Health Technician

Summary

The position works at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Nursing Service, SHBS, and works closely with nurses, physicians, and other members of the acute care team. The Health Technician provides clinical, programmatic, technical, and clerical support in the interdisciplinary inpatient setting. The incumbent performs basic care for patients under the supervision of the Nurse Supervisor and/or designee, and in collaboration with medical providers.

Duties

• Major duties include, but are not limited to, the following: Interview patients to complete basic health screening, as well as perform radiology procedures such as MRI and CT. Collects patient data specific to health care needs, including vital signs, pain level, weight, height, functional status, and observation of overall condition. Assists with diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and exams by preparing patients, ensuring privacy, and applying aseptic principles. Works with Sterile Processing Service (SPS) and Biomedical Engineering on ongoing inventory of expired items and equipment maintenance. The incumbent will assist in data collection, patient scheduling, and consult recall, and comply with VA and National Patient Confidentiality and Privacy Guidelines and scheduling requirements. FACTOR 1: Knowledge Required by the Position: The incumbent must be able to demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to complete the duties of the position, including those necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of the patients served. Must have academic and clinical training in the many techniques and tests utilized within acute care and radiology settings. Standardized training and tests will be provided to the incumbent for the AvaSys Telesitter System and will be measured in his/her annual performance. FACTOR 2: Supervisory Controls: Incumbent reports directly to the Nurse Manager or the Nursing Supervisors. The supervisor will do periodic consultations and reviews to ensure all required procedures are being performed appropriately and safely by the incumbent. Written and /or verbal assignments are provided. FACTOR 3: Guidelines: Written and oral guidelines and instructions provide the basis for guidelines in performing the work. In addition, standard operating procedures unique to individual test/instrumentation are available for guidance. Appropriate independent judgment is expected in providing the highest quality service possible and in managing multiple tasks in a restricted timeframe. FACTOR 4: Complexity: Work involved in patient care includes patient privacy and confidentiality of patient information. The broad nature of the assignment in performing a variety of basic technical support activities (ECG, BCLS, AED) and routine service-oriented tasks (escort, equipment/facility maintenance) requires the incumbent to organize workflow in such a manner as to promote and enhance the timely provision of services to the Position Description. Factor 5 - Scope and Effect: The purpose of the position is to provide support for specialized procedures for acute care nurses and medical providers to ensure efficient, high-quality care. The work has a significant effect on the accuracy and reliability of further treatment. Factor 6 - Personal Contacts: The incumbent will interact with acute care nurses, medical providers, clerical staff, radiology staff, other employees in the health care system, patients, their families and friends, and outside agencies, such as equipment or supply vendors. Factor 7 - Purpose of Contacts: The personal contacts involve providing service to patients, enhancing the image of the facility with the public through efficient and compassionate performance of duties, and assisting staff with a wide variety of tasks which permit maximum utilization of Medical Center resources. Factor 8 - Physical Demands: Good hearing and visual acuity are required. The work involves standing long hours, walking, bending, and reaching on a routine basis. The work requires the incumbent to be mobile throughout the Medical Center as needed, involving standing, walking, bending, pushing, and lifting (moderate to heavy). The incumbent must be capable of prolonged standing/walking and be physically capable of pushing equipment and escorting patients that may be in wheelchairs and/or gurneys. Factor 9 - Work Environment: Work will be performed in a complex acute care environment, subjecting the incumbent to risks associated with a hospital setting. Work is performed in an environment involving exposure to infection, hazardous materials, contagious diseases, and requires normal safety precautions. Work areas are noisy with regular and recurring turbulence and unpredictable conditions generated by patients. The employee is potentially subject to physical and verbal abuse from patients and is required to follow assaultive policy and procedures. Other Duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Full-time; 7:30 am - 4:00 pm/7:30 am - 8:00 pm, or as determined by the supervisor. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health Technician/00817-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement 09/17/2026. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade at any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-06 position, you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05 grade level. 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. Specialized Experience: You 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: Ability to interview patients and complete basic health screening. Ability to collect, label, and transport patient specimens. Perform data collection and patient scheduling. Ability to perform administrative and management tasks in a clinical setting. OR Applicants may substitute education for the experience required for the GS-06 level. One half-year of graduate education (9 semester hours or equivalent) with a major that included courses directly related to the work of this position. Such graduate education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-06 level. Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this 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. 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. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED). You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Patient Care Technical Competence Oral Communication 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. 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/.

Requirements

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. 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- or 2-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, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

How to apply

All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/17/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13058490. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation are submitted prior to the closing date.