Health Technician

Full Job Description

You will serve at VA Puget Sound Health Care System (VAPSHCS), Seattle Division, and operate as a Health Technician assigned to the Patient Escort Service (PES), a subsection within the Nurse Executive Office.

The primary mission of PES is to provide allied support of patient care functions to active duty, reserve, and Veterans of the United States Armed Forces and allied beneficiaries receiving health care services at VAPSHCS.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

GS-04 grade level: Have six (6) months of Generalized Experience and six (6) months of Specialized Experience equivalent to the GS-3 level.

Examples of General Experience would typically include but are not limited to: Independently performing duties such as independently performing customer service duties.

Specialized experience: 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 Specialized Experience would typically include, but are not limited to: dispatching operations, prioritizing telephone calls, accurately annotating caller's information, or providing indirect or direct patient care.

NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, GS level (if a federal position), duties, month & year starting and ending dates AND hours worked per week.

OR Applicants may substitute education for the experience required for the GS-04 level.

EDUCATION (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED): Have successfully completed two (2) years above High School education with 12 semester hours related to a study in medical, health, or related fields.

NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

This education must have been obtained in an accredited school, junior college, college, or university.

One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university, or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks.

OR Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-04 level.

COMBINATION: EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED): Have a combination of college level- education beyond one (1) year with course(s) related to a study in medical, health, or related fields, and General and/or Specialized Experience to meet total experience requirements.

The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-4. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials.

Education cannot be credited without documentation. One full academic year of study (30 semester hours) beyond the second year is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience.

I have computed the percentage of these requirements that I meet, and the total is at least 100%.

To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 60 semester hours that you earned).

Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-04.

For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e.

50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

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. Major Duties:

Provide mobility assistance to patients requiring transport by wheelchair, stretchers, medical beds, or other clinical contraptions. Manage a centralized dispatch operation.

Assist doctors and nurses in managing clinical emergencies (codes). Use Safe Patient Handling equipment and techniques to perform patient lifts, transfers, and other assistive maneuvers.

Manage a high number of calls using multiple rollover lines. Write down caller information and promptly respond to such. Deal calmly and courteously with callers, some of whom may be upset or irate.

Transport patients that are receiving IV sedations, blood product transfusions, chemotherapy agents, or are on cardiac monitors only when RNs/Physicians accompany such transports.

Procure blood products from the lab in accordance with Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service (P&LMS) policy and procedures.

Transport collected specimens to the lab for analysis; delivers specimens to designated areas in the lab; time stamps dispatch sheet upon delivery of specimens. Perform other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: This position has various work schedules. The selections assigned work schedule will be determined by the needs of the service.

Position Description Title/PD#: Health Technician/PD40984-A Physical Requirements: The employee works long periods (possibly hours) on his/her feet standing, walking, pushing, pulling, bending, lifting and utilizing SPH equipment.

When performing dispatch operations, the incumbent sits at a desk (possibly for hours) and answers a phone and writes down caller information at the repetitive rate of about 25 calls per hour.

When performing transport duties, the incumbent is able to carry out a minimum of four transports per hour or 30 transports per 8-hour tour of duty.

Must have physical control of one's torsos and extremities, as necessary, to execute gross and fine motor movements within normal ranges of motion.

Possesses sufficient strength in legs to ambulate while performing manual/motorized transports. Possesses sufficient strength to grip and control movement of equipment for the durations of transports.

Must be able to physically walk up and down stairs, as necessary to carry out transports of hand-carried items. Must be able to utilize office equipment.

Must be able to read and understand information in printed and electronic format such as that presented in charts, on patient's identification bands, computer screens, phones, communications badges, and other handheld devices as may be employed for use by staff during the performance of duties.

Work Conditions: The incumbent works out of a central office with adequate seating for staff, sufficient light for reading, and climate controls to regulate room temperature.

The great majority of PES work is performed inside the medical center with some transports of patients and items to/from outside patios, courtyards, and curbsides at the front and rear entrances to the medical center.

VA-issued uniforms may be required to be worn when on duty. VA-issued keys and proximity cards are carried on one's person for purposes of gaining access to offices and restricted areas as necessary.

The work environment also contains increased risks associated with potentially fatal infections or situations involving difficult or disturbed patients.