***Recruitment & Relocation Incentive may be authorized for highly qualified candidates*** There are three (3) positions located in the Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Service (P&LMS) at VA Montana Healthcare System - Fort Harrison VA Medical Center in Fort Harrison, MT.

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** DESIGNATED DRUG-TESTING POSITION: Applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Applicants will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test result is received. The Health Technician performs a variety of functions, including: accessioning specimens into the computer system; collecting, evaluating and processing patient specimens; answering questions related to sample collection; and instructing and assisting patients and sending out specimens for testing. Major duties and responsibilities include but not limited to: Collecting and processing blood and body fluid specimens, ensuring safety and non-traumatic processes are used with critical concern for the patient and the quality of the specimen with a minimal number of failures, patient bruising, or required re-sticks Performing blood collection duties in a courteous manner and making the patient feel as comfortable as possible Adhering to safety, infection control and universal precautions at all times while collecting samples Understanding tests performed throughout the laboratory, i.e. chemistry, hematology, urinalysis, coagulation, microbiology, and cytology Following special blood drawing procedures (e.g., collecting timed specimens for growth hormone, peak and trough drug levels, glucose and lactose tolerance specimens, collecting blood cultures using aseptic technique; and collecting urine in accordance with the Federal Workplace Drug Testing Program Instructing patients in proper sterile midstream urine collection, 24 hour urine collection, and collection of stool specimens for culture and sensitivity, ova and parasites and occult bloods Assisting in teaching laboratory and clinic personnel theoretical and practical aspects of phlebotomy, specimen collection and specimen requirements Performing and exhibiting knowledge and skills specific to the young adult, adult and geriatric patient populations and providing care based on physical, psychosocial, educational, safety and related criteria appropriate to the age of patients served Maintaining a clean workspace and continuously monitors the area for contamination Functioning as a resource person and troubleshooter for clinic personnel in executing VistA order entry and results options Printing out appointment lists for the lab clinics; reviewing orders in CPRS to ensure that all necessary orders are drawn investigating missing or incomplete patient laboratory orders Preparing the lab appointment lists for veterans at least one week ahead of schedule to ensure prompt attention to the patient when they present for specimen collection Recognizing emergency situations and takes necessary action. Establishes priorities for emergency orders Identifying unusual conditions and discrepancies which may cause erroneous test results Processing all specimens according to strict guidelines to assure specimen integrity Receiving and storing Laboratory supplies, documenting the receipt date on each item, verifying the storage requirement of each item by temperature requirement, and rotating the stock Performs other duties as assigned Work Schedule: Monday to Friday; 08:00 a.m. to 04:30 p.m. Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified candidates. Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

Qualifications

Minimum Requirement: The following are minimum requirements for appointment as a Health Technician in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), which all applicants must met. Specialized Experience (GS-05): You must have one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (i.e., GS-04). Positions in this series range widely in type and include support duties to medical or health personnel such as audiologists, speech pathologists, medical officers, and optometrists. Therefore, technician experience is experience that required application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of the position to be filled, i.e., performing venipuncture for laboratory testing; collecting proper tubes using correct order of draw procedure; labeling samples accurately while protecting sensitive data; providing verbal collection instructions for urine, stool, and other sample; performing proper body site preparation for venipuncture and arterial blood collections; recognizing signs, symptoms or reactions to phlebotomy procedures (i.e., fainting or vomiting) and assisting in event; and answering phone calls for the laboratory, processing additional requests, and relaying accurate information. (CLEAR DETAILS OF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: Your resume must show complete information for each job entry, such as beginning and ending dates of employment, duties performed, and/or total hours worked per week.) OR, Education (GS-05): Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position (Health Technician). NOTE: One year of full-time undergraduate study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business or technical school. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.) OR, Combination (GS-05): Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have equivalent combination of specialized experience and successfully completed post high school education as described above. For GS-05 level position, only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.) AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position. AND SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR: This position includes a Selective Placement Factor (skill, knowledge, ability, or other worker characteristic basic to - and essential for - satisfactory performance of the job). Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirement for a position. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration. The Selective Placement Factor for this position is: Experience performing phlebotomy/blood draws on human patients. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Attention to DetailCustomer ServiceManages and Organizes InformationTechnical Competence IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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. 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; religious; 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. Physical Requirements: The work requires extensive and reccuring physical exertion such as standing for long periods of time, bending, lifting, walking, stooping, and stretching. The work requires manual dexterity and a large degree of concentration. 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

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 Fort Harrison VA Medical Center 3687 Veterans Drive Fort Harrison, MT 59636 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]