symptoms and or change in patients' condition and reports and responds appropriately; Implements physician's orders in a timely and complete manner within scope of practice under guidance of RN Preceptor; Reports all findings and observations to the RN; requests assistance from Preceptor and Co-Workers when needed and knows when to ask for help. The Student Nurse Technician accurately documents in the medical record patient activities and care provided under the guidance and direction of RN Preceptor; Documentation is technically informative, complete, accurate, consistent, concise, and timely; Evaluates and documents patient response to interventions and care provided; Uses the Computerized Patient Record system (CPRS) software per policy; Uses a team approach to identify, analyze, and resolve patient care problems that result in improved patient outcomes; Demonstrates grade appropriate and consistent critical thinking skills such as recognizing the patient has a problem, managing the problem safely and effectively along with recognizing his/her scope of practice. Work Schedule: Intermittent (PRN) Telework: Not eligible Recruitment Incentive: Not eligible