Practical Nurse

What you would do

• Give practical nursing care to patients with many kinds of medical conditions.
• Record vital signs and order lab tests.
• Give prescribed medications and check doses, routes, and times.
• Teach patients and families about their treatments.
• Help with medical procedures and emergency response.
• Keep electronic health records and complete visit paperwork.

Do you qualify for GS-5?

With experience: You need one year of nursing experience in a hospital, outpatient clinic, nursing home, or similar patient care setting. The work must include tasks like taking vital signs, giving injections, and updating electronic patient records. This experience must match the GS-4 level, which is the next lower level below this job's GS-5 grade.

With education: Education cannot replace experience at this grade.

Licenses and certifications you need:

• Current license to practice as a practical or vocational nurse in a U.S. state, territory, or D.C., or proof that you have applied for one
• Basic Life Support (BLS) certification from the American Heart Association or American Red Cross

How to apply well

What to send:

• Resume, two pages or less, showing employer, job title, start and end dates by month and year, and hours worked per week
• Copy of your nursing license or certification, required or you will be rated ineligible
• Proof of U.S. citizenship
• Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration, if you are a man born after 1959
• Most recent performance appraisal, if you have one
• Cover letter (optional)

How you will be rated: You are rated on how well you meet the qualifications, using your resume, your online questionnaire answers, and your supporting documents. If you inflate your qualifications or experience, you may lose consideration, and missing or incomplete documents can end your review.

Tips for this job:

• Your resume must be two pages or less and list hours worked per week for each job, or it may be marked incomplete.
• Upload a copy of your nursing license or certification with your application, or you will be rated ineligible.
• Only experience counts here, so describe your hands-on nursing tasks clearly in plain language.

Good to know before you apply

Schedule: Full-time. Shift work may be required on evenings, weekends, and holidays, with rotating shifts and on-call duty during irregular hours.

Incentives and relocation: A recruitment or relocation incentive may be authorized for highly qualified candidates. Student loan repayment may be authorized. Salary negotiation may be available for new federal employees. Relocation expenses are not reimbursed, and Permanent Change of Station (PCS) moving costs are not authorized.

Conditions of employment:

• Background investigation, and possibly a suitability or fitness determination
• Drug test before hire and random drug testing
• Pre-employment physical exam and a yearly exam after that
• Yearly seasonal flu vaccination, unless exempt for medical or religious reasons
• Extra background checks may apply because the job involves children under 18
• One-year probationary period
• Lifting of moderate to heavy items, up to 50 pounds
• Shift work, rotating shifts, and on-call duty may be required
• Direct deposit of pay is required
• Selective Service registration for men born after 1959
• Must report to work during emergencies, contingencies, and severe weather
• Must wear a uniform or protective clothing
• Selection may be limited by the Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees

Job details

Salary

$56,378 – $73,292 per year

Pay scale and grade

GS-5 · General Schedule

Location

Fort Carson, Colorado

Appointment

Permanent

Work schedule

Full-time

Service

Competitive

Openings

1

Security clearance

Other

Travel

Not required

Drug test

Not required

Supervisory

No

Occupation

Practical Nurse (0620)

Announcement

HSJW-26-13090852-DHA