Summary The Paramedic provides treatment as prescribed in the protocol and may make modifications to the protocol, if necessary, within prescribed limits set by the Emergency Department provider. The Paramedic conducts a complete examination of the patient's condition to determine the nature, extent, and seriousness of the injury or illness. The Paramedic will also search for medical alert symbols that provide the patient's medical status. Responsibilities This Medical Care Transpiration Technician - Paramedic position is assigned to the Department of Veteran Affairs, Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Veterans Transportation Services (VTS), Ambulance Service, in various VA Medical Center (VAMC) locations with an emergency room, acute care or urgent care clinic, or other similar departments performing basic and advanced life support procedures. The major duties include but are not limited to: Performs all duties of a Paramedic and Emergency Medical Technician, which includes: responds to accidents and other emergencies involving injury, illness, life threatening situations; patient triage and take/record patient vital signs; conducts complete assessment of patient's condition, obtains patient history; makes independent preliminary patient assessments and if and how the patient can be moved and to which facility to transport patient to; administers Basic and Advanced Life Support Care, responds to and monitors cardiac and defibrillation; provides fluid resuscitation by IV and manages trauma injuries, bleeding, and post-traumatic shock. Operates various emergency vehicles and emergency/medical equipment, tools and supplies which may include ambulance, extrication tools, blood pressure cuff, cardiac monitor, glucose monitor, defibrillator, endotracheal tube, external pacing device, 12 lead EKG, airway equipment, intravenous pump, oxygen terminal, pulse oximetry monitor, CPAP, auto-ventilator, medical supplies, radio communications equipment. Ambulance Interpretive Guidelines involve: Airway Obstruction and Respiratory Arrest; Cardiac Arrest; Mechanical Breathing Aids; Bleeding and Shock; Fractures of Torso and Extremities; Head, Face, Neck and Spine Injuries; Eye, Chest, Abdomen, and Genitalia; Childbirth; Miscellaneous Medical Emergencies; Environmental Emergencies. Operates emergency transport vehicles, uses telephone and radio communications equipment and systems, selects most efficient route to and from sites taking into consideration traffic patterns, adverse weather conditions, and health facility locations. Reads highway maps, program GPS devices, and follow instructions. Decontaminates the vehicle and assures vehicle is ready for the next run by replacing supplies and medical equipment and performs safety inspections and operator maintenance. Performs other duties as necessary. Work Schedule: Paramedic work rotating shifts, including holidays, and are subject to occasional recall to maintain adequate coverage of the Emergency Department and ambulance service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Mandatory overtime may be required to run times that may extend beyond normal scheduled work hours. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Medical Care Transportation Technician (Paramedic)/PD99772S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Preferred Experience: Prefer incumbent to possess valid/current National Registered Emergency Medical Technician (Paramedic) at the time of employment. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/13/2024. 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-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-8. 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. English Language Proficiency Requirement: In accordance with 38 U.S.C 7402 (d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English . You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to perform the duties of this position. -AND- Selective Placement Factor - FOUR Selective Placement Factors (SPF) have been identified for this position. Selective Placement Factors (SPF) are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for the position. Applicants who do not meet the SPF are ineligible for further consideration. Must possess a valid/current state license/certification for eligibility for employment (Paramedic). Must possess and maintain current Basic Life Support Provider (BLS) Certification. (CERTIFICATIONS REQUIRED to receive credit for further consideration). Must possess and maintain current Advanced Cardiac Life Support Provider Certification. (CERTIFICATIONS REQUIRED to receive credit for further consideration). Possess a valid and unrestricted state driver's license. (Please DO NOT provide driver's license. We may not accept pictures. This requirement will be verified during interview.) In addition to the English Language Proficiency and Selective Placement Factor above, to qualify for this position at the GS-9 grade level, you must meet on of the following: Specialized Experience: You must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-8) in the Federal Service, that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the Medical Care Transportation Technician-Paramedic. 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 includes: Knowledge of a majority of body systems, i.e. skeletal, muscular, nervous, respiratory, circulatory, digestive, and genitourinary, to perform patient examination; responding to accidents and other emergencies involving injury and/or illness which may be life-threatening and require basic life support procedures; experience providing transportation of patients to medical treatment facilities; using communication equipment and techniques to accurately obtain and relay information to and from dispatchers and health care providers; knowledge of protocols and treatments used in the delivery of emergency care for persons injured in chemical, nuclear, biological, and hazardous materials incidents; and experience operating emergency or patient transport vehicles. -OR- SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED): Successfully completed two years of Graduate education or a Master's degree is creditable only in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position (transcript required). -OR- COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED): Equivalent combinations of successfully completed Graduate education (in excess of one year) and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements (transcript required). You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Clinical Data Collection/Documentation Emergency Care First Response Patient Care Transportation 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. Conditions of Employment: Paramedics shall obtain certification as a National Registered Emergency Medical Technician (Paramedic) no later than (NLT) 18 months after employment as condition of continued employment with VA. Physical Requirements and Work Environment: This position involves extended periods of heavy moving and lifting of patients in a variety of situations. Generally, the work requires recurring bending, lifting, stooping, stretching, and positioning of patients, frequently under adverse conditions or in confined areas. May be required to spend prolonged periods in protective breathing apparatus and protective clothing during chemical, nuclear, biological, or hazardous materials incidents/exercises. Employee may be exposed to infection and contagious diseases, and may involve exposure to patients who are intoxicated, under the influence of drugs, or mentally unstable resulting in belligerent and sometimes violent behavior. 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 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. Additional Information The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/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/. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This is an open continuous announcement until December 13, 2024. Qualified applicants will be considered and referred as vacancies become available. Applications will be reviewed every 15 days until all vacancies are filled. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.