This position is in the Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Service Line (PLMS) at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX, 77030. The incumbent serves as a Medical Technician, working in the Histology laboratory performing a variety of clinical and administrative functions.

Duties

As a Medical Technician (Histology), you will: Performs tasks according to established and approved protocols. Follows established procedures for collecting and processing biological specimens for analysis. Uses standard aseptic procedures and safeguards. Assists Pathologists and residents in performing autopsies and in the gross cutting room where specimens are dissected and submitted for processing. Is responsible for long term preservation of tissue for periods of up to 5 years. Assists with documenting and delivery of the prepared slides to the Pathologists. Performs routine quality control practices and maintains accurate records in the Autopsy Suite and Histology laboratory. Operates instruments utilizing established protocols and quality control checks to include all instruments. Perform quality control checks and adheres to all safety policies. Uses established procedures to calibrate, run controls and maintain a variety of mechanical and electrical instrumentation appropriate to the Autopsy Suite and Histology Laboratory. Communicates information such as normal range, and specimen requirements to authorized sources. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 06:30am - 3;00pm (subject to change based on the needs of the Agency) Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Medical Technician (Histology)/PD03994A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/09/2023. 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-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. 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 Requirements for the 0645 series: For positions at GS-4 and above requires specialized experience: (a) Technical medical laboratory support work such as performing laboratory tests and examinations (chemical, microbiologic, hematologic and blood banking) and preparing reports of findings or (b) technical support work in a closely related field, e.g., biological laboratory technician work, that required application of the methods and techniques for the position to be filled. 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-05) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:experience with the process of collecting tissue samples from various clinics and accessioning using LIS software or similar software; working in a medical laboratory environment and able to comply with standard safety guidelines and practices; experience safely handling patient personal health information in a confidential manner according to HIPAA regulations. This experience must be supported by your resume to be creditable. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and ManagementCommunicationFlexibilityPlanning and EvaluatingSelf-Management 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: The work requires sitting, walking, bending, getting up and down numerous times, and using a computer keyboard. Finger dexterity and hand/eye coordination required to manipulate a variety of laboratory devices such as computerized instruments and computer terminals. May lift or otherwise assists other personnel in positioning items under/on top of laboratory counters or in instrument cabinets such as reagent and supply items, some of which can weigh more than 45 pounds. May also be required to lift and position a body on the Autopsy table and fill 5-gallon carboys with chemical reagents. May involve prolonged periods of standing, walking, pushing, and reaching. Must have the ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing and the ability to operate laboratory equipment, computers and other equipment. Must wear personal protective equipment or film badges as required for the designated work area. In many situations the duration of the activity (such as most of a workday) contributes to the arduous nature of the job. The nature of the work involves considerable and continuing pressure on the individual to adjust to constantly changing priorities and the need to make frequent decisions. Must be mentally alert and emotionally stable and able to professionally handle interdepartmental/organizational conflict. In the laboratory, there may be special requirements for agility or dexterity such as exceptional hand/eye coordination. 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

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

Contacts

• Address Michael E DeBakey VA Medical Center 2002 Holcombe Boulevard Houston, TX 77030 US
• Name: Joshua Bartlett-Morris
• Phone: 318-347-0416
• Email: [email protected]