Department of Veterans Affairs

Health Technician (Immunizations)

North Chicago, Illinois Full time

Health Technician (Immunizations)

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): North Chicago, Illinois

Salary Range: $45087 - $58607 Per Year

Job Summary: This position is located in the Directorate of Fleet Medicine of Medical Home Port, located at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, North Chicago, Illinois a 1c complexity facility." The Lovell FHCC is larger than just a single facility, but rather a system of facilities throughout Northeastern Illinois which provide medical and dental services to U.S. Military Veterans, Recruits, and Active Duty and eligible beneficiaries.

Major Duties:

  • Major Duties include but are not limited to the following: Immunization and Allergy Medications/TB Skin Test (70%) After confirming patient Identity and screening for contraindications, the health technician will provide tuberculin .skin tests {TST} and prescribed vaccines to eligible patients. Incumbent provides allergy serum to patients requiring immunotherapy as prescribed by the medical provider. All vaccines, TSTs and allergy sera are given under the supervision of a Registered Nurse (RN). Allergy sera are given only on days when the ENT/Allergist ls available for emergency care. Administers oral, intradermal, intranasal, subcutaneous and Intramuscular medication; with proper dosage drawn up as ordered by provider or specification In the standing orders; Interprets TST reaction after 48 to 72 hours and records administered TSTs Into the electronic and hard copy medical record. Interviews patient and Identifies risk factors for tuberculosis exposure. Refers patients with positive TST to the Preventive Medicine Division. Records immunizations and allergy serum administration into the electronic medical record (AHLTA), and hard copy medical record. Records Immunizations and TST for active duty members In the Medical Readiness Reporting System (MRRS), Reports and records vaccines and/or allergy sera administered on forms presented by patient or sponsor, e.g., Immunizations records for schools. Educates patient regarding each vaccine prior to administration In accordance with the vaccination Information statements (VIS), Due to potential for allergy and other adverse reactions from vaccination, Incumbent screens patients for contraindications before every vaccination, Patients that have received vaccines are observed for a minimum of 15 minutes post-vaccination and 20 minutes post-allergy Injection, Recognizes vaccination or Injection-related adverse health effects ranging from vaso-vagal response to anaphylaxis. Responds calmly and appropriately In emergency situations.Promotes and assists in the dissemination of information to patients or parents of patients regarding vaccine Information, Instructions on what to do if reactions occur post-vaccination. Disseminates Information regarding disease prevention through proper vaccination. Administrative Duties (30%) Performs and documents calibration of test equipment as applicable. Responsible for the safe and effective operation of assigned-medical equipment, and remains cognizant and compliant with all equipment preventive maintenance cycles. Establishes and maintains stock levels of all equipment, forms and consumable supplies necessary to fulfill the purpose of the Immunization Section. Maintains all equipment, Identifies malfunctions and Initiates corrections, Ensures supplies on hand do not exceed expiration dates, and replenishes those that are outdated, Ensures seamless. supply of vaccines and medications are available at all times, Ensures documented proof of vaccine cold chain whenever vaccines are moved or transported. Monitors vaccine refrigerator and freezer temperatures and initiates vaccine safety protocols when fixed storage equipment temperature Is not within acceptable ranges, Ensures physical security of needles and syringes in locked supply cabinets. Work Schedule: Monday- Friday 07:00am-3:30pm Position Description/PD#: Health Technician (Immunizations)/PD23403A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Qualifications: To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/20/2025. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade, GS-04, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. This is experience that required application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of the position to be filled. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Utilizing computerized systems. Experience working with patient conditions and medical interventions. Knowledge and understanding of clinical principles and impact on patient care. Communicating effectively orally and in writing. OR, Education: To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 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. Transcript is required.. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond 2 years above high school with courses related to the occupation. A transcript is required. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Attention to Detail Communication Customer Service Customer Service (Clerical/Technical) Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Patient Care Reading Comprehension Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork 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; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: Work is typically sedentary in an office, although stooping, walking, stair climbing, and moderate lifting and carrying are required, along with reaching and prolonged standing, and providing necessary patient assistance. Manual dexterity is required. Incumbent is exposed to everyday risks and hazards of the medical profession (blood borne pathogens, infectious disease). 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/.

How to Apply: Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include the initial online questionnaire and submission of the required documentation specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. To preview the application questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12830239. The application process is as follows: To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date, 11/20/2025. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. NOTE: Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. Beginning September 27, 2025, Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. Resumes longer than two pages will result in ineligibility for further consideration for the position. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages, and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying for a job. Resumes should include information relevant to the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies of the position to which you are applying. VA is unable to make assumptions about qualifications if not clearly listed. Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement. Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files. We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started. Helpful Hints for Creating a Two-Page Resume: Prioritize most relevant and recent experience Use concise, results focused language Align language from the job announcement Focus on demonstrating skills and competencies Remove outdated or unrelated experience Use the USAJOBS resume builder Additional guidance on this new requirement and resume building tools can be found at: https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/page-limit.

Application Deadline: 2025-11-20