Health Technician - Ambulatory Care

Summary The Health Technician works as a member of all the Critical Care and Ambulatory Care Units: Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU), Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU), Medical Surgical Step-Down Unit (MSSDU), 4-North/ICU, Emergency Department (ED) at North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System (NF/SGVHS). Duties The Health Technician duties include: Answering and directing phone calls. Responsible for the immediate maintenance and cleanliness of reusable medical equipment (RME) used in the care of the patient and will be certified on the specific equipment. Assists the RN in transporting patients to Critical Care area (MSSDU, MICU, SICU, and 4-North ICU) and transports patients requiring Telemetry monitoring with signed competencies. Responsible for restocking patient units and preparing the area to receive admissions. Restocks and checks crash carts and airway boxes. Assists the RN in post-mortem care. Assumes a collaborative role in mobility of patients by completing rounds on all patients and establishing a mobility plan with the nurse early in their shift. Assists patients to in turning maintaining proper body alignment, giving ROM exercises, getting up to the chair or to ambulate in collaboration with the nurse to foster mobility and prevent complications. Recognizes and provides maximal physical safety and emotional security for the patient by taking appropriate action, discussion with the nurse and adding information to the patient's nursing care plan. Recognizes the need for and uses rehabilitation techniques in motivating severely disabled, disturbed, and disfigured patients in doing the most they can to return to health and live with their disability. Motivates self-sufficiency in older, apathetic, not active, partially dependent patients. Assists the RN to plan for continuing nursing care and follow-up after hospitalization. Cares for patients presenting atypical problems resulting from senility, lack of muscular coordination, and disabilities with aging. Serves as a unit resource for equipment when appropriate and has received adequate training to serve as a unit expert. Tracks equipment malfunctions and repair returns, works with Biomedical and Engineering departments to facilitate. Responsible for maintaining orderly work areas within the unit without being specifically directed. Interprets hospital routines and procedures for patients and their visitors. Perform phlebotomy/specimen collection and transports specimen. Recognizes emergencies and responds appropriately by seeking and providing assistance. Assist the patient to deep breath and cough. Removes patient in the Step-Down unit from telemetry with follow-up calls to wards after instructions from RN. Observes, reports, and records pertinent observations and psychological reactions of patients to treatments which are significant in assisting the health care team to interpret progress and plan for the patient's management. Anticipates and recognizes the patient's psychological response to illness from onset to recovery, or death, and uses opportunities to interact in a therapeutic manner. The work involves sitting, walking, standing, pushing, pulling, bending, and heavy lifting (35 pounds and over). This requires the knowledge and expertise in using assistive devices such as the beds, ceiling lifts, walkers, slide boards and rollators, and in using proper body mechanics. The work is performed in one of the ICUs or the Medical-Surgical Step Down. The incumbent wears prescribed protective devices when in contact with contagious diseases. ID patients with contaminated drainage. Safe work habits are practiced. *When providing patient care, the employee will consider the age of the patient and the impact his/her age has on their ability to understand directions and to provide input into their own care. Preferred Experience: 1 year experience as an Nursing Assistant or Healthcare Technician. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 12-hour days/12 hour nights with weekend rotation, full-time Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health Technician - Ambulatory Care/PD01804A Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the 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 Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required. Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01/09/2026. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Applicants must meet the Individual Occupation Requirement and Specialized Experience/Education. Each of these items are separate requirements. Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) for Health Aid and Technician Series (0640): 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. In addition to the IOR, candidates must also meet one of the following requirements: Specialized Experience: Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-5 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-6 level. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level. Applicants who have the 1 year of appropriate specialized experience, as indicated in the table, are not required by this standard to have general experience, education above the high school level, or any additional specialized experience to meet the minimum qualification requirements. OR, Education: Six (6) months of graduate education related to the position being filled. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond 4-year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation. NOTE: Graduate education or an internship meets the specialized experience required above GS-5 only in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position. One full year of graduate education meets the requirements for GS-7. Two full years of graduate education or a master's degree meets the requirements for GS-9. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and graduate education or beyond. 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/. OPM Qual standard for 0640, See the NOTE under the Education section. Education A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. 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 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. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. Receiving Service Credit or 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. 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 qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution. Benefits A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits. Review our benefits Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.