Nursing Assistant

What you would do

• Help licensed nurses care for patients with physical or behavioral problems.
• Help Veterans with daily activities and treatment plan tasks.
• Check glucose readings and report abnormal results to health staff.
• Give tracheostomy care, including suctioning.
• Record care, observations, and intake and output in patient charts.
• Respond to emergencies, such as bleeding, while waiting for help.

Do you qualify for GS-3 to GS-5?

With experience: For GS-3, you need six months of general experience that shows you can learn nursing assistant skills. For GS-4, you need one year of specialized experience as a nursing assistant or in another medical field, such as licensed practical nurse or health technician; for GS-5, you need one year of progressively responsible experience at the GS-4 level.

With education: One year of education above high school with courses related to nursing assistant work can qualify you instead of experience. A training program of less than one year as a nursing assistant may also meet the GS-3 experience requirement. For GS-4, two years of college with nursing or healthcare courses qualifies; for GS-5, a bachelor's degree or a four-year course of study with 24 semester hours of health care courses qualifies. Schools must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Licenses and certifications you need:

• Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification, required if selected

How to apply well

What to send:

• Long-form resume or CV showing job title, duties, start and end dates (month/year), and average hours per week
• Cover letter, if applicable
• Transcript, if you use education to qualify
• SF-50 showing your most recent personnel action, if you are a current or former federal employee
• DD-214 or Statement of Service, if applicable
• Disability letter (VA), if applicable
• SF-15, if applicable
• Professional certification, if applicable

How you will be rated: Your application is rated on how well you meet the qualifications, and applications are referred in this order: current permanent Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System employees, then current VHA employees, then VA Nationwide employees, then all other applicants. Your application and documents will be verified, and missing or incomplete information may result in an ineligible rating or a lower score.

Tips for this job:

• Your resume must list job title, duties, start and end months and years, and average hours per week for each job.
• The complete application package, including the questionnaire and documents, must be submitted by 11:59 PM ET on 11/09/2026.
• The posting says both 'Telework eligible: No' and 'Telework: Available,' so ask the agency contact, April Bookout, if you need to know.

Good to know before you apply

Schedule: Full-time. Shifts run from 7:30 am to 8:00 pm, with rotating weekends and holidays. Hours may change based on facility needs.

Incentives and relocation: Recruitment or relocation (sign-on) incentives are not authorized. Permanent change of station (relocation assistance) is not authorized.

Conditions of employment:

• U.S. citizenship
• Drug test (urinalysis) before appointment
• Selective Service registration for males born after 12/31/1959
• Must be proficient in spoken and written English
• Background and security investigation
• Pre-employment physical evaluation
• Seasonal influenza vaccination required, or an approved exemption
• Annual TB screening or testing
• Online onboarding with REAL ID-compliant identification
• 1 or 2-year trial period
• Must be able to stand, lift, carry, bend, push, and pull

Job details

Salary

$37,544 – $61,299 per year

Pay scale and grade

GS-3 to GS-5 · General Schedule

Location

Little Rock, Arkansas

Appointment

Permanent

Work schedule

Full-time

Service

Excepted

Openings

1

Security clearance

Not Required

Travel

Not required

Drug test

Not required

Supervisory

No

Occupation

Nursing Assistant (0621)

Announcement

CBST-13102966-27-AB