Summary

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Intermediate Care Technician (ICT) Program is a program designed to hire transitioning service - National Guard - Reserve - and Veteran corpsmen - combat medics and medical technicians into positions at VA Medical Centers as an integral part of the medical team. Candidates generally qualify based on U.S. Armed Forces experience or equivalent education.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement - 09/30/2025. Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): The Health Aid and Technician Series - 0640 - has a minimum qualification entry requirement. Specialized Experience (for positions at GS-4 and above): 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. In addition to the Individual Occupational Requirement you must meet one of the following: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience (GS-07): You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include - but are not limited to: Under supervision of licensed personnel - performs patient care duties - such as: Administering medication; Providing clinical wound care with the use of vacuum-assisted closure (wound vac) - dressings - topical ointments - wound measurements; Performing observation-based screening and collection of patient information in collaboration with licensed personnel; Collecting specimens; Performing Vital Signs and Point of Care Testing; Operating specialized medical equipment; Assisting with patient exams and screenings; Responding to medical emergencies as a part of a rapid response team; Assisting in behavioral/psychiatric situations in a clinical care setting. OR - Education: One full year of graduate education (18 semester hours) meets the requirements for GS-7 only in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position (Transcripts Required) . OR - Combination: Combination of specialized experience and graduate education (transcripts required) English Language Proficiency: Individuals serving in direct patient care positions must be proficient in [both] spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d) - and 7407(d). Knowledge - Skills and Abilities: In addition to the experience or education above - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Practical knowledge of major body systems Working knowledge of topographic anatomy Working knowledge of diagnostic signs Knowledge of protocol-approved list of medications Working knowledge of emergency medicine techniques and emergency communication Knowledge sufficient to understand the legal considerations of emergency medicine Working knowledge of acute and chronic mental health conditions and crises Preferred Qualifications: Experience in the military as a Hospital Corpsman - Combat Medic - Medical Technician is highly desired. Examples of military occupational specialties highly desired - include but are not limited to: 4NOX- Basic Medical Technician - 4NOIC- Independent Duty Medical Technician - X4NO- Aeromedical Evacuation Technician - 1T2X1- Pararescueman - 68W- Combat Medic Specialist - 18D- Army Special Forces (Medic) - 68WW1- Special Operations Flight Medic - HM0000- Basic Hospital Corpsman - HM8404- Field Medical Service Technician - HM8425- Surface Force Independent Duty Corpsman - HM8402- Submarine Force Independent Duty Corpsman - HM8401- Search and Rescue Medical Technician - HM8403- Fleet Marine Force Reconnaissance Independent Duty Corpsman - HM8406- Aerospace Medical Technician - and HS- Basic Health Services Technician 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. 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. Must be able to lift and/or move heavy objects over 45 pounds. Must be able to carry objects over 40 pounds for distances of at least 200 feet. 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/.

Duties

• This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT
• The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be June 12 - 2025 and applicants will be referred on an 'as needed' basis
• NOTE: This posting will remain open until no longer needed but no later than September 30 - 2025
• VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025-Total-Rewards-Allied-Health-Professions-VA-Career.pdf Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave - 13 days of sick leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Parental Leave: Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth - adoption - or foster care placement of a child (conditions apply)
• Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment - full-time employees with a total family income below $144 -000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66
• Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care The Intermediate Care Technician is an occupational specialty - especially for former military combat medics - medical technicians - and corpsmen
• As an ICT - you will operate within clearly defined clinical competencies
• For the purposes of this announcement - you may work in multiple clinical settings which include but are not limited to - Critical Care - Intensive Care Unit (ICU) - Step-Down Unit - and/or Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU).The clinical activities for the hospital will include but are not limited to: Performing observation-based screening and collecting patient information in collaboration with licensed personnel - this may involve obtaining patient health history - chief complaints - medication history - and information about health-related conditions that may impact the patient's health status
• Completing approved templates and tools - example: MiniCog screening established by the agency
• Assisting in behavioral/psychiatric situations within the critical care setting
• This can include assisting licensed personnel with crisis intervention - assisting with observation and documentation of aggressive or suicidal psychiatric patients - by providing one-to-one observations and applying Prevention and Management of Disruptive Behavior (PMDB) techniques
• Assists critical care licensed personnel with the delivery of care to patients with complex - specialized - and potentially life-threatening situations
• You will assist licensed staff with setting up equipment and passing instruments in the event of defibrillation - cardioversions - insertion of chest drainage tubes - insertion of thoracostomy tubes - rapid sequence intubation - or initiation of mechanical ventilation to restore normal physiological function or prevent deterioration of patient's condition
• Operating specialized medical equipment such as defibrillators - electrocardiographs - and oxygen apparatus in accordance with applicable training and standards
• Observes patient status and keeps licensed personnel informed of any change in condition
• Responds to medical emergencies on the facility grounds - and sometimes encounters situations which may be life threatening as part of the Rapid Response Team (RRT) - Code Blue - or medical transport team
• Conducts or assists with the training of personnel
• Performing diagnostic studies - examples: vital signs - EKGs
• Performing POC (point of care) studies - examples: glucometer - bedside ultrasound - I-STAT
• Specimen collection - examples: venous blood samples - and wound samples and cultures
• Preparation and transfer to the lab
• Assisting with patient exams and screening - examples: orthostatic vital signs - 6-minute walk assessment - CAM and fall risk
• Patient transport as a secondary assistant - example: with or without cardiac monitoring and/or ventilation to and from diagnostic tests
• Cardiovascular monitoring
• Medication Administration: nebulized medications - topical - intramuscular - normal saline IV push - local anesthetics - or other
• Wound care - examples: vacuum-assisted closure (wound vac) - dressings - topical ointments - and wound measurements
• Maintains a safe and therapeutic environment for the patient
• Electronic Health Record (EHR): Thoroughly and appropriately documents actions - interventions and procedures in EHR
• Examples: documents in the telemetry record
• Work Schedule: Full-Time
• Shifts 0700-1930/ 1900-0730/ 1500-2330/ 2300-0730/0700-1530 -may include nights - weekends - and holidays
• Shift will be discussed and determined at the time of the interview
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Position Description/PD#: Intermediate Care Technician (Critical Care / Step-down / PACU)/PD99794S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized