Summary

The Health Technician is located in Alvin C. York VA Medical Center in Murfreesboro of Tennessee Valley Healthcare System (TVHS). The Health Technician will be assigned to Nursing Service and work under the general supervision of the Nurse Manager and will function under the direct leadership of a registered professional nurse.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. 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 ~Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): 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 requires application of the knowledge - methods - and techniques of the position to be filled; Examples of required experience includes - but is not limited to: Education - There is no education substitution at this grade level. Specialized Experience: In addition to meeting the IOR above - you must meet the specialized experience as described below:GS-06 grade level: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade lever GS-05. Specialized experience includes but is not limited to: setting up equipment for procedures; performing personal patient care; utilizing an automated system to maintain and retrieve patient data; assisting with patient test and procedures; and answering phones and directing phone calls to appropriate personal. Specialized experience is defined as: Nursing Assistant - Health Technician or Medical Assistant that performed the duties listed in the announcement. This work includes experience in obtaining vital signs - use of EKG equipment - and 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.

Duties

• Major duties and responsibilities will include: Assisting other medical personnel in the diagnosis or treatment of patient illnesses or medical conditions
• Scheduling appointments
• Answering and directing phone calls and assisting visitors to the office
• Maintaining files and documenting patient records
• Using a computer to perform support duties
• Setting up patient examination rooms
• Taking and recording vital signs
• Interviewing patients to obtain medical/personal history
• Adhering to infection control procedures
• Assisting with minor medical procedures (changing dressings - applying bandages and splits - etc.)
• Instructing patients on home care procedures
• Observing patients for changes in condition
• De-escalating disruptive patients
• Performing blood glucose testing
• Collecting and labeling specimens
• Performing EKGs
• Providing training to new personnel
• Performing related duties as required
• Work Schedule: based on the needs of the service Position Description/PD#: Health Technician (Acute Care)/PD07618A 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.