Summary The Health Technician (Spinal Cord Injury) provides direct patient care and clinical support to individuals with spinal cord injuries in a specialized healthcare setting in Augusta, Georgia. The incumbent assists with treatment, rehabilitation, and monitoring of patients with complex medical conditions, using advanced equipment and established clinical procedures. Responsibilities THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION Join our dedicated Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Care Team at VA Augusta! We are seeking a compassionate, reliable, and mission-driven Health Technician to support the specialized needs of Veterans living with spinal cord injuries and disorders. In this vital role, you will work closely with nursing and interdisciplinary teams to deliver hands-on patient care, assist with daily living activities, support clinical procedures, and help maintain a therapeutic and safe environment on the SCI unit. Major duties and responsibilities will include: Provides direct patient care including positioning, transferring, and assisting with activities of daily living using specialized equipment (e.g., wheelchairs, immobilizers, therapeutic beds). Performs clinical procedures such as wound care, dressing changes, catheterization, and bowel/bladder care in accordance with established protocols. Monitors and records patient status, including vital signs, intake/output, and response to treatment, and reports changes to nursing staff. Operates and maintains medical equipment such as oxygen delivery systems, suction devices, ventilators, and EKG machines. Assists with rehabilitation activities, including range-of-motion exercises, mobility training, and transitioning patients between bed and wheelchair. Supports respiratory care needs, including airway maintenance, suctioning, oxygen support, and assisting during emergency interventions. Observes and responds to patient conditions, identifying changes such as autonomic dysreflexia, seizures, or other complications and notifying appropriate staff. Provides patient and family education support, reinforcing care plans and teaching basic self-care and rehabilitation techniques. Participates in interdisciplinary care activities, including contributing observations to care plans and attending team meetings or care conferences. Performs administrative and support duties, such as answering call lights, transporting patients/specimens, and maintaining accurate clinical documentation. Performing related duties as required. Work Schedule: Evenings/Nights 7pm to 7am with weekends and Holidays; May be required to work irregular tours as scheduled by the supervisor. Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized. Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved. DESIGNATED DRUG-TESTING POSITION: 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. Applicants will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test result is received. 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 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) - See "Required Documents" below for details. 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, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications English Language Proficiency Requirement: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to perform the duties of this position. ~AND~ In addition to the English language proficiency requirement, in order to qualify for this position at the GS-6 level, you must meet one of the following minimum qualifications: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 grade level in Federal service that has required application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of this position. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-5 in the Federal service. 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. Specialized experience includes; providing direct patient care to a patient with a spinal cord injury or in rehabilitation setting; performs clinical procedures such wound care, dressing changes, and specimen collection; assisting with activities of daily living, mobility support; operating specialized equipment; and monitoring patient condition. (Note: Resume must clearly detail the specialized experience to qualify). This experience must be detailed in your resume to receive credit. ~OR~ Education: Half a year of graduate education (usually 9 semester hours) that is directly related to the work of this position. One full year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent one year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the one 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. Transcripts required at the time of application. ~OR~ Combination of Education and Experience: An equivalent combination of specialized experience and graduate education as described that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of this position. Transcripts required at the time of application, and experience must be detailed in your resume to receive credit. Physical Demands and Work Environment: The work requires standing, walking, bending, lifting, and carrying. The work may require heavy lifting of equipment or positioning of patients. The work environment involves risks typically associated with those of a health care environment. Work involves regular and recurring exposure to moderate risks or discomforts that requires special safety precautions, including potentially infectious material. 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 IMPORTANT: 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 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 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. 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. 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. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 80 or more before any Veterans preference points) for this vacancy. 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/. Note: Per "Executive Order 14251: Exclusions from Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs", this position is no longer eligible for bargaining unit participation.
