Health Technician in Bay Pines, Florida

Summary The Emergency Department (ED) is a section of Medicine Service and is accountable to the Chief, Medicine Service however Nursing is a section under Acute Care and is accountable to the Chief Nurse for Acute Care and ultimately to the Nurse Executive. The incumbent functions in three primary areas: The Emergency Department, at the scene of on-station emergency situations and as a Care Technician/Emergency Medical Technician-B PCT/EMT-B on VAMC operated patient transport vehicles. Responsibilities Duties include, but are not limited to: When not responding to Emergency Response Team calls, the incumbent serves in a technical support capacity to the Emergency Department. Make critical observations (within their level of competencies) regarding among other conditions, vital signs, deformities, swelling, pallor and mental status. Positions patients on Emergency Department stretchers or transport units insuring proper lifting and securing of patient to maintain position throughout care. Follow proper patient transfer techniques including body mechanics in stretcher transport, wheelchair transport, patient ambulating and patient positioning. Oversee patients on special observation status who may be suicidal or homicidal or those patients with a diagnosis that may include substance abuse, disruptive behavior or those with altered mental status requiring firm direction, as determined by the clinical provider. Safeguard patient privacy, data and sensitive policy making information against unauthorized disclosure. Operate and monitor Electrocardiographic equipment including 12 lead electrocardiogram and accessories. Obtain and/or prepares special equipment/supplies for a wide variety of treatment or diagnostic procedures. Assist emergency department staff, as trained and instructed to process orders and records information, laboratory, radiology, and other reports from DHCP/VISTA, assist in monitoring the Joint Commission required criteria, assists in recording and flagging of special information (such as allergies, etc.). Attend and actively participates in team and emergency department staff conferences, communicates, listens and carefully considers input of other team and emergency department staff. Responsible to know, practice and support all existing safety practices relevant to this position. In on-station emergencies, the incumbent responds to emergency calls as part of the On-station Emergency Response Team to provide efficient and immediate care to the critically ill and injured, under the direction of the physician or registered nurse personnel. Work Schedule: 1130-2400, with weekend rotation Position Description Title/PD#: Health Technician/PD08457A Physical Requirements: The work is performed in a variety of medical center settings but mostly in the Emergency Department and/or Triage areas but also during emergencies on hospital wards, in hallways, in any and all areas of the campus, including outdoors and in inclement weather. There will be extended periods of sitting, walking, standing, carrying of heavy multiple items (emergency care equipment, etc.) and frequent lifting of heavy (35 lbs of patient weight or 51 lbs of inanimate weight). Incumbent must be able to utilize good mechanics to withstand physically, emotionally and psychologically stressful, crisis and life threatening situations. The work requires regular and recurring ability to maintain physical control or defend against emotionally ill patients, substance abusers and other high danger personal risk patients. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Individual Occupational Requirement: This position’s duties range widely in type and include support duties to medical and health personnel. You must have technician experience which is experience that requires application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of the Surgical Technician position to be filled. In addition to the Individual Occupational Requirement, you may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-06 grade level: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-05 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: 1) Work and communicate with clients and customers. 2) Understand and appropriately applies procedures, requirements, regulations, and policies related to specialized expertise. 3) Knowledge of direct patient care techniques, including activities of daily living (ADLs), ambulating patients, infection control, and emergency response; uses appropriate safety precautions. 4) Recognize signs of medical emergencies; applies knowledge of basic first-aid principles in responding to emergency situations. 5) Use proper clinical procedures to perform medical tests. 6) Use proper specimen collection techniques. Preferred Experience: Current EMT-P or EMT-B certification 1 year of EMT experience BLS/ACLS preferred There is no educational substitution for the GS-06 level. 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. Education There is no educational substitution for the GS-06 level. Additional Information 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 (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf for more information. The following will be communicated to applicants for VA employment in a testing designated position and will also be included in all VA vacancy announcements for such positions: All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drugs use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM’s Career Transition Resources website which can be found at https://www.opm.gov/. Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee’s credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. 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.