Intermediate Care Technician

Description:

The incumbent works at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System (VAPAHCS) and is organizationally aligned under the Emergency Room, Nursing - Acute Care Service. The incumbent reports directly to the Nurse Manager of the Emergency Room.

Requirements:

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/14/2025.

Time-In-Grade Requirement : Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. 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.

You may qualify based on your experience as described below:

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-07 grade level: Specialized Experience for GS-7: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-6 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

• Knowledge of the ICT position and role within the Emergency Department (ED)
• Knowledge of department strategies, goals, objectives, work plans, products, and services
  related to ICT.
• Practical knowledge of the major body systems, i.e., skeletal, muscular, nervous, respiratory,
  circulatory, digestive and genitourinary, to perform patient examination and to provide prompt and efficient patient care and appropriate patient handling.
• Working knowledge of diagnostic signs, e.g., pulse, respiration, blood pressure, temperature, skin color, pupils of the eyes, state of consciousness, ability to move on command, reaction to pain, etc.
• Complete any/all questioners and templates in support of the patient evaluation, to provide patient care, and to ensure appropriate patient mobility and handling.
• Knowledge of medications (their uses, doses, side effects, adverse effects and toxicity signs)
  sufficient to properly administer drugs even when directed to do so by the licensed staff.
• Skill in emergency techniques to determine the approach that will most effectively sustain the
  patient's life.
• Skill in emergency communication techniques and the operation of communications equipment to be able to accurately obtain and relay information to and from health care providers.

OR,

Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have one full year of graduate education that is directly related to the work of this position. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED - must have Conferred date of degree for full credit. Education cannot be credited without documentation).

OR,

Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level.

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.

Physical Requirements: The work involves extended periods of heavy moving and lifting of patients. Generally, the work requires recurring bending, lifting, stooping, stretching, and positioning of patients. 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:

• At least one year of prior military medic experience
• Certification(s) in CPR, BCLS, ACLS, ITLS, and/or ATLS.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Oral Communication
• Patient Care
• Technical Competence

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/ .