Summary This position is located at the Oklahoma City VA Health Care System, in the Nursing Acute Care Service. This position performs technical duties as a Paramedic (Basic and Advanced Life Support Services). In addition to performing all the duties and responsibilities of a Paramedic. Responsibilities Major duties of this position include but are not limited to: Responds to on-site accidents and other emergencies involving injury and illnesses, sometimes encountering situations which may be life threatening. Determines and prioritizes appropriate medical treatment/procedures and need for additional assistance. Performs patient triage and take/records patient's vital signs as needed. Makes an independent preliminary assessment of the patient's condition and selects from a variety of prescribed protocols the one that is considered appropriate under the given circumstances. Determines, with due regard to the patient's condition, if and how the patient can be moved and to which medical facility the patient should be transported. Performs invasive and non-invasive procedures on patients with life threatening and non-life-threatening conditions per established procedures or as authorized/directed by physicians. Responds to cardiac and respiratory emergencies, performs cardiac monitoring and defibrillation; maintains circulation controls bleeding and provides spinal management and immobilization. Observes, records, and monitors patient's condition and effects of medication, and performs rapid sequence intubation according to established medical standards. 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. Conducts a complete examination of the patient's condition to determine the nature, extent, and seriousness of the injury or illness. Work Schedule: Variable 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 due to run times that may extend beyond normal scheduled work hours. Compressed/Flexible: N/A Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Lead Paramedic/PD10136A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: N/A 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 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 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, 10/03/2024. 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-10 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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: Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): 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 GS-10: To qualify for this position at the GS-10 level, you must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level of GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience typically includes: a broad knowledge of the majority of body systems, i.e., skeletal, muscular, nervous, respiratory, circulatory, digestive, and genitourinary, to perform patient examination and to provide prompt, efficient, and appropriate patient care and handling; have a well-developed working knowledge of physiological and topographic anatomy, e.g., right/left, surface, proximal/distal, superior/ inferior to accurately transmit location information about the body and its functions; have a well-developed 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., to perform patient examination, provide patient care, and ensure appropriate patient handling; knowledge of advanced and invasive airway procedures that may include needle or surgical cricothyrotomy, pleural decompression, endotracheal intubation, nasal intubation, application of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), and/or automatic transport ventilator devices; skilled and knowledge to perform electro cardiology procedures including taking and interpreting electrocardiograms (EKG), performing manual defibrillation, and providing transcutaneous external pacing; knowledge sufficient to understand the legal considerations of emergency care, e.g., actual/implied consent, Good Samaritan laws, etc., to limit the government and the incumbent's exposure to lawsuits while maintaining the legal standards of care; knowledge and skill in emergency medicine techniques to determine, based on the diagnosis of the patient, the approach that will most effectively sustain the patient's life; administers medications and solutions orally or intravenously under the direction of standing orders (protocols) or of an off-site physician; knowledge of how to document drugs administered and providing information to the hospital or medical provider either while in transit or upon arrival and observing and documenting the effects of drugs administered; skill and familiarity with emergency and patient transport vehicle characteristics to safely operate the vehicle under adverse weather and/or traffic conditions to provide emergency and patient transportation, and skill and knowledge of proper operator maintenance to ensure vehicle meets safety and operating requirements. Applicants must possess and maintain the following certifications for this position: Required Licenses and Certifications: Paramedics shall possess and maintain current Basic Life Support Provider certification. Paramedics shall maintain certification as a National Registered Emergency Medical Technician (Paramedic). Paramedics shall possess and maintain current Advanced Cardiac Life Support certification. Paramedics shall possess a valid and unrestricted state driver's license. (Do not provide a copy of your Driver's License, this requirement will be verified during the interview process). You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Attention to Detail Decision Making Interpersonal Skills Patient Care 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 Paramedics work 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. Paramedics may be required to spend prolonged periods in protective breathing apparatus and protective clothing during chemical, nuclear, biological, or hazardous materials incidents/exercises. 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. Additional Information Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator. 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/. Receiving Service Credit or 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. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. 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. 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. 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.