Job Information
Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration Health Technician in Augusta, Georgia
Summary The Health Technician (Spinal Cord Injury) provides direct, hands-on patient care within the SCI Inpatient Unit, supporting Veterans with complex medical and rehabilitation needs. Health Technicians play an essential role in delivering safe, compassionate care while assisting nursing staff with daily patient activities, monitoring, and rehabilitation support. Responsibilities Duties: Assist the physicians and nurses in the care and treatment of patients receiving inpatient treatment services for rehabilitation and acute care treatments. Observes and reports to the professional nurse changes in patient's behavior, bodily complaints and appearances. Performs standardized and specialized treatment procedures requiring considerable training and experience such as CPR, Glucometer testing and obtaining laboratory specimens. Obtain and record patient vital signs and assist providers in the care/treatment of patients. Use vacutainer devise and appropriate blood collect tubes to collect blood specimens. Retrieves patient lab data from various sources. Accurately label specimens as they are collected to include all required information. 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. Work Schedule: Evenings/Nights 7:00 pm - 7:00 am with rotating weekends and holidays Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health Technician/PD14016A, PD14015A, and PD09775A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): 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 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 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, 04/23/2026. Specialized Experience for GS-05: 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: treatment of spinal cord injured patients by operating, setting up and positioning patient on specialized equipment for treatment, care of skin care, participation in family education programs, activities of daily living. OR Applicants may substitute education for the experience required for the (GS-05) level. You must possess a four (4) year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, with a major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position. Healthcare-related field or relevant education or training, such as Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Medical Assistant (MA), or coursework in medical terminology. Specialized Experience for GS-06: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-05) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: skill in basic nursing practices sufficient to discern emergency situations related to spinal cord injured patients, abnormal vital signs, blood pressure monitor and ability to troubleshoot to resolve technical problems. Experience includes work as a CNA, Medical Assistant, personal caregiver, or other hands-on patient care roles within a clinical or long-term care environment. OR Applicants may substitute education for the experience required for the (GS-06) level. You must possess 6 months of graduate education or an internship that meets the specialized experience required where it is directly related to the work of the position. This education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. OR Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-5 and GS-6 level. 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-5 and GS-6. 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. Preferred Qualifications: Experience with Spinal Cord Injury is preferred. . 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 There is no educational substitution at this grade level. 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. 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. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. 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. 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/. Comply with public notice requirements in 5 USC § 3327, § 3330 and 5 CFRPart 330 Subpart G, and requirements in 5 CFR § 332.402 when seeking to fill positions under this authority. In addition, HR offices must comply with all relevant laws unless VA is exempt from such laws pursuant to 5 USC §3304(a)(3) and this authority.