The incumbent serves as an expert providing authoritative advice and consultation for more difficult, complex, or unique tests requiring special knowledge. Advises all levels of staff on various aspects of the specialized testing, including appropriateness that takes into consideration clinical context. Acts as a liaison to other departments of the medical center in order to accomplish medical center goals.

Duties

Major Duties: Serves as an expert providing authoritative advice and consultation for more markedly difficult, complex, unique, and/or emerging tests requiring special knowledge. The work performed is in a variety of laboratory disciplines, such as Hematology, Coagulation and Urinalysis. Prepares Lot to Lot comparisons, Calibrations and Peer group data. Conducts studies and recommends changes to correct deficiencies and improve the specialty area. Recommends new/replacement instrumentation. Design work flow to accomplish objectives in the clinical specialty area. Advises all organizational levels on various aspects of the specializing testing, including the appropriateness of specific tests and takes into consideration the clinical context and usefulness of the test information. Advises on alternate testing to overcome ambiguities in the clinical diagnoses. Identifies training needs appropriate for the type and complexity of the laboratory services performed. Identifies, defines, and resolves issues associated with complex aspects of data or unique or controversial aspects of the testing where no direct precedent exists. Analyzes emerging trends and technology and adopts appropriate methods and testing. Applies laws, policies, and precedents, regulatory, licensing and accrediting requirements to establish, monitor, and maintain the specialized testing. Maintains process control in a specialty area through a multifaceted quality assurance program. Incumbent monitors the Hematology, Coagulation, and Urinalysis section quality control systems. Ensures timely and thorough evaluation of data, ensures discrepancies are identified and attended by troubleshooting instrument performance and/or /QC material performance. Proposes solutions to remedy any deficiency discovered by QC tracking or proficiency testing results. Monthly Hematology, Coagulation, Urinalysis section quality control reports are completed for supervisor and Medical Director review. Incumbent is responsible for the creation/updating of procedure manuals in the Hematology, Coagulation, and Urinalysis departments assuring continuous review of changing accreditation standards. If new requirements are introduced, technologist advises the rest of the technical staff about changes required. Incumbent participates in on site CAP inspection activities demonstrating the Chalmers P. Wylie VA ACC Clinical Lab practices when on-site inspectors visit and as a member of a CAP inspection team visiting other sites. Incumbent attends on-site and off-site instrument training schools (completing the expert level course, if offered). That expertise is then offered to other technical staff by conducting training events, competency testing exercises, review of correct procedures if problems arise and general oversight of instrument operation. At time of installation of a new Hematology, Coagulation, and/or Urinalysis section analyzer, technologist works with vendor staff on method validation, normal range determinations and crossover studies. Technologist evaluates data and documentation for CAP requirement adequacy. Technologist acts as member of any formal evaluation team required by VISN contracting staff when new Hematology, Coagulation, and/or Urinalysis instruments are being examined for CPRR contact use. Incumbent assist to provide detailed description of and justification for the requirements of any system that can acceptably meet the needs of Chalmers P. Wylie VA ACC patients and clinicians. Participates in scoring of vendor's offers and feedback to VISN contracting staff. Technologist completes all inventory duties and supply ordering so as to assure continued availability of all tests in the Hematology, Coagulation, and Urinalysis menu making sure to allow for reagent or calibrator problems that may develop. Serves as an expert providing authoritative advice and consultation for more markedly difficult, complex, unique, and/or emerging tests requiring special knowledge. The incumbent is responsible for cell identification as well as special preparations for special hematology, coagulation, and/or urinalysis tests. Advises all organizational levels on various aspects of the specialized testing, including the appropriateness of specific tests and takes into consideration the clinical context and usefulness of the test information. Advises on alternate testing to overcome ambiguities in the clinical diagnoses. Work Schedule: Mon-Fri 7:30am -4:00pm; ROTATING WEEKENDS AND HOLIDAYS 7:00am - 5:30pm. Telework: Not Available Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Virtual: This is not a Virtual Position Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Basic Requirements: a. Citizenship. Citizen of the United States b. Education and/or Experience Combination: Experience: Must have one year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, which is directly related to the position to be filled that demonstrates the clinical competencies described at that level. Education:(1) A Bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university in medical laboratory science, medical terminology, clinical laboratory science or in a related science (e.g., laboratory sciences such as chemistry, biochemistry, biology, microbiology, immunology, etc.). AND