This position is located in the Nursing and Patience Care Service. The purpose of the position is to perform highly specialized duties in patient care. Birmingham VA Medical Center will be utilizing Healthcare Technicians to deliver patient care. Healthcare Technicians will be assigned to nursing teams. The incumbent is responsible for interacting with others in a manner that fosters favorable relations as set forth in the medical center policy on Human Relations.
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/13/2025. 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 GS-5: You must have one (1) year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-4 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: Performing simple treatment procedures such as changing sterile dressings and applying slings or bandages; Using techniques to appropriately de-escalate disruptive patients; Instructing patients and families the requirements of home self-care for injuries or ailments; Observing patients and reporting changes in condition (deviation in color, pulse, respiration, temperature, and blood pressure. OR Education GS-5: You must have a bachelor's degree or 4 years above high school education. (Transcripts Required) OR Combination GS-5: You must have a combination of experience and education. (Transcripts Required) Specialized Experience GS-6: You must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience that equipped you with the competencies/particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of this position successfully that is equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-5) in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as but are not limited to: Performing simple treatment procedures such as changing sterile dressings and applying slings or bandages; Using techniques to appropriately de-escalate disruptive patients; Instructing patients and families the requirements of home self-care for injuries or ailments; Observing patients and reporting changes in condition (deviation in color, pulse, respiration, temperature, and blood pressure); Interviewing patients to document complaint, medical history, and personnel information. OR Education GS-6: You must have graduate education or an internship that meets the specialized experience required directly related to the work of the position. (Transcripts Required) OR Combination GS-6: You must have a combination of experience and education. (Transcripts Required) Specialized Experience GS-7: You must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience that equipped you with the competencies/particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of this position successfully that is equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-6) in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as but are not limited to: Performing simple treatment procedures such as changing sterile dressings and applying slings or bandages; Using techniques to appropriately de-escalate disruptive patients; Instructing patients and families the requirements of home self-care for injuries or ailments; Observing patients and reporting changes in condition (deviation in color, pulse, respiration, temperature, and blood pressure); Interviewing patients to document complaint, medical history, and personnel information; Taking and recording vital signs; Documenting electronic patient medical records; Performing blood glucose testing; Perform EKG's with a portable machine. OR Education GS-7: You must have one full year of graduate education. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. (Transcripts required). OR Combination GS-7: You must have a combination of experience and education. (Transcripts Required) You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Clerical Clinical Data Collection/Documentation Diagnostic Medical Testing Patient Care 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: Generally, the work does not involve special physical demands. Duties are performed in several medical center areas and incumbent must be able to travel to treatment areas with ease. There is the potential for extended periods of sitting, standing, and carrying items weighing up to 20 pounds, i.e., pen-based computing devices, medical records, and manuals. 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/.
At the GS-5 and GS-6 level the incumbent will serve in a developmental assignment to provide the individual with the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform the full range of duties as described in the target position description. Duties are same as at the full performance level GS-07; however, work will be gradually increased as incumbent acquires the requisite skill and knowledge to perform work until position is at full performance level. The position is responsible for processing orders, etc., in an ambulatory care setting; and for release of information. - Supporting duties usually assigned to nursing staff, such as charting and obtaining vital signs - blood pressure, temperature, respirations, pulse, etc.; - Collecting and delivering specimens, such as urine, blood, stool and cultures from body fluids, to the lab following proper infection control policies; - Assisting patient with dressing and undressing for medical examination, if needed; - Perform EKG's with a portable machine; - Coordinating the scheduling of outpatient appointments for team providers; - Coordinating and monitoring special program evaluations and ensuring the timely processing of claims for compensation and pension, Persian Gulf, Agent Orange, former Prisoners-of-War (POW's), etc.; - Assisting team staff to obtain laboratory, radiology, etc., reports from DHCP - Assisting team staff to update the problem list for each episode of care - Demonstrates or verbalizes knowledge of age-related needs Determines eligibility for benefits (inpatient, ambulatory care, medications, pharmacy co-pay, beneficiary travel, eye dental, prosthetics, etc.) normally done by the Eligibility Clerk or Supervisor; - Coordinates consultations within the facility and with other facilities; - Coordinates fee service referrals required for specialty care patients; - Entering stop codes for all outpatient episodes of care normally done in admitting or clinic area; - Determines eligibility for benefits (inpatient, ambulatory care, medications, pharmacy co-pay, beneficiary travel, eye dental, prosthetics, etc.) normally done by the Eligibility Clerk or Supervisor; - Coordinates consultations within the facility and with other facilities; - Coordinates fee service referrals required for specialty care patients; - Entering stop codes for all outpatient episodes of care normally done in admitting or clinic area; Acts in the capacity of liaison/expeditor between patients and specialty care members, as well as other practice groups, specialty services, and ancillary services. Ensures coding references are updated as changes occur. Enters level of care provided (extensive, intermediate, or brief visit) and CPT-4 codes for diagnoses of all outpatient visits. This information is vital to the medical center's collection goals and funding allocation. Transcribes physicians' orders. This includes, but is not limited to, ordering diagnostic tests, processing admissions, requesting medical records from other facilities, and processing Veterans' requests for medical information from VA records, etc. Coordinates patients' consultations and referrals to other specialty services and schedules patients for future appointments in accordance with the physician's clinic profile and input from the patient. Keeps the specialty care team up to date on appropriate administrative regulations which include eligibility for care, control of medical records, availability and requesting special tests and procedures, etc. Incumbent must analyze, interpret, and implement regulations accurately to reflect current operating procedures and be familiar with precedents concerning changes in regulations or policies. Patient education may be involved. Assures that the primary care physician is aware of the time that clinics begin and works with team members to ensure that patients are seen in a timely manner. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM (Subject to change based on agency needs). Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure: Not Required Position Description Title/PD#: Health Technician/PD09450A09451A/09452A Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.