Nursing Assistant; Continuous

Summary

The VA St. Louis Health Care System in St. Louis - Missouri is currently recruiting for Nursing Assistants for various services within Jefferson Barracks and John Cochran facilities. Responsible personal patient care duties - supporting diagnostic procedures - technical nursing treatments - patient charting - and patient instruction which involves direct work relationships with patients and participation as a member of the nursing care team in direct services to patients.

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

• 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:
  Nursing Assistants must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005 - part II - chapter 3 - section A - paragraph 3j
• Education or Training:
  One year above high school with courses related to the Nursing Assistant occupation
• Completion of an intensive - specialized - occupation-related course of study of less than one year as a Nursing Assistant may also meet in full the experience requirements for GS-3. You must submit evidence of this education or training
• Creditable Experience(1) Knowledge of Current Practice
• To be creditable - the experience must have required the use of knowledge - skills - and abilities associated with the current practice.(2) Quality of Experience
• To be creditable - NA experience must be documented on the application or resume and verified in an employment reference - or through other independent means.(3) Part-Time Experience
• Part-time experience as a NA is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time workweek
• For example - a [NA] employed 20 hours a week - or on a 1/2-time basis - would receive 1 full-time workweek of credit for each 2 weeks of service
• Grade Determinations:
  In addition to the basic requirements for employment - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates
• GS-3 Nursing Assistant (Entry Level)(a) Experience and Education None beyond the basic requirements.(b) Assignments Individuals assigned as GS-3 NAs are considered to be at the entry level and are closely supervised
• GS-4 Nursing Assistant 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 Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSAs) In addition the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
  Ability to provide a range of patient/resident care and contribute to the completion of the nurse care plan and recovery of patients/residents Ability to observe patients/residents' or resident's physical or emotional status and refer deviations and/or problems to supervisor in a timely manner 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 Ability to communicate effectively with patients/residents - their families and other health professionals
• Assignment Individuals assigned as GS-4 NAs are considered to be at the intermediate or developmental level and are closely supervised NAs at this grade level function as a member of the nursing care team and assist higher graded NAs - licensed nursing staff - and other members of the care team in the care of patients/residents…