Summary This position is located in the Branch Health Clinic USS Red Rover, located at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, North Chicago, Illinois. The Health Technician in this position provides immunizations and documentation support to Navy recruits at Recruit Training Command, and processes patients through USS Red Rover close patient interaction in a tactful, courteous, professional, and efficient manner, while guaranteeing patient privacy. Responsibilities Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following: Confirms patient identity and screening for contraindications. Administers oral, intradermal, intranasal, subcutaneous, and intramuscular medication. Records administered vaccinations and medications into the Armed Forces Health Longitudinal Technology Application (AHLTA) electronic medical record, and hard copy medical record. Records immunizations for active-duty members in the Medical Readiness Reporting System (MRRS). Educates patients regarding each vaccine prior to administration in accordance with the vaccination information statements (VIS). Observes patients post-vaccination, recognizing vaccination or injection-related adverse health effects ranging from vaso-vagal response to anaphylaxis. Disseminates information to patients regarding vaccine information, instructions on what to do if reactions occur post-vaccination and information regarding disease prevention through proper vaccinations. Operates specialized medical equipment associated with the assigned clinic and commensurate with training (including AED, pulse oximeter, blood pressure cuff, electronic thermometer, oxygen administration, wheelchairs, etc.). Enters and retrieves data from vaccination and health records and databases. Maintains stock levels of all equipment, forms, and consumable supplies necessary to fulfil the purpose of the immunization section. Provides administrative support to include accurate maintenance of logs and tracking databases, patient reception, and answering telephones. Complies with DoD and Navy directives applicable to infection control, hand hygiene, and needle stick prevention. Maintains daily log of patients visits and prepares recurring reports as required by higher headquarters. Maintains a functional database and updates the database daily. Prepares report of vaccine adverse effects to the preventative medicine division. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 0600-1430 Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health Technician (Immunizations)/PD23573A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved 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 identification 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, 09/11/2026. 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-05 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-04. 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 at least the next lower grade GS-04 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: experience administering oral, intradermal, intranasal, subcutaneous, and intramuscular medication; education patients regarding vaccines prior to administration; recognizing vaccination or injection-related adverse health effects; operating specialized medical equipment including AED, pulse oximeter, blood pressure cuff, electronic thermometer, oxygen administration, wheelchairs, etc.; entering and retrieving data from vaccination and health records databases; entering patient data completely and accurately; and maintaining stock of all equipment, forms, and consumable supplies. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position. NOTE: This education must have been obtained in an accredited business or technical school, junior college, college, or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisites. 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 successfully completed post-high school education that includes courses directly related to the work of the position and specialized experience to meet total experience requirements. NOTE: Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. One full academic year of study (i.e. 30 semester hours) beyond the second year is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience. Transcripts Required. 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 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. 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/.
