Nursing Assistant - Recreational Therapy Aide

Summary

This Nursing Assistant (NA) works under the direction of a Recreational Therapist - utilizes basic patient care skills and non-complex techniques - in a healthcare setting - to provide recreational - personal and general heath care to adult residents - aged 18-85 and older - who require restorative/rehabilitative care.

Qualifications

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.

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
• Experience or Education: Six months of general experience
• Experience must demonstrate the ability to acquire the knowledge and skills to perform the work of a Nursing Assistant (NA)
• OR One year of education above high school with courses related to the Nursing Assistant occupation
• OR Completion of an intensive - specialized - occupation related training course of study or program of less than one year as a Nursing Assistant may also meet in full the experience requirements for the GS-3. English Language Proficiency
• NAs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005 - part II - chapter 3 - section A - paragraph 3j
• May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria)
• Grade Determinations: GS-3 Experience and Education
• None beyond the basic requirements
• GS-4: In addition to the basic requirements for employment - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates
• Experience
• One year of specialized experience as a Nursing Assistant 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
• 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
• GS-5: In addition to the basic requirements for employment - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates
• Experience
• 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 Education
• 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
• AND Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSAs)
• In addition - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Ability to assist in the full range of nursing care to patients/residents with physical and/or behavioral problems in a hospital - long-term care or outpatient setting under the direction of a Registered Nurse and/or Licensed Vocational Nurse/Licensed Practical Nurse
• Ability to communicate orally with patients/residents - families - interdisciplinary team and other personnel
• This includes serving as a preceptor to new NAs by assisting with the coordination of their orientation and overseeing/assessing their practical experience while in a clinical setting
• Ability to recognize and react to emergent patient/resident care situations and intervene while waiting for assistance
• For example - recognizing need for basic life support - controlling bleeding and assisting with behavior crisis - etc
• Preferred Experience: Experience working as an activity aide
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-5. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-3 to GS-5. Physical Requirements: Job duties require: Moderate lifting and carrying (15-44 pounds) Frequent and repetitive pulling - pushing - bending - stretching reaching overhead - stooping Prolonged walking and standing The use of fingers - the use of both hands and both legs May involve some outside activities Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously Frequent work with hands in water involved Working around machinery with moving parts Working around moving objects May be assigned to work varying tours of duty

Duties

• Duties include - but are not limited to: Under the direction of a Recreational Therapist - they will offer various recreational therapy activities to patients Work consists of patient care - clinic support - diagnostic support - therapeutic treatment - and documentation in medical record - and resident teaching duties
• The employee must recognize the differences between residents (for example - some residents may need more care than others) and varies the patient care accordingly
• The employee prioritizes care - recognizing the differences in residents' diseases and/or illnesses to provide proper information to staff/residents/family members
• Under the direction of a Recreational Therapist - set up and run various group activities for patients Medical record documentation consists of normally following a designated/template charting technique that provides a daily outline or summary of the resident's care this consist of group and individual treatment notes
• Provides escort and transport assistance for residents on station and off station in multiple vehicles - i.e
• regular van - car and or bus
• Perform other duties as assigned Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: 12:00 PM - 8:30 PM
• rotating weekend hours with existing staff
• Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
• Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
• Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
• When setting pay - a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade)
• Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave - 13 days of sick leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior [work experience] or military service experience
• Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment - up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth - adoption - or foster care placement of a child
• Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment - full time employees with a total family income below $144 -000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66
• Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 91825-A - 91826-A - 91827-A Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.

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