These positions are located within the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service, Phlebotomy Section at the VA Caribbean Healthcare System (VACHS) in San Juan, PR. The Medical Technician (Phlebotomist) performs duties primarily related to specimen collection, receipt, preparation, testing, ordering, shipping and/or transportation.

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** The major duties include but are not limited to: Performs blood and body fluids collections for a wide range of diagnostics laboratory tests and labeling of specimens for the laboratory in an outpatient clinical setting; Performs routine and urgent diagnostic procedures such as venipuncture for collection of blood specimens and collection/acceptance of other body fluids such as urine, feces and semen; Uses proper sterile techniques for collection of samples adhering to Laboratory Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), Safety, Infection Control and Universal Precautions at all times; Ensures the safety and non-traumatic processes are used with critical concern for the patient and the quality of the specimen with minimal number of failures, patient bruising or unrequited re-sticks; Uses and learns to use State of the Art equipment; Responds, reports, and assists with emergency situations in the VACHS; Maintains a clean workspace and continuously monitoring the area for contamination; Manages receiving and storage of laboratories supplies; Processes specimens after checking relevant documentation such as name of requesting individual, date of order, patient demographic data, requesting practitioner, requested procedures, appropriateness of sample, priority status of request, collection time; Maintains an orderly and timely flow of specimens to the respective laboratory departments (i.e., Chemistry, Hematology, Serology, Microbiology, Parasitology, Cytology, Blood Bank); and, Performs all other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday through Saturday, 5:00 am-1:30 pm, 6:00 am-2:30 pm, 7:30 am-4:00 pm, 8:00 am-4:30 pm; rotating shifts. Must demonstrate flexibility to work during weekends, holidays and during emergencies, as service needs. 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. Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

Qualifications

English Language Proficiency Requirement: 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 perform the duties of this position. ~AND~ This position includes two Selective Placement Factors (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 requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration. ~AND~ The two Selective Placement Factors for this position are: Proficient in basic written and spoken Spanish. NOTE: Applicants must possess the ability to speak and write fluently and proficiently in Spanish in order to receive consideration for this position. Applicant's inability to proficiently speak and write in Spanish will result in an ineligible rating. The hiring facility will interview or test to evaluate the applicant's ability to write and speak in Spanish. Experience performing phlebotomy/blood draws on human patients. In addition to the English Language Proficiency and Selective Place Factors, to qualify for this position at the GS-4 level, you must meet one of the following requirements: Experience: You must have at least 6 months of general experience and 6 months of specialized experience: General experience is described as (1) any type of work that demonstrates the ability to perform the work of the Medical Technician (Phlebotomist), or (2) experience that provided a familiarity with the subject matter or processes of the broad subject area of the occupation. AND Specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the Medical Technician (Phlebotomist), and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as (a) technical medical laboratory support work such as performing laboratory tests and examinations (chemical, microbiologic, hematologic and blood banking) and preparing reports of findings and/or (b) technical support work in a closely related field, e.g., biological laboratory technician work, that required application of the methods and techniques of a phlebotomist equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-3). NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. ~OR~ Education and Training: Successful completion of: (a) an associate-degree course of study of which the 2nd year of the 2-year program included successful completion of a training course of approximately a year's duration in a certified laboratory assistant school approved by a nationally recognized accrediting agency; (b) 1 year of study that included 6 semester hours in chemistry and/or the biological sciences, plus successful completion of a full-time training course of approximately a year's duration in a medical or clinical laboratory assistant (or technician) school that included instruction in chemistry, hematology, blood banking and microbiology (including serology) and that, in addition, included supervised laboratory practice incident to the diagnostic process and the treatment of patients; or; (c) 2 years of study that included at least 12 semester hours of chemistry and/or biological science course work that must have been directly related to the specialization of the Medical Technician (Phlebotomist). This education must have been obtained in an accredited business or technical school, junior college, college or university. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. ~OR~ Combination: Equivalent combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience, as described above, may be used to meet total experience requirements. The education portion must include courses directly related to the work of the Medical Technician (Phlebotomist) position. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business or technical school, junior college, college or university. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. ~AND~ Driver's License Requirement (Screen-out): This position requires driving a government vehicle to perform the official duties of the position; therefore, a current and valid state-issued driver's license is required. Note: We cannot accept photographs, therefore; please do not submit a copy of your driver's license with your application package. If an interview is requested, you may be required to provide a copy of your current and valid state-issued driver's license. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: TECHNICAL COMPETENCE MEDICAL INFORMATION CLINICAL DATA COLLECTION/DOCUMENTATION SPECIMEN COLLECTION 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 of the position requires some physical exertion such as long periods of standing; walking over rough, uneven or rocky surfaces; recurring bending, crouching, stooping, stretching, reaching or similar activities; or recurring lifting of moderately heavy items, such as typewriters and record boxes. The work may require specific, but common, physical characteristics and abilities, such as above average agility and dexterity. 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 San Juan VA Medical Center 10 Calle Casia San Juan, PR 00921 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]