Summary The health Technician will be assigned to the Emergency Department & functions as a very skilled member of the nursing care team & effectively assumes all of the patient care activities assigned. The Health Technician exercises a high degree of initiative and resourcefulness in critical situations and in relieving the nurse of the non-profession aspects of the work. The Health Technician will also participate in change of shift reporting, walking rounds & team conferences. Responsibilities Major duties include: Performs or assists triage staff with diagnostic procedures including EKGs, venipunctures, and alcohol breathalyzer used to diagnose medical conditions. Operates and maintains medical instruments and equipment for diagnostic and treatment procedures. During procedures, recognizes abnormalities, collects and records information and informs professional staff of unusual readings or conditions. Operates, calibrates, and maintains medical instruments or equipment such as accu-check machines, crash carts and oxygen tanks used to assist with or perform procedures. Receives and responds to a number of inquiries from patients concerning a variety of medical personnel and administrative matters (Secures patient's confidence and cooperation during procedures. Assists in the performance of or independently performs procedures such as insertion of urinary catheters, intravenous catheters, and naso-gastric tubes, and administration of enemas and breathing treatments as delegated by the RN. Performs a range of diagnostic support duties such as taking, recording, and reporting deviations in vital signs, taking specimens, labeling specimens for the laboratory. Makes gross visual observations and identifies subtle changes in the patient's condition. Uses hot and cold packs, changes sterile dressings, cares for patients, and sets up and gives treatments that require auxiliary equipment. Connects patient to transportation monitors and disconnects them from Spacelab monitoring equipment; sets up portable oxygen tanks. Instructs patients in crutch, walker and or cane use and ensures correct fitting of equipment. Performs procedures such as collection of blood samples or other fluid samples, application of sterile dressings to wounds, irrigations, or similar patient care. Performs direct patient care including personal hygiene, physical comfort, nutrition, elimination, prevention of skin breakdown, safety, etc. Uses software to produce specific printouts for the clinical staff. and assembles patients' records in the CPRS. Performs patient charting using standard medical terminology entering information regarding care rendered, condition and progress. Provides general clerical/administrative support coordination work for the Triage area. Performs a variety of receptionist and record keeping duties, records vital signs and documents in CPRS according to policy. Orders and maintains supplies for the unit. Maintains order in examination rooms. Sets up and maintains sterility of instruments and supplies used to perform tests or procedures in the ER setting. Maintains stock of supplies for unit operations. Work Schedule: Sunday - Saturday, with rotating shifts, holidays and weekends. Shifts will be 11am- 11:30pm, 3:30pm-11:30pm & 11am-7:30pm. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health Technician/PD92168A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/22/2024. Individual Occupational Requirements Specialized Experience (for positions at GS-4 and above): 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, Education and Training For GS-5: 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. Grade Requirements -You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Grade Requirements Specialized Experience: Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-4 that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled to be eligible for the GS-5 level. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the experience required. Four-year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation, if required. The applicant must have successfully completed post-high school education is qualifying for grades GS-3 through GS-5. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business or technical school, junior college, college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. 1 year of full-time undergraduate 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 in a business or technical school. At grades GS-4 and above, a portion of the education is usually directly related to the work of the position to be filled. Examples of related courses are provided in the individual occupational requirements where applicable. However, agencies may require other courses if they are considered to be more related to the position to be filled. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-05 level. Equivalent combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience are also qualifying. The combinations described below are those most typical for these positions, i.e., for grades GS-3 through GS-5. If education is used to meet specialized experience requirements, then such education must include courses directly related to the work of the position. For GS-5 level positions, only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. Two full academic years of study, or 60 semester hours, beyond the second year is equivalent to 1 year of specialized experience. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Customer Service Patient Care 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: Heavy lifting and carrying (45+ lbs.); Heavy carrying (45+lbs); straight pulling (4 hours); pushing (4 hours); reaching above shoulder; both hands required; walking (8-12hrs); standing (8-12hrs); repeated bending (8-12hrs). This position requires potentially long periods of continued walking, standing, stooping, sitting, bending, pulling, and pushing. Transferring patients and objects may be required. The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and must don protective clothing during patient care. The incumbent must be flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on patient needs. Must complete annual employee health requirements, such as annual TB screening or testing, as a condition of employment. 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/. Education A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Transcripts must be official or unofficial college transcripts. A copy of your certificate/degree or screenshot of your current classes are not a replacement of your transcript and they will not be used in the qualifying process. Your transcript must include your name and the name and full address of the institution. If the position has an education requirement or you are qualifying based on education, you need to list your education history including the type of degree and your major of study. If the position requires a certain number of credit hours, you are strongly encouraged to list the relevant courses in your resume. 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/. Additional Information This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act. VA Healthcare System Serving Ohio, Indiana and Michigan (VISN 10) advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.