Health Aid - Escort

The incumbent functions within the philosophy, goals, and objectives of Nursing Service as well as the overall patient experience philosophy of Oklahoma City VA Healthcare System and is a key part of maintaining quality throughout the continuum of care. This position will report directly to the Nurse Manager of Recruitment and Healthcare Services but will support every clinic within the Medical Center including all ambulatory clinics and all inpatient wards and Emergency areas.

Duties will include, but may not be limited to the following:

• Assist staff with transporting patients who are unable to move throughout the medical center for any reason, including (but not limited to): being wheelchair bound, being in an impatient bed; being unfamiliar with the medical center; and needing ambulatory assistance due to the risk of falls.
• Provides guidance to other staff members regarding the appropriate level of assistance needed to transfer the patient (independent transfer, two-person assist, etc.) and the appropriate means (e.g., wheelchair, stretcher, or bed) required to transport the patient.
• Facilitates a timely transport of the patient by getting the patient from his/her room.
• Escorts discharged patients from the ward to their mode of transportation at a designated hospital entrance/parking lot, transfers patient belongings and home equipment and ensures the patient safely transfers into the vehicle.
• Ensures that all medical equipment (oxygen cannulas, masks, and oxygen tanks or indwelling/ex-dwelling catheters, etc.) is correctly and safely positioned for transport and operating properly.
• Responsible for the proper use, storage, cleaning and disposal of Reusable Medical Equipment (RME)/ Reusable Medical Devices (RMD) such as but not limited to wheelchairs, stretchers/litters, and hospital beds.
• communicate to the supervisor of required work orders for any RMEs that need to be repaired or ordered based on patient workload.
• Responsible for knowing how to use computer system, telephone, and other communication systems (such as Vocera) to coordinate the timely transportation of patients using the healthcare system tracking methods.
• Consult Infection Control for clarification of SOPs or guidelines in the clinical areas that address the reprocessing of RME in the clinical areas as needed.
• Provide good customer service and patient experience while transporting patient and working as a direct representative of the healthcare system by acting as a concierge to all patients, families, vendors, stakeholders, and other visitors.
• Must be able to evaluate request for information and redirect inquires as necessary and appropriate to ensure a proper response is provided.
• Adheres to safety and infection control policies Uses Standard Precautions and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) or other precautions when indicated.

Work Schedule: 7:30am - 4:00pm Monday - Friday
Position Description/PD#: Health Aid - Escort/PD14368A and PD14368A

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 06/17/2026.

English Language Proficiency. Health Technician candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

Must meet the Individual Occupational Requirements:

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.

OR

Education and Training

For GS-4: Successful completion of 2 years of study that included at least 12 semester hours in subjects related to the position.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

General Experience: (1) Any type of work that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work of the position, or (2) experience that provided a familiarity with the subject matter or processes of the broad subject area of the occupation.

• Specialized Experience: Must have at least 6 months of Specialized Experience for this job series as a Health Aide. Specialized experience may include, but is not limited to being an expert of all locations of the medical center and have deep understanding of patient transportation principles, knowledge in identifying readily apparent hazardous conditions, which might impact patient transport and in the various processes required to address and resolve identified conditions, the ability to apply basic infection control/safety management policies and procedures, must be able to identify readily apparent (dramatic) changes in patients tatus and to initiate appropriate action based upon observed changes in patient condition, facilitate arrangements to obtain assistance (such as initiating a Code Blue & Rapid Response Team, trained to identify readily apparent hazardous conditions, which might impact patient transport and in the various processes required to address and resolve identified conditions, Collection of data and analysis of data for performance improvement activities, preparation of reports of contact and reports of patient injuries, assists in conducting inventories of transport equipment and resolves discrepancies identified. (Note: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates and hours worked per week.)

OR

• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 2 years above high school with courses related to the occupation. .

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, for example; combination of specialized experience and college level education beyond one (1) year with course(s) related to a study in medical, health, or related fields. (Note: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.)

Successfully completed post-high school education is qualifying for grades GS-3 through GS-5. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business or technical school, junior college, college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. One year of full-time undergraduate study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business or technical school.

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 is physically demanding, requiring extensive periods of walking, sitting, regular and recurring bending, lifting stooping, stretching, pushing, pulling, reaching, carrying supplies, and similar activities. Other demands include completing or assisting in patient transfers, lifting and/or pushing equipment (e.g. stretchers, wheelchairs, etc). The use of mechanical lifts when necessary and good body mechanics is expected. Work is strenuous at least one third of the time. Incumbent will be caring for patients who may be uncooperative and combative due to physical or emotional illness. He/she must have the ability to function under pressure/stress typically associated with daily duties. Incumbent may be required to work holidays, weekends, or rotating tours intermittently.

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/.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the 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
• Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required.
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.