The Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) for Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System reports directly to the Chief of Staff. The RSO serves as the manager of the Comprehensive Radiation Safety Program, oversees the use of all radioactive materials within the research and clinical domains while monitoring the safety of patients and employees exposed to radioactive material.

Duties

Major Duties Include: Performs physics measurements of X-ray equipment according to FDA specifications: Radiographic equipment, Fluