Nursing Assistant-Nursing Home

About the role

This position involves providing direct care for complex veterans, making observations, documenting care, administering tracheostomy care, and participating in treatment planning meetings. Veterans are encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities

• Utilizes glucose monitoring machine to receive glucose readings for veterans; refers deviations to appropriate health care staff.
• Provides direct care for complex veterans.
• Makes observations of subtle changes in resident's condition and takes action accordingly.
• Documents care given, observations, and responses on appropriate tools or forms.
• Responds appropriately to subtle patient changes by contacting the appropriate nursing personnel.
• Administers complete tracheostomy care, including suctioning.
• Monitor and document patient intake and output reports deviations timely and accurately.
• Performs nursing procedures within scope of practice and according to policies and standard procedures.
• Works on small group activities with veterans/residents according to the patients/resident treatment plan.
• Recognizes residents' autonomy and promotes independence by means of respect, limit setting, and individualized treatment.
• Participates in Treatment Planning Meetings.
• Utilizes equipment to promote the veteran's self-care, such as lift equipment, Hydrosound Tubs, and Veteran/Resident Wandering System.
• Verbalizes patient information to the treatment team for inclusion in the veteran/resident's plan of care, participates in treatment team meetings for resident care planning.
• Enters information about the residents' condition in the chart, utilizing appropriate formats.
• Participates in maintaining a clean, safe environment for the patient/resident.
• Removes defective equipment, reports hazards, observes safety regulations, contributes to infection control, and utilizes proper aseptic technique in performance of duties.
• Serves as the unit safe patient handling liaison.
• Serves as preceptor and mentor to other NAs.
• Orients members of the health care team to the units as appropriate.
• Functions as a member of the unit base counsel.
• Manages distributed patient behavior and appropriately intervenes and requests assistance from other health care members.
• Initiates basic life support, takes appropriate actions.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

The position is open to facility employees, VHA employees, and others. Veterans are encouraged to apply and will receive full consideration. This position is listed on the annual determination of staffing shortages and Veterans Preference does not apply to this recruitment.

Qualifications

• GS-3: Six months of general experience or one year of education above high school with courses related to the NA occupation.
• GS-4: One year of specialized experience as a NA or experience in another medical field, 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, 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.
• GS-5: One year of progressively responsible assignments and experience equivalent to the GS-4 level which demonstrates knowledge, skills, and abilities that are directly related to the specific assignment; or, successful completion of a 4-year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor's degree that included 24 semester hours of courses related to health care or possession of a bachelor's degree.

Pay, Benefits, and Schedule

Competitive salary and regular salary increases. Benefits include traditional federal pension, federal 401K, health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care, and parental leave. The position works 11:00pm-7:00am, every other weekend and every other holiday. Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus) and Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance) are not authorized.

Physical Requirements

This position requires visual acuity, keen hearing, clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. It may require long periods of continued walking, standing, stooping, sitting, bending, pulling, and pushing. Transferring patients and objects may be required. The NA may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations or operative/invasive procedures. The NA may occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. The NA must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on patient needs. The NA must complete annual employee health requirements, such as annual TB screening or testing, as a condition of employment.