Health Technician (Post-Anesthesia Care Unit)

Summary

The primary purpose of the position is to perform routine clinical procedures and tasks for which the incumbent has been deemed competent that do not require the judgement of a licensed health care professional. The incumbent functions under the direct supervision of a Registered Nurse and is responsible to the Nurse Manager in the assigned clinical area. The incumbent functions as a member of an interdisciplinary team in the acute inpatient acute and critical care setting.

Duties

• Duties include but are not limited to: Operates and supports providers and Registered Nurses in designated clinical area using diagnostic and therapeutic medical instruments/equipment including Electrocardiogram, Spirometry, Visual Acuity Screening, and Bladder scan according to established procedures and with documented competency. Locates and sets up equipment needed for complex diagnostic procedures. Operates, calibrates, and maintains medical instruments or equipment. Monitors and plans equipment inventory, routine equipment maintenance, and serves as a unit resource for cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization of non-critical, semi-critical, and critical Reusable Medical Devices. Demonstrates leadership in advocating patient safety and educate multidisciplinary staff in assigned area on RMD. Supports health and medical staff during diagnosis and treatment of patients. Gathers screening data on patients admitted to the hospital to include fall risk, allergies, current medications, homelessness, abuse, means and mode of arrival, danger to self or others, and exposure to communicable diseases. Recognizes and informs appropriate multidisciplinary health care team of deviations from baseline screening parameters. Performs phlebotomy in designated areas. Applies basic splints and performs dressing changes in designated areas. Performs Point of Care testing using glucometer devices according to established unit procedures and with competency validation. Educates other HT staff and serves as the expert resource in specialized equipment/supply maintenance, operation, and quality assurance monitoring. Performs 1:1 patient observation according to policy. Performs TMO monitoring as assigned. May be designated as a Rapid Response Team member when assigned to the ICU. Assisting patients with swallowing disorders with meals, bowel and bladder hygiene and assisting patients with oral/bath hygiene. Specimen collection procedures and point of care testing. Assists doctors and nurses in the performance of diagnostic examinations by performing duties such as monitoring vital signs and positioning the patient, or by performing a variety of routine diagnostic tests per policy. Obtains and records measurements and vital signs and then reports deviations in vital signs and/or weight to the RN or provider. As directed by an RN, the HT performs routine diagnostic tests such as venipuncture, electrocardiogram, bladder scans, visual acuity screening appropriate for assigned clinical areas and demonstrated competency. Assists nurses and physicians in the care and treatment of critically ill and emergent patients. Observes and reports to the professional nurse changes in patient behavior, attitude, bodily complaints, and appearance. Reports observations of the condition of acute or chronic phase patients such as excessive vomiting, bleeding, type and amount of drainage, deviation in pulse, color, respiration, temperature, blood pressure, skin integrity, patency of airway, changes in wounds and reaction to treatments per protocol. Performs TMO monitoring for up to 12 patients simultaneously. Performs standardized treatment procedures requiring considerable training and experience such as performing pharyngeal suctions, setting up and regulating the flow of oxygen, or analyzing pulmonary waveforms, application of basic orthopedic splints. Provides nursing care to patients experiencing extremes of behavior. Recognizes emergency mental health situations such as suicidal ideation and intervenes by utilizing techniques to keep the patient safe while awaiting assistance per procedure. Performs constant observation for high-risk patients and follows procedure to ensure safety of room environment, maintaining line of sigh visual surveillance, and reporting changes in patient behavior to the RN. Equipment preparation, operation, and maintenance. Performs administrative tasks and manages medical support functions for clinic or practice such as maintaining control records for specimens and tests and documenting measurements taken. Initiating work orders and following up to ensure the work is complete. Documents treatments and procedures that they have conducted in the electronic medical record. Orders and maintains specialized supplies needed for equipment and instruments used in assigned unit Works with logistics and nursing staff to establish par levels of supplies for assigned unit and ensures supplies are readily available for patient care. Assists with stocking and room turn-over to ensure the patient care environment is prepared to receive and care for patients. Identifies equipment that is malfunctioning and uses the proper procedure to submit a work order, track progress, and/or to turn the equipment in for decommissioning. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Position Description/PD#: Health Technician (Post-Anesthesia Care Unit)/PD39018A

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/25/2026. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education s described below: Specialized Experience: Must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-05) in the Federal Service that has given me the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform successfully the duties of this position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. 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 required application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of the position to be filled. Specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: performing both clerical and clinical duties in a medical/healthcare environment; answering and directing phone calls; scheduling appointments; documenting medical records; and taking and recording vital signs. This experience must be detailed in your resume to receive credit. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have completed half a year of graduate education (usually 9 semester hours) that is directly related to the work of this position. One full year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent one year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the one year of full-time study requirement. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended. Transcripts required. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond undergraduate. 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/. Preferred Experience: 3+ years of inpatient and/or perioperative experience

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. 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 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-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.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

How to apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include the initial online questionnaire and submission of the required documentation specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. To preview the application questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13064865. The application process is as follows: To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date, 09/25/2026. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. NOTE: Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. Beginning September 27, 2025, Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. Resumes longer than two pages will result in ineligibility for further consideration for the position. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages, and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying for a job. Resumes should include information relevant to the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies of the position to which you are applying. VA is unable to make assumptions about qualifications if not clearly listed. Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement. Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files. We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started. Helpful Hints for Creating a Two-Page Resume: Prioritize most relevant and recent experience Use concise, results focused language Align language from the job announcement Focus on demonstrating skills and competencies Remove outdated or unrelated experience Use the USAJOBS resume builder Additional guidance on this new requirement and resume building tools can be found at https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/page-limit.