Summary The Emergency Department (ED) Intermediate Care Technician (ICT) is assigned to the Department of Veteran Affairs, Veterans Health Administration (VHA). This position serves as an advanced technician for the ED for patients who are present for treatment. Responsibilities Duties include but not limited to: The incumbent performs ongoing patient care duties in the ED. Patient Screening: Duties include performing observation-based screening and collecting patient information in collaboration with licensed personnel. This may involve obtaining patient health history for chief complaints, medication history, and information about health-related or high-risk conditions that may impact the patient's health status. The incumbent will complete approved templates and tools, for example the MiniCog screening established by the agency. Mental Health Services: The incumbent assists in behavioral/psychiatric situations in an emergency setting. This can include assisting licensed personnel with crisis intervention, assists with the management of aggressive or suicidal psychiatric patients, by providing one-to-one observations and applying prevention and management of disruptive behavior techniques (PMDB). The incumbent performs duties focused on communication techniques required to complete the questioners and templates approved for use in the ED, including active listening, restating, and mirroring. The incumbent will maintain a safe and therapeutic environment for the patient while promoting a sense of worth and dignity under the supervision of the licensed personnel. Clinical Tasks: The incumbent assists ED licensed personnel with the delivery of care to patients with complex, specialized, and potentially life-threatening situations. This may include setting up equipment and passing instruments in the event of: cardioversions, insertion of thoracostomy tubes, or initiation of mechanical ventilation to restore normal physiological function or prevent deterioration of patient's condition. The incumbent must possess the knowledge to recognize life threatening situations and act to correct these emergent situations according to established national or local protocols. The incumbent initiates cardiopulmonary resuscitation (BLS) and use of automatic external defibrillator (AED) once trained and certified and where appropriate according to American Heart Association (AHA) protocols and policies. Emergency Care: In addition to ongoing ED duties, the incumbent may be asked to respond to medical emergencies on the facility grounds, and sometimes encounters situations which may be life threatening as part of the Rapid Response Team (RRT), Code Blue, or medical transport team. The incumbent appropriately implements emergency care in accordance with established protocols and policies. Works in concert with other members of these teams to determine the nature, extent, and seriousness of the patient's condition including the search for medical alert symbols and medications. ICTs will obtain and maintain certification in basic life support (BLS), and other certifications as pertinent to their local facility and may assist within the scope/guidelines of their role and qualifications. Medication Administration: Medication administration will comply with national and local directives and policies. Administration methods may include intramuscular, oral, topical, eye drops, ear drops, intranasal, rectal suppositories, local anesthetics, nebulized medications, subcutaneous, and intradermal. Follows national and local pharmacy and facility guidelines for disposal of medications. Other duties: Conducts or assists with the training of personnel in CPR, and advanced emergency medical care techniques if appropriately trained, certified and/or qualified, for example: facility formal preceptors and BLS instructors. Can conduct or assist with stand-downs, community health programs, health care screenings, and immunizations. May be members of hospital-wide committees to enhance emergency care for Veterans. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Tours of duty for six 12 hour shifts and one 8 hour shift every two weeks. 7:30am - 8:00pm or 7:30pm - 8:00am Compressed: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Intermediate Care Technician/PDS0031A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: 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 or 2-year trial 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, 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, 04/03/2026. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-6. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-6 grade level in the federal service).Examples of specialized experience include but are not limited to: Prepare and administer medications through various methods, examples include, intramuscular injections, subcutaneous injections, intradermal injections, oral, aerosolized including oxygen, topical, intraocular (eye drops), Otic (ear drops), intranasal, rectal (suppositories), local anesthetics, intraurethral, and intravenous. Perform minor surgical procedures, medical interventions and administer treatments to manage care to combat disease or disabling symptoms example incise and drain various skin infections or abscesses. Order appropriate diagnostic studies under the direction of the supervising Licensed Independent Practitioner (LIP) obtains and Reports Diagnostic and laboratory results. Your experience must be detailed in your resume to receive full credit. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have one full year of graduate education meets the requirements for GS-7 only in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position. (Transcripts Required). OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education at the graduate level. 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/. NOTE: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application. 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 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. 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/.
