Health Technician - Paramedic

The Paramedic responds to on-site accidents and other emergencies involving injury and illnesses, sometimes encountering situations which may be life threatening. The Paramedic 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.

Qualifications:

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/27/2026.

Time-In-Grade Requirement :

Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-8. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows 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.

Note:

Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): 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. AND, You may qualify based on your experience as described below:

Specialized Experience:

You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-8 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Paramedics shall have broad knowledge of the majority of body systems, i.e., skeletal, muscular, nervous, respiratory, circulatory, digestive, and genitourinary, to perform patient examination and to provide prompt, efficient, and appropriate patient care and handling. Paramedics shall have a well-developed working knowledge of physiological and topographic anatomy, e.g., right/left, surface, proximal/distal, superior/ inferior to accurately transmit location information about the body and its functions. Paramedics shall have a well-developed working knowledge of diagnostic signs, e.g., pulse, respiration, blood pressure, temperature, skin color, pupils of the eyes, state of consciousness, ability to move on command, reaction to pain, etc., to perform patient examination, provide patient care, and ensure appropriate patient handling. Knowledge of advanced and invasive airway procedures that may include needle or surgical cricothyrotomy, pleural decompression, endotracheal intubation, nasal intubation, application of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), and/or automatic transport ventilator devices. Skill and knowledge to perform electro cardiology procedures including taking and interpreting electrocardiograms (EKG), performing manual defibrillation, and providing transcutaneous external pacing. Paramedics shall have knowledge of protocols and treatments used in the delivery of emergency care for persons injured in chemical, nuclear, biological, and hazardous materials incidents. Knowledge sufficient to understand the legal considerations of emergency care, e.g., actual/implied consent, Good Samaritan laws, etc., to limit the government and the incumbent's exposure to lawsuits while maintaining the legal standards of care. Knowledge and skill in emergency medicine techniques to determine, based on the diagnosis of the patient, the approach that will most effectively sustain the patient's life. Administers medications and solutions orally or intravenously under the direction of standing orders (protocols) or of an off-site physician; Skill in calculating patient medication doses considering such factors as potential interaction with other medications, concentration of drugs immediately available, patient weight, dose prescribed by the written protocol, and method of delivery. Knowledge of how to document drugs administered and providing information to the hospital or medical provider either while in transit or upon arrival and observing and documenting the effects of drugs administered. Knowledge of invasive procedures such as endotracheal intubation and intravenous therapy. Broad knowledge of the local road system and skill in the pre-selection and planning of the route to ensure the safe and expedient transport of patients to the proper health care facility. Skill and familiarity with emergency and patient transport vehicle characteristics to safely operate the vehicle under adverse weather and/or traffic conditions to provide emergency and patient transportation. Skill and knowledge of proper operator maintenance to ensure vehicle meets safety and operating requirements. Skill in emergency communication techniques and the operation of communications equipment, to accurately obtain and relay information to and from dispatchers and health care providers.

OR, Education:

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. OR, Combination Education and/or

Experience:

One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended.

English Language Proficiency Requirement:

In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to perform the duties of this position. FOUR Selective Placement Factors (SPF) have been identified for this position. Selective Placement Factors (SPF) are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for the position. Paramedic must possess and maintain current Basic Life Support Provider (BLS) Certification Paramedic must possess and maintain current Advanced Cardiac Life Support Provider Certification Paramedic must possess and maintain current Advanced Cardiac Life Support Provider Certification. Paramedic must possess a valid/current state issued license/certification for eligibility for employment (Paramedic). 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. 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/ .