Summary This position is located in the Medical/Surgical/Telemetry Unit In Inpatient Acute Care Directorate at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center (FHCC) in North Chicago, Illinois, West Campus. The purpose of the position is to assist in the care and management of patients in the acute care setting. The position provides clinical, technical, and direct patient care support. In this capacity the incumbent must be skillful and flexible in establishing goals and setting priorities. Responsibilities Major Duties: Admits and provides patient orientation to the unit. Performs basic nursing skills including temperature, pulse, blood pressure, respiration, and oxygen saturation via pulse oximetry, finger stick for glucose monitoring, oral suctioning, nasal swabs, and discontinuation of peripheral IV catheter. Performs bladder scanning, records and reports results. Performs hourly rounding on patients with a purpose (pain, potty, positioning, proximity). Documents patient information on flow sheets in CPRS and/or paper flow sheets. Notifies ICU technician when admitting patient to telemetry. Explains procedure to patient. Provides telemetry monitor, identifies proper lead placement, and attaches electrodes upon admission. Notifies ICU technician prior to patient discharge, cleans telemetry monitor/leads, and places in appropriate storage area. Performs standard 12-lead EKG using the multi-channel EKG machine. Understands and can identify basic rhythms and arrhythmias and provides appropriate communication to RN. Assists with the maintenance of telemetry equipment and supplies. Activates Code Blue and initiates CPR when indicated. Performs emergency resuscitation until the code team arrives. Assists in CPR resuscitation and other procedures and therapies by running EKG strips and documenting rhythm changes. Irrigates and dresses wounds maintaining a clean and, as appropriate, sterile field. Reinforces patient education provided by physician or RN on infection prevention and signs and symptoms of infection. Assists with toileting needs as appropriate; provides catheter care. Collects patient specimen. Uses universal precautions when performing patient care, including the appropriate use of personal protective equipment and isolation precautions when needed. Applies the correct oxygen delivering device at the direction of the physician or RN. Responds appropriately and sensitively to death and dying patients, their families, and loved ones. Knowledge of paperwork and legal aspects of care of the dead, including respectful postmortem care of the deceased and transfer to the morgue. Promotes correct use of ambulation devices. Ambulates patients with/without assistive devices and provides passive range of motion as directed by the RN. Manages protective/restraining devices. Recognizes safety risks related to dementia, delirium, and psychiatric disorders. Assists in behavioral/psychiatric situations to include crisis intervention, management of aggressive or suicidal psychiatric patients and 1:1 patient observation after Prevention and Management of Disruptive Behavior 1-4 training. Feeds patients orally including those who are at risk for aspiration, after appropriate training. Administers patient enema after appropriate training. The employee is responsible for (1) protecting that information from unauthorized release or from loss, alteration, or unauthorized deletion, and (2) following applicable regulations and instructions regarding access to computerized files, release of access codes, etc., as set forth in the Medical Center's Automated Information Systems Users Agreement which the employee signs. Work Schedule: 12 Hours days 7:15am-7:45pm or 12 Hours Nights 7:15pm-7:45am with rotation on weekends and holidays. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health Technician (Telemetry)/PD06545A 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/trial period 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) Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/03/2025. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). 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).You may qualify based on your experience and/or education described below: 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. In addition to the IOR above, candidates must possess the experience below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: appropriate use of personal protective equipment and isolation precautions when needed, reinforcing patient education provided by physician or RN, being skillful and flexible in establishing goals and setting priorities due to the fluctuating needs of the clinical staff, gathering documents, basic vitals and essential information about a patient, ability to communicate clearly, knowledge of direct patient care techniques, ability to assist with ADLs (assisted daily living) of patients, and following applicable regulations and instructions regarding access to computerized files and release of access codes. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have Graduate education or an internship that meets the specialized experience required above GS-5 only in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position. 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 60 semester hours in a directly related field. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Clinical Data Collection/Documentation Communication Computer Skills Customer Service (Clerical/Technical) Patient Care Technical Competence Veteran and Customer Focus Work Practices 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: The work involves periods of prolonged extensive or considerable standing/walking or sitting, lifting, positioning, pushing and/or transferring patients. The position requires lifting supplies and equipment and considerable reaching, stooping, bending, kneeling, and crouching. The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. They are not intended as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skill required of personnel so classified. 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. 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 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. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. 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. 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.
