Health Technician (Paramedic)

Summary
This position serves as a
Health Technician (Paramedic). The purpose of the position is to perform basic and advanced technical health care extender functions within the emergency medical arena in response to various accidents and other emergencies involving injury and illness. Position is subject to "Stand By" duty and will be required to rotate to all shifts.

A REAL ID will be required beginning May 7, 2025, in accordance with 6 C.F.R. 37.5 (2021).

Duties

• Performs Paramedic duties by identifying and treating trauma and/or medical emergencies using knowledge and skill in emergency medicine techniques.
• Performs a range of diagnostic support duties using acquired knowledge of the major body systems to provide patient care and ensure appropriate patient handling.
• Assists with moving, lifting, and carrying patients to emergency vehicles and appropriate treatment facility.
• Performs safety and maintenance inspection on emergency and patient transport vehicles and equipment.
• Independently conducts a complete assessment using advance knowledge of topographic anatomy.
• Physical Demands: The work involves walking, sitting, standing, reaching and bending in the assessment and treatment of patients.

Requirements
Conditions of employment

• Selectee may be subject to a probationary period.
• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• This is a designated position covered by Public Law 101-630, requiring contact or control over Indian children. Due to this requirement, the agency must ensure that persons hired for these positions have not been found guilty of or pleaded nolo contendere or guilty to certain crimes.
• On-call hours or standby duty may be required.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check.
• You will need to set up direct deposit so we can pay you.

Background Investigation Requirement:

• This position requires the successful completion of a federal background investigation as a condition of employment.
• A background investigation is a standard process used by the Federal Government to verify an individual's identity, employment history, education, and other relevant information to determine suitability for Federal service.
• Upon receipt of instructions, applicants must complete all required background investigation forms within five (5) calendar days of issuance. Timely completion is critical to avoid delays in processing or a determination of unsuitability.
• Applicants are strongly encouraged to prioritize this requirement and to maintain regular communication with their assigned Personnel Security Specialist throughout the process.

Financial Suitability Requirement:

• This position requires a review of the applicant's financial history as part of the personnel security and suitability determination. Applicants must demonstrate financial responsibility, maintain good standing with creditors, and satisfy all legal financial obligations prior to applying.
• Individuals with substantial delinquent or unresolved financial obligations-including, but not limited to, delinquent federal or state tax liabilities, defaulted federal student loans, court-ordered fines or fees, or child support arrears-may be deemed unsuitable for employment with the Indian Health Service (IHS).
• Prior to the appointment, candidates must present two valid forms of identification. If one of the documents is a state-issued ID or driver's license, it must be REAL ID-compliant.

Qualifications
To qualify for this position, your resume must state sufficient experience and/or education, to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are applying.
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; religious; spiritual; community; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer and part time experience. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week.

Basic Requirement(s)
OPM Link: Health Aid and Technician Series 0640 (opm.gov)

Individual Occupational Requirements
Specialized Experience: 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.

For GS-5: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position.

In addition, to the Basic Requirements, you must also meet the Minimum Qualifications and Selective Placement Factor stated below.

Selective Placement Factor
For all Grades GS-05/06/07:
The following certification/licensure is determined to be essential to perform the duties and responsibilities of this position.
Must possess a current unrestricted Paramedic certification or licensure from any U.S. State.

• Must submit a copy of your certification with your application.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
For GS-5
Experience:
Your resume must demonstrate at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-4 grade level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector performing the following type of work and/or tasks:
Takes vital signs; performs catheterizations; provides instructions to patients; assists providers in medical treatments; collects a wide variety of specimens.
OR

Education in place of experience:
Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position.

OR

Combination of education and experience
that when combined fully meet the minimum qualifications for this position.

For GS-6
Experience: Your resume must demonstrate at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-5 grade level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector performing the following type of work and/or tasks:
Independently conducts a complete assessment, using knowledge of topographic anatomy, major body systems, emergency medicine techniques, ability to sufficiently understand the legal considerations of emergency care.
For GS-7
Experience:
Your resume must demonstrate at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-6 grade level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector performing the following type of work and/or tasks:
Identifies and treats trauma/medical emergencies using advanced knowledge and skill in emergency medicine techniques, employee identifies the signs and symptoms of life-threatening and non-life-threatening medical trauma injuries.
OR

Education in place of experience:
1 year (18 semester hours) of graduate education that is directly related to the work of the position.

OR

Combination of education and experience
that when combined fully meet the minimum qualifications for this position.

You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.
Education
If you are substituting education for experience;
You are strongly encouraged to submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed, and grades. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. Official transcripts will be required from all selectees prior to receiving an official offer.

Only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education may be credited. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: https://www.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/.

Additional information

• Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.
• Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. IHS may offer newly-appointed Federal employees credit for their directly related previous non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave.
• This position is covered by a Bargaining Unit.
• Additional selection(s) of candidates may be possible within 240 days from the date the certificate of eligibles was issued for this announcement.
• Recruitment or relocation incentives may be authorized, a service agreement will be required.
• This position has promotion potential to the GS-GS-7 grade level. Promotion to the next grade level is at management's discretion and is based on your demonstrated ability to perform the higher level duties, the continuing need for the higher level duties, and "Regulatory/Administrative" approval. Promotion to the next higher grade level is not guaranteed and no promise of promotion is implied.

You will be evaluated for this position in accordance with the OPM Merit Hiring Plan.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide short essay responses (200 words or less each) to the following four questions.

• How has your commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States inspired you to pursue this role within the Federal government?
• In this role, how would you use your skills and experience to improve government efficiency and effectiveness?
• How would you help advance the President's Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role?
• How has a strong work ethic contributed to your professional, academic or personal achievements?
• Your responses are optional and will not be scored.
• However, they may be reviewed by hiring managers and agency leadership (or designees) during the evaluation process.
• You will be asked to certify that your responses are written in your own words and that you did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) tool (such as ChatGPT or Copilot).

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.