You will serve as a Health Physicist for the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System. This position functions as the Health Physicist, reporting directly to the Radiation Safety Officer. This position is primarily responsible for serving as an expert in radiological controls for the Radiation Safety Program to ensure that safety is maintained, that policy is followed, and that compliance with regulations is occurring

Duties

You will provide health physics services at multiple VA Medical Centers in the Seattle area. You will Performs a variety of duties in a hospital that include surveying all radiation areas. You will perform handling and surveys if radioactive material as it comes on-site and ensure all requirements are meet when dealing with radioactive packages covered under but not limited to NHPP, Local Policy. You will maintain records of radioisotope inventory and waste disposal to assure compliance with the permit possession limits, provides signs and notices required by the NHPP and NRC to individual users as needed. You will evaluate personnel radiation exposure records (Dosimetry reports, urine assays and thyroid counts) in coordination with Radiation Safety Officer. You will perform operations of the calibration program ensuring all survey instruments and dose calibrators are calibrated. You will perform instruction seminars, classes and demonstrations for the instruction of medical and research personnel in the theory and practical aspects of radiation physics, radiation biology and radiation chemistry. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: Ad Hoc Only Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health Physicist (Radiation Safety)/PD413970 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be 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 within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 08/18/2023. 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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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. 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-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: selecting samples, interpolating missing data, uncovering clear discrepancies, solving minor problems for the protection of patients and their environment from unwarranted exposure to ionizing radiation. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have completed a full 2-year course of progressively higher-level education leading to a master's degree or an equivalent graduate degree in natural science or engineering that included at least 30 semester hours in health physics, engineering, radiological science, chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics, and/or calculus. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and more than one year of graduate level education but less than two years of progressively higher graduate level education leading to a master's degree as described above and specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization to equal 100%. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)Education and TrainingHealth PhysicsInformation ManagementProblem Solving 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 Health Physicist is required to perform considerable walking, standing, bending, and lifting (50 pounds), in all areas of the Medical Center. The Health Physicist is required to drive a VA vehicle (must have a driver's license), to operate computer equipment, to speak and listen well, and to have good vision. Work Environment: The Health Physicist will work in an adequately lighted and ventilated office environment regularly, in an outdoor environment occasionally, in a storage room/warehouse environment regularly, in a clinical environment regularly, in a laboratory regularly, and at remote locations occasionally. The Health Physicist may work after hours as required. The Health Physicist will observe all safety precautions relating to each working environment, including compliance with the use of Personal Protective Equipment requirements. Environmental Factors: Outside; Outside and inside; Slippery or uneven walking surfaces; Working alone; Work around radiation 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

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 VA Puget Sound Health Care System 1660 South Columbian Way Seattle, WA 98108 US
• Name: Heidi Winters
• Phone: 509-434-7607
• Email: [email protected]