Nursing Assistant (Acute Care)
Veterans Health Administration · Department of Veterans Affairs
This job in plain English
This is a full-time Nursing Assistant job on the inpatient acute care units at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle, WA, part of the Veterans Health Administration. The job is a night shift, and the agency is filling 4 vacancies under an open continuous announcement. Applicants can be hired at GS-3, GS-4, or GS-5, with GS-5 as the full performance level.
It may close early. Yes. This is an open continuous announcement with a first cut-off date of 11/2/2026 for referrals. Applications received after that date are referred at regular intervals or as vacancies occur.
Can you apply?
Yes, if you are a U.S. citizen: this job is open to everyone.
- Federal employees (excepted service)Current federal employees in the excepted service; the announcement says which agencies count.
- Open to everyoneAny U.S. citizen or national can apply. Some jobs also accept non-citizens; the announcement says so.
- Federal employees (competitive service)Current or former federal employees with competitive status (career or career-conditional).
Other groups listed above may get extra consideration, for example veterans' preference.
The job is open to the public. The conditions of employment say you must be a U.S. citizen to apply, although the qualifications section mentions that non-citizens may be appointed only when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
What you would do
- Care for Veteran patients, including feeding, bathing, and helping with bed moves.
- Help prevent falls and pressure sores as part of patient care quality work.
- Take and record vital signs, weight, height, and intake and output.
- Collect and label urine, sputum, and stool samples for lab tests.
- Observe patients and report unusual changes to the registered nurse.
Do you qualify for GS-3 to GS-5?
With experience: Six months of general experience that shows you can learn the knowledge and skills of a nursing assistant is the basic requirement. For GS-4, you need one year of specialized nursing assistant experience or experience in another medical field, such as licensed practical nurse or health technician. For GS-5, you need one year of progressively responsible experience equal to GS-4, plus the required nursing skills.
With education: One year of education above high school with courses related to nursing assistant work can meet the basic requirement. For GS-4, 2 years above high school in nursing, health care, or a related field can qualify. For GS-5, a bachelor's degree or a 4-year program with 24 semester hours of health care courses can qualify. A short intensive nursing assistant training program under one year may meet the GS-3 experience requirement. Only schools accredited by the U.S. Department of Education count, and foreign education needs a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency.
How to apply well
What to send:
- Long-form resume or CV showing job titles, duties, month and year dates, and hours per week
- Transcript if you use education to qualify
- SF-50 if you are a current or former federal employee
- DD-214 or Statement of Service if it applies to you
- Cover letter, disability letter, or professional certification if they apply to you
How you will be rated: You will be rated on how well your questionnaire, resume, and documents show you meet the qualifications. VA verifies your information and may contact your references. Missing required information can result in an ineligible rating or a lower overall rating.
Tips for this job:
- Your resume must list each job's title, duties, month and year dates, and hours per week, since vague entries may not be matched to the qualifications.
- If you use education to qualify, send your transcript, and only include schools accredited by the U.S. Department of Education.
- Complete the full online questionnaire and upload every required document, because missing items can lead to an ineligible rating.
Good to know before you apply
Schedule: Full-time night shift, compressed tour of 7:30pm to 8:00am or 11:30pm to 8:00am, with rotating weekends. Days to be determined.
Incentives and relocation: No sign-on bonus or relocation pay is authorized. Listed benefits include 37-50 days of paid time off per year, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months, a childcare subsidy after 60 days, a federal pension, a federal 401k with up to 5% VA contributions, and federal health, vision, dental, and life insurance.
Conditions of employment:
- U.S. citizenship required to apply
- 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
- Online onboarding with acceptable ID that is REAL ID compliant
- Pre-employment physical evaluation
- Seasonal influenza vaccination or approved exemption required
- 1 or 2-year trial period
We wrote this summary automatically from the official announcement. The announcement on USAJOBS is the only one that counts: read it before you apply.
Job details
- Salary
- $42,127 – $68,781 per year
- Pay scale and grade
- GS-3 to GS-5 · General Schedule
- Location
- Seattle, Washington
- Appointment
- Permanent
- Work schedule
- Full-time
- Service
- Excepted
- Openings
- 4
- Security clearance
- Not Required
- Travel
- Not required
- Drug test
- Not required
- Supervisory
- No
- Occupation
- Nursing Assistant (0621)
- Announcement
- CBSV-13100839-27-JT
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