Medical Care Transportation Technician - Paramedic
Who may apply
Limited to the following applicant groups:
- Federal employees - Competitive service
- Federal employees - Excepted service
- Internal to an agency
- Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
- Land and base management
- Special authorities
- Veterans
- Individuals with disabilities
- Military spouses
- Peace Corps & AmeriCorps Vista
- Family of overseas employees
Reno, Nevada
5 days left to apply
Salary: $61,965 – $80,559
per year
(GS-9)
Salary context
Based on 180 annual-salary jobs in the same occupational series. This role pays above most similar positions.
Job Details
Position Overview
This position is assigned to the Department of Veteran Affairs, Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Veterans Transportation Services (VTS), Ambulance Service, in various VA Medical Center (VAMC) locations with an emergency room, acute care or urgent care clinic, or other similar departments performing basic and advanced life support procedures.Duties
This Medical Care Transpiration Technician - Paramedic position is assigned to the Department of Veteran Affairs, Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Veterans Transportation Services (VTS), Ambulance Service, in various VA Medical Center (VAMC) locations with an emergency room, acute care or urgent care clinic, or other similar departments performing basic and advanced life support procedures.The major duties include but are not limited to:
- Inter-facility transport of emergent, urgent and stable patients, sometimes over long distances
- Determines and prioritizes appropriate medical treatment/procedures and need for additional assistance.
- Perform patient triage and take/records patient's vital signs as needed.
- Perform physical examinations and obtains patient history, assesses status of patient's neurological system, cardiovascular system, circulatory system, skeletal system, orthopedic system, motor and sensory skills, and level of consciousness.
- Makes an independent preliminary assessment of the patient's condition and selects from a variety of prescribed protocols the one that is considered appropriate under the given circumstances.
- Administers basic and advanced life support care at emergency scene in accordance with established medical standards, which may include providing advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), international trauma life support (ITLS), PALS, PEPP, advanced airway management, CPR, and/or drug treatments.
- Performs invasive and non-invasive procedures on patients with life threatening and non-life-threatening conditions per established procedures or as authorized/directed by physicians.
- Responds to cardiac and respiratory emergencies, performs cardiac monitoring and defibrillation; maintains circulation controls bleeding and provides spinal management and immobilization.
- Observes, records, and monitors patient's condition and effects of medication, and performs rapid sequence intubation according to established medical standards.
- Follows safety procedures, utilizes safety equipment, and monitors work environment to ensure safety of employees and other individuals.
- Serve in a technical support capacity to the Emergency Department making critical observations (within their level of competencies) regarding among other conditions, vital signs, deformities, swelling, pallor, and mental status.
- Operates the emergency transport vehicle and uses telephone and radio communications equipment and systems in order to select the most efficient route to and from sites, taking into consideration traffic patterns, health facility locations, etc.
- Adheres to traffic ordinances and regulations pertaining to operation of emergency vehicles.
- Utilizes various tools and equipment to transport patients, such as Henley backboards, EKG monitor and defibrillator, and mechanical CPR device, etc.
- Assists in lifting and carrying patients into or out of transport vehicles and into treatment facility.
- Airway Obstruction and Respiratory Arrest
- Cardiac Arrest
- Mechanical Breathing Aids
- Wounds
- Bleeding and Shock
- Fractures of Torso and Extremities
- Head, Face, Neck, and Spine Injuries
- Eye, Chest, Abdomen, and Genitalia
- Childbirth: Paramedic responds to pre-delivery complications, e.g., convulsions, heart/lung hemorrhaging, as well as to normal deliveries.
- Miscellaneous Medical Emergencies
- Environmental Emergencies
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified candidates
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Qualifications & Requirements
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/24/2026.In addition to the English Language Proficiency and Selective Placement Factor above, to qualify for this position at the GS-09 grade level, you must meet one of the following:
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-08) in the Federal Service, that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the Medical Care Transportation Technician -Paramedic. 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. Specialized experience includes knowledge of a majority of body systems, i.e., skeletal, muscular, nervous, respiratory, circulatory, digestive, and genitourinary, to perform patient examination; responding to accidents and other emergencies involving injury and/or illness which may be life-threatening and require basic life support procedures; experience providing transportation of patients to medical treatment facilities; using communication equipment and techniques to accurately obtain and relay information to and from dispatchers and health care providers; knowledge of protocols and treatments used in the delivery of emergency care for persons injured in chemical, nuclear, biological, and hazardous materials incidents; and experience operating emergency or patient transport vehicles.
SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED): Successfully completed two years of Graduate education or a Master's degree is creditable only in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position (Transcript Required).
-OR-
COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED): Equivalent combinations of successfully completed Graduate education (in excess of one year) and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements (Transcript Required).
Physical Requirements and Work Environment: This position involves extended periods of heavy moving and lifting of patients in a variety of situations. Generally, the work requires recurring bending, lifting, stooping, stretching, and positioning of patients, frequently under adverse conditions or in confined areas. May be required to spend prolonged periods in protective breathing apparatus and protective closing during chemical, nuclear, biological, or hazardous materials incidents/exercises. Employee may be exposes to infection and contagious diseases, and may involve exposure to patients who are intoxicated, under the influence of drugs, or mentally unstable resulting in belligerent and sometimes violent behavior.
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/.
Education
SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED): Successfully completed two years of Graduate education or a Master's degree is creditable only in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position (Transcript Required).-OR-
COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED): Equivalent combinations of successfully completed Graduate education (in excess of one year) and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements (Transcript Required).
Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.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/.
Requirements
- You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
- To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
- All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
- Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
- Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required.
- You may be required to serve a probationary period
- Subject to background/security investigation
- Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
- Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Required Documents" below for details.
Evaluations
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.
The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.
For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.
Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.
It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.
Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.
Required Documents
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:- License
- Professional Certification
- Resume
The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.
- Cover Letter
- DD-214/ Statement of Service
- Disability Letter (Schedule A)
- Disability Letter (VA)
- License
- Other (1)
- PCS Orders
- Professional Certification
- Proof of Marriage Status
- Resume
- Separation Notice (RIF)
- SF-15
- SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
- Transcript
SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Time in Grade and/or Eligibility):
- Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee
- An SF-50 showing your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade
- Award 50's do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade.
- Examples of appropriate SF-50's include:
- Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
- Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or
- SF-50's at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old.
How to Apply
All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 08/24/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13037284.- 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 and complete the occupational questionnaire.
- Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.
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
- https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/page-limit
- https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/merit-hiring-plan-resources/applicant-guidance-on-the-two-page-resume-limit/
The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.
During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. If initial application submission is updated and resubmitted with a new resume, only the most current resume will be reviewed for consideration. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.
You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center.
NOTE: Participation in the seasonal influenza program is a condition of employment and 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. VHA locations include, but are not limited to, VA hospitals and associated clinics, community living centers (CLCs), community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), domiciliary units, Vet centers and VA-leased medical facilities. HCP include all VA licensed and unlicensed, clinical and administrative, remote and onsite, paid and without compensation, full- and part-time employees, intermittent employees, fee basis employees, VA contractors, researchers, volunteers and health professions trainees (HPTs) who are expected to perform any or all of their work at these facilities. HPTs may be paid or unpaid and include residents, interns, fellows and students. HCP also includes VHA personnel providing home-based care to Veterans and drivers and other personnel whose duties put them in contact with patients outside VA medical facilities
Source: Data sourced from USAJOBS