Medical Care Transportation Technician - Paramedic

This Medical Care Transportation Technician - Paramediic position is located within the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Veterans Transportation Services (VTS) Ambulance Service, Togus VA Medical Center, Augusta, Maine.

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION***

Duties include, but are not limited to the following:

• 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 and performs patient triage and takes/records patient's vital signs as needed.
• Performs physical examinations and obtains patient history, assesses status of patient's neurological system, cardiovascular system, circulatory system, skeletal system, orthopedic system, motor and sensory skills, and level of consciousness.
• 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.
• Prioritizes treatments for patients having multiple problems and employs a variety of advanced emergency medicine techniques, methods, and equipment during transport to the appropriate medical facility.
• Provides fluid resuscitation by intravenous line (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 etc.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Full Time, Paramedics 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 due to run times that may extend beyond normal scheduled work hours.

NOTE: Condition of continued employment: EMT Paramedic shall maintain certification as a National Registered Emergency Medical Technician (Paramedic) as condition of continued employment with VA.

Designated Drug-Testing Position: 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. Applicants will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test result is received.

Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved

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 meet the requirements of this position.
AND
This position includes Selective Placement Factors (SPF) (skill, knowledge, ability or other worker characteristic basic to - and essential for - satisfactory performance of the job). Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet the selective placement factors are ineligible for further consideration.

The Selective Placement Factors (SPF) for this position are:

1. SPF-Screen-out: Medical Care Transportation Technician - Paramedic must possess and maintain current Basic Life Support Provider (BLS) Certification. (Certifications required to receive credit for further consideration). Must submit certification with application.
2. SPF-Screen-out: Medical Care Transportation Technician - Paramedic must possess and maintain current Advanced Cardiac Life Support Provider Certification. (Certifications required to receive credit for further consideration). Must submit certification with application.
3. SPF-Screen-out: Medical Care Transportation Technician - Paramedic must possess a valid/current National Registry issued/certification for eligibility for employment. (Certifications required to receive credit for further consideration). Must submit certification with application.
4. SPF-Screen-out: Possess a current, valid and unrestricted state driver's license. (Do NOT provide driver's license. We may not accept pictures. This requirement will be verified during interview). Do NOT submit with application.

In addition to the English Language Proficiency and Selective Placement Factors above, to qualify for this position at the GS-09 grade level, you must meet one of the following:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Possess at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-08) 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 requires 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. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hour worked per week.
OR
SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE: Possess a successfully completed two (2) full years of graduate education or a Master's degree directly related to the work of this position. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation.
OR
COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: Possess an equivalent combination of successfully completed graduate education (in excess of one year) and experience, described above, to meet total qualification requirements. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

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/.

IMPORTANT: 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 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 identification 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) - See "Required Documents" below for details.

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, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.