Paramedic

Description:

The Paramedic responds to on-site accidents and other emergencies involving injury and illnesses, sometimes encountering situations which may be life threatening. This position is assigned to the Department of Veteran Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Veterans Transportation Services (VTS), Ambulance Service, in various VA Medical Center locations with an emergency room, acute care or urgent care clinic, or other similar departments performing basic and advanced life support procedures.

Requirements:

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/04/2025.

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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-08. 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 and/or education as described below:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-08 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Responds to on-site accidents and other emergencies involving injury and illnesses; Makes an independent preliminary assessment of the patients condition and selects from a variety of prescribed protocols; Administers basic and advanced life support care at emergency scene in accordance with established medical standards, which may include providing advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), international trauma life support (ITLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Pediatric Education for Prehospital Providers (PEPP), advanced airway management, CPR, and/or drug treatments; Operates or utilizes 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, laryngoscope, oxygen terminal, pulse oximetry monitor, CPAP, auto-ventilator, pediatric equipment, medical supplies, radio communications equipment, and general office equipment; Operates the emergency transport vehicle and uses telephone and radio communications equipment and systems . OR,
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have two full years of graduate education or a master's degree meets the requirements for GS-9, if it is directly related to the work of the position. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. (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 one full year of graduate education. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED).

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

• First Response
• Pathophysiology
• Technology Application
• Vehicle Operation

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/ .