Summary This position is located within the Environmental Management Services at the Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Housekeeping Aids play a vital role in the prevention of Healthcare Associated Infections and is the front line in the prevention of spreading drug resistant organisms within the Phoenix VA Hospital. This is an open continuous announcement until January 2nd, 2025. Qualified applicants will be considered and referred as vacancies become available. Responsibilities Infection Prevention Follows the Veterans Health Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Center (CDC) transmission precautions recommendations for, entering and exiting and cleaning/disinfecting isolation rooms. Demonstrates required procedures for cleaning and disposing of blood or body spills. Cleaning and Disinfection Cleans and disinfects Medical/Surgical Units (Occupied and Unoccupied), Intensive Care Units, Coronary Care, Pulmonary Care, Hemodialysis, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, Operating Room suites, Recovery Rooms, Clinical Laboratory and Supply Processing and Distribution, Outpatient Clinics, Specialty Clinics and Restrooms in accordance with facility policy. Removes damaged or stained linen, safely collects soiled linen, cleans, disinfects and makes bed upon patient discharge or transfer. Clean, non-critical, reusable medical equipment as assigned. Communication Greets and welcomes patients, visitors, and staff. Displays sensitivity and respect for the needs of patients, staff, and visitors. Safety Identifies potential problems or hazards impacting customer service, equipment, and/or safety. Reports any customer service, equipment, or safety problems or hazards. Disposes of hazardous materials. Waste Handling Removes solid waste on a daily basis or more frequently if needed. Cleans, disinfects, and lines waste receptacles. Floor Care Dust mops the hard floor. Wet mops the floor using the appropriate solution. Stripping, waxing, buffing, shampooing, extraction, & bonneting. Position Description Title/PD#: Housekeeping Aid/PD11425A, PD11425A, and PD01196A Work Schedule: Sunday through Saturday - 40 hours a week with a Rotating Schedule that may include weekends, holidays, days, evenings, and nights. Days off are determined by the needs of the service. Available Shifts: 7:30 am - 4:00 pm 3:30 pm - 12:00 am (Night Shift 7.5% pay increase) 12:00 am - 8:30 am (Night Shift 10% pay increase) DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.201) for this occupation. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. EXPERIENCE: A specific length of training and experience is not required, but you must show evidence of training or experience of sufficient scope and quality of your ability to do the work of this position. Evidence which demonstrates you possess the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform the duties of this position must be supported by detailed descriptions of such on your resume. Applicants will be rated in accordance with the OPM Federal Wage System Qualification Standards. SCREEN-OUT ELEMENT: Your qualifications will first be evaluated against the prescribed screen out element, which usually appears as question 1 in the on-line questionnaire. Those applicants who appear to possess at least the minimal acceptable qualification requirement are considered for further rating; those who do not are rated ineligible and are eliminated. The potential eligibles are then rated against the remainder of the Job Elements: Without more than normal supervision 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 Effort Incumbent is required to stand continually during the work shift and must be able to stoop, bend, walk, do some moderate lifting, climb stepladders in completing tasks such as mopping dusting, refinishing, etc. Work is manual labor requiring good physical stamina. Occasionally requires moderate to heavy lifting, pushing or pulling. Employee exercises care to avoid on-the-job injuries and utilize protective/safety devices when required. The incumbent is exposed to a tense atmosphere when working in these areas. He/she is frequently exposed to contaminated areas, skin irritations from the large variety of sanitizer/germicidal and chemicals used. Removes damaged or stained linen, safely collects soiled linen, cleans, disinfects and makes bed upon patient discharge or transfer and transports soiled linen to a designation collection point. Working Condition Working Conditions Housekeeping Aid work in a variety of healthcare setting including but not limited to Operating Rooms, Medical Laboratories, Inpatient Medical Wards, Isolation Rooms and Emergency Department. Due the characteristics the daily functions, the Medical Supply Clerks are exposed to bloodborne pathogens or other infectious disease such as but not limited to Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Clostridium difficile (C. difficile, or C. diff) or Norovirus which places the Housekeeping Aid at risk of getting a bloodborne disease, such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other infectious diseases. In Addition, the Housekeeping Aid uses products containing amines and quaternary ammonium compounds for >150 min/shift during the cleaning of Operating Rooms, Medical Laboratories, Inpatient Medical Wards, Isolation Rooms, Emergency Department and Non-Critical Reusable Medical Equipment (RME). Incumbent works indoors in well-lighted, heated, and air-conditioned space. Incumbent uses cleaning solutions that may cause skin irritation. Personal Protection Equipment is required. Education Additional Information Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act. A supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Participation in the seasonal influenza program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). It is a requirement that all HCP to receive annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Wearing a face mask is required when an exemption to the influenza vaccination has been granted. HCP in violation of this directive may face disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service. HCP are individuals who, during the influenza season, work in VHA locations or who come into contact with VA patients or other HCP as part of their duties. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website which can be found at https://www.opm.gov/. Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: 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. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related 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. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.