This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

Duties

Shares, with the director of laboratory service, full responsibility for managing and supervising all phases of laboratory service operations. Provides guidance and serves as an authority on laboratory medicine. Develops guidelines, assesses laboratory effectiveness, establishes, and maintains quality assurance and performance improvement programs. Serves as a consultant to local, network, and national program officials. Demonstrates advanced knowledge of concepts, principles, and methodology of a major clinical laboratory program and operations to assess program effectiveness and provide authoritative guidance for operations, personnel, and management. Collaborates with other disciplines, upper management, VHA Central Office and/or VISN level staff. Plans and executes short- and long-range programs and/or goals through project management and tactical/strategic planning. Demonstrates skills in administrative management (e.g., budgeting, contracting, procurement, property management, and personnel management) in accordance with VHA regulations. Provides advisory, planning, and surveillance services to clinicians, laboratory directors, and supervisors on specific functions, programs, or problems that are particularly difficult, widespread, or persistent. Solves complex problems concerned with unique or controversial aspects of medical technology or laboratory management, new or unconventional methods, program changes, or conflicts between scientific/technological requirements and regulatory or program (i.e., cost effectiveness) requirements. Provides the full range of supervisory duties which include responsibility for assignment of work, performance evaluations, selection of staff, and recommendation of awards, advancements, and disciplinary actions. Shares with the Medical Director full responsibility at a larger active, affiliated medical center with comprehensive and complex laboratory services. The incumbent has full supervisory responsibility for all phases of laboratory service operations and includes a large staff of nonsupervisory and supervisory personnel from GS-4 to GS-12. These higher-level duties consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and range of variety, and are performed by the incumbent 100% of the time. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 545860 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized EDRP Authorized: Contact [email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. English Language Proficiency. MTs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part. Education and/or Experience Combination A bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university in medical laboratory science, medical technology, 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 four year program of study that culminated in a baccalaureate degree. OR 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 inorganic or biochemistry) and one course in mathematics. AND Two years of post-certification clinical laboratory experience (e.g., blood banking, chemistry, hematology, microbiology, immunology, clinical microscopy, etc.) within the last ten years as a certified Medical Laboratory Technician 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 (or categorical experience which matches categorical certification) in a clinical laboratory. OR 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 inorganic or biochemistry) and one course in mathematics. AND Five years 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. OR Foreign Graduates. Graduates of foreign baccalaureate degree programs meet the educational and/or experience requirements if the degree is found to be equivalent to degree programs recognized by the NAACLS or clinical laboratory experience as described in paragraph 2b(2) or (3) above. This finding may be based on either of the following: A letter from a college or university with a baccalaureate program recognized by the NAACLS stating that the individual's foreign degree has been evaluated and been found to be equivalent to its bachelor of medical technology degree. A letter from ASCP-BOC or AMT stating that the individual is eligible for the certification examination. 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). Grade Determinations: The incumbent shares with the chief of laboratory service/medical director full responsibility for managing and supervising all phases of laboratory service operations in a complexity index group 1 laboratory or in a complexity index group 2 laboratory that performs at least 1 million Standard Billable Tests annually (reported to the Laboratory Management Index Program). The incumbent supervises a large staff of nonsupervisory and supervisory personnel including at least one GS-12 subordinate. Provides guidance and serves as an authority and subject matter expert on laboratory medicine, including research, agency policies, new techniques and procedures. Develops guidelines, assesses laboratory effectiveness, establishes and maintains quality assurance and quality management programs. Consults with or serves as a consultant for local, network and national programs and/or officials. Manages regulatory affairs and compliance. Develops and manages program budget and resource utilization, inventory, acquisition and contracting processes. Assists and participates in educational programs affiliated with institutions providing training for individuals in laboratory or other related medical fields of study. GS-13 Experience Must have 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade GS-12 level, which is directly related to the position to be filled. AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Advanced knowledge of concepts, principles and methodologies of a major clinical laboratory program and operations in order to assess program effectiveness and provide authoritative guidance for operations, personnel, and management. Ability to work collaboratively with other disciplines, upper management, VISN level staff and/or VHA Central Office. Ability to plan and execute short- and long-range programs and/or goals through project management and tactical/strategic planning. Skill in administrative management (e.g., budgeting, contracting, procurement and property management) in accordance with VHA regulations. Ability to provide advisory, planning and surveillance services to clinicians, laboratory directors and supervisors on specific functions, programs or problems that are particularly difficult, widespread or persistent. Ability to solve complex problems involving unique or controversial aspects of medical technology or laboratory management, new or unconventional methods, program changes or conflicts between scientific/technological requirements, regulatory or program requirements (e.g., cost effectiveness). Knowledge of, and ability to, provide the full range of supervisory duties which includes responsibility for assignment of work, performance evaluations, selection of staff, and recommendation of awards, advancements, and disciplinary actions. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/72 PART II APPENDIX G24 Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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 VA Western Colorado Health Care System 2121 North Avenue Grand Junction, CO 81501 US
• Name: Cory Carter
• Phone: 702-791-9000 X15094
• Email: [email protected]