completion of a medical technology clinical practice program. Clinical practice programs completed after 1974 must have been accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS), Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP, formerly CAHEA), or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). The professional curriculum may have consisted of a post-baccalaureate certificate program or be integrated into a 4-year program of study that culminated in a baccalaureate degree. OR, (2) A bachelor's degree from an accredited college/university, including 16 semester hours of biological science (with one course in microbiology), 16 semester hours of chemistry (with one course in organic or biochemistry) and 1 course in mathematics, AND twoyears of post-certification clinical laboratory experience within the last ten years as a certified Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT) by the American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Certification (ASCP-BOC), American Society of Clinical Pathology Board of Registry (ASCP-BOR) or American Medical Technologists (AMT). This experience must include performing moderate and/or high complexity testing in blood banking, chemistry, hematology, microbiology immunology and clinical microscopy in a clinical laboratory. OR, (3) A bachelor's degree from an accredited college/university, including 16 semester hours of biological science (with one course in microbiology), 16 semester hours of chemistry (with 1 course in organic or biochemistry) and one course in mathematics, AND fiveyears of clinical laboratory experience within the last ten years performing moderate and/or high complexity testing in blood banking, chemistry, hematology, microbiology, immunology and clinical microscopy (or categorical experience which matches categorical certification) in a clinical laboratory. c. Foreign Graduates. Please see VA 5005 for foreign Graduates qualifications if this applies to you. d. Certification. Candidates must have either (1) or (2) below: (1) Candidates must currently possess the appropriate certification as a MT, MLS, or CLS given by the ASCP-BOC, ASCP-BOR, or AMT. (2) For positions up to the full performance level, candidates must currently possess the categorical or specialist technologist level certification from the certification agencies listed above, such as, but not limited to, chemistry (C/SC), hematology (H/SH), microbiology (M/SM), molecular biology (MB/SMB) and blood bank (BB/SBB). Technologists with categorical or specialist certifications may only perform duties within the area of the laboratory specific to their categorical certification (e. g., an individual with a chemistry (C) certification can only perform duties in chemistry). e. Grandfathering Provision. See VA Handbook 5005 for grandfathering provisions. f. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.g. English Language Proficiency. MTs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part. GRADE REQUIREMENTS: Creditable Experience: (1) Knowledge of Current Professional Laboratory Practice. For positions at or above the full performance level, the experience must have demonstrated the use of knowledge, skills and abilities as a MT and may be paid or non-paid employment. (2) Quality of Experience. Experience is only creditable if it is equivalent to at least the next lower grade level and is directly related to the position being filled. (3) Part-time Experience. Part-time experience as a Medical Technician (MT) is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time workweek. For example, a MT would receive 1 week of full-time credit for each 2 weeks of half-time work. (4) Graduate Education. Graduate education and graduate degrees may be substituted as specified at each grade level. Education must have been from an accredited college or university in a field related to MT (e.g., biochemistry, chemistry, microbiology, immunology, hematology, immunohematology, biological science, physiology, allied health education, health systems administration, infection control and preventive medicine), which was accredited at the time the candidate completed the program. GRADE DETERMINATIONS: FOR GS-11 (a) Experience. Must have 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the full performance level (GS-09), which is directly related to the position to be filled. OR (b) Education. Must have 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education or a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in medical technology or a directly related field. (c) Assignments. These assignments require specialized training and experience and have wide latitude for exercising independent judgment. Employees must have advanced knowledge of specialized and complex subject matter extending beyond the duties of test performance. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty) and range of variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. KSAs: GS-11 - Technical Specialist Chemistry In addition to GS-09 KSAs, incumbent must possess Advanced knowledge and understanding of concepts, principles, methodology of medical laboratory technology, regulatory and accrediting agency requirements, medicolegal requirements and pertinent statistics sufficient, as well as skill to apply new scientific/technical developments and theories to laboratory testing. References: A Handbook 5005, section G24.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Chalmers P Wylie Veterans Outpatient Clinic 420 North James Road Columbus, OH 43219 US
• Name: Leslie Duckett
• Phone: 614-388-7836
• Email: [email protected]