This Food Service Worker position is located within Nutrition and Food Services at the VA Medical Center in Little Rock, AR or North Little Rock, AR. The vacancy will be at one of our two campuses, the Little Rock, AR or North Little Rock, AR facilities, based on the needs of the service. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. EXPERIENCE: Applicants will be rated in accordance with the OPM Federal Wage System Qualifications. For this position, the job element method is used to match what you, the applicant, can do against what the work calls for. Your knowledge, skills and abilities will be compared to the knowledge, skills and abilities (called job elements) needed for success. Your qualifications will first be evaluated against the prescribed screen out element, "Ability to perform the work of the position without more than normal supervision." Applicants who appear to meet the screen out element are considered for further rating; those who do not are rated ineligible and are eliminated from consideration. The potential eligibles are rated against the remainder of the job elements. While a specific length of training and experience is not required, your responses to the questionnaire must be supported by detailed descriptions of your experience on your resume. 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: Dexterity and Safety Interpret Instructions, Specifications (other than blueprint reading) Materials Technical Practices Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment Without more than normal supervision Work Practices 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. ["Major duties and responsibilities include (but are not limited to): Sets up and breaks down assigned station with the correct supplies and food items; Portions food items into standard serving sizes using the proper utensils and specified dishware Selects and places correct items on patient trays Decides what food items to serve for the most common diets Identifies obvious discrepancies between the prescribed diets and the food items designated by the menu Sets up dining room tables for service, place food and beverages on tables, and replenish items as necessary; Delivers meal trays to the patients' bedsides; reporting the patients' comments and complaints to the supervisor or dietitian; Provides assistance to cooks in the food preparation area, such as weigh, measure and assemble ingredients according to standardized recipes; Prepares fresh fruit/cold salads/dressings/sandwich fillings and cold sandwiches and simple cold desserts; Reads and interprets regular or modified menus, individual diet cards, tray tickets or patient selections Performs heavy-duty cleaning tasks throughout the food service and related areas; Performing other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Sunday-Saturday with rotating off days, 7:00 AM- 3:30 PM or 11:30AM - 8:00 PM (Subject to change based on the needs of the Agency). Position Description Title/PD#: Food Service Worker/PD99920S Physical Effort and Work Conditions: Work is performed in kitchen areas where the steam and heat from cooking and dishwashing equipment often cause uncomfortably high temperatures and humidity. Performs work requiring light to moderate physical. May be required to perform heavy work, such as scouring and scrubbing large size cooking utensils and pushing heavy carts and trucks in unloading, storing, and delivering supplies. Subject to continuous standing and walking, and frequent stooping, reaching, pushing, pulling, and bending. Frequently lifts or moves objects weighing up to 20 pounds unassisted and occasionally lift or move objects weighing more than 40 pounds with the assistance of others."]
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.