Summary The (Escort) assigned to Patient Care Services, provides dependable and timely patient transportation within the VA Pittsburgh Health Care System. The primary purpose of the patient escort is to perform clinical transport and delivery functions in accordance with established facility policies and procedures. Responsibilities Major duties and responsibilities include: Performs position duties in a highly visible area in the hospital with extensive daily contact from patients, visitors, Disabled American Veterans (DAV) volunteers, organization representatives, staff, and the general public. Escorts are many times their first contact in our hospital; therefore, incumbent must display courtesy, helpfulness, and professionalism in interactions with all customers, either in person or by phone. Transports adult and geriatric patients to and from units, clinics, and facilities within VA Pittsburgh. Ensures that the equipment (wheelchairs, beds, gurneys are the appropriate size for the patient being transported. Searches for wheelchairs throughout medical center and parking garage to ensure there is always one available for patients. Ensures that the patient is properly covered at all times during transport to ensure modesty and comfort. Stays with the inpatients in the waiting areas until a provider or nurse comes to get them for their procedure. Recognizes emergency situations (i.e., codes, disasters, fire, and safety issues) and takes appropriate and immediate action. Transports patients with severe physical and emotional conditions from psychiatric units to scheduled appointments with medical, surgical, and physical treatment and returns them to their respective ward. Ensures encounters with all levels of physical and emotional patients and families are handled in a courteous and tactful manner and any customer service compliant is easily resolved. Carefully observes patients during transport for signs of distress. Disinfects I cleans transport equipment per directive under the VA policies and regulations and new Covid-19 guidelines with approved cleaning product prior to and after each patient transport. Rounds regularly on inpatient wards to ensure Reusable Equipment is clean and disinfected for staff use. Report immediately any unusual symptoms of patients i.e., fainting or shortness of breath during time of escort. As requested, takes discharged patients to the door to await transportation. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7am-3:30pm or 9am-5:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Pre-employment physical 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, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications PHYSICAL EFFORT : The number and similarity of guidelines and work situations require the employee to use judgment in locating and selecting the most appropriate guidelines. Instruction often does not apply directly, requiring the employee to make adaptations to cover new and unusual work situations. This may involve deviating from established procedures to process transactions which cannot be completed through regular channels or involve actions where guidelines are conflicting or unusable. Daily, the position requires lifting, standing, pushing, walking, bending, stooping, and transferring as part of patient care administration. The work includes standing and walking up to 8 hours a day throughout the facility. The work includes climbing and descending stairs to reach certain destinations. Must have no lifting restrictions. Will be required to push and pull wheelchairs, beds, other equipment, patient's belongings, and will be required to transport supplies. Will be required to have bilateral motor coordination to handle patients and equipment. Will be required to assist with physical management of disruptive behavior in patients. AND WORK CONDITIONS: Duties are performed under the direct supervision of the Escort Supervisor. Provides basic care interventions and assistance according to established facility policies and procedures. Organizes and completes work within shift worked. Consistently seeks guidance when needed to ensure care needs are properly met. Work will be performed on the grounds of VA Pittsburgh, primarily within the hospital. Main duties include lifting and positioning patients, assisting with disruptive behavior patients in a clinical setting, transporting, and moving patients, and cleaning reusable medical equipment. Pushing and pulling hospital equipment, walking distances, taking stairs, and answering cell phone will be daily occurrences. Retrieving equipment from around the hospital and grounds and delivering equipment to various areas is expected. Assisting clinical staff with obtaining equipment and other patient support items will be needed. Work is in a Medical Center setting and involves possible exposure to contagious disease which will require appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) as identified. He/she must be quick and dependable in taking emergency action. Escort runs are generally made according to the order they are received; however, some assignments may be given greater priority. Priorities may be determined by proximity of areas and time requirements, i.e., STAT orders or appointment times. Incumbent must be able to adapt, effectively function, and accomplish work in a busy, fast-paced, often noisy hospital environment, as well as adjust to frequent interruptions, changing priorities, and the pressure of multiple deadlines. Applicants will be rated in accordance with the OPM Federal Wage System Qualifications. For this position, the job element method is used to match what you, the applicant, can do against what the work calls for. Your knowledge, skills and abilities will be compared to the knowledge, skills and abilities (called job elements) needed for success. Your qualifications will first be evaluated against the prescribed screen out element (WG-2 and higher only; screen-outs are not applicable to WG-1). Applicants who appear to meet the screen out element are considered for further rating; those who do not are rated ineligible and are eliminated from consideration. The potential eligibles are rated against the remainder of the job elements. While a specific length of training and experience is not required, your responses to the questionnaire must be supported by detailed descriptions of your experience on your resume. You will be rated on the following Job Elements as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Ability to Do the Work of the Position without More Than Normal Supervision Ability to Interpret Instructions, Specifications, etc. (Other Than Blueprint Reading) Dexterity and Safety Knowledge of Materials Technical Practices (Theoretical, Precise, Artistic) Use of Measuring Instruments IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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. 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; religious; 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. Education Additional Information Note: Per "Executive Order 14251: Exclusions from Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs", this position is no longer eligible for bargaining unit participation. 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. 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.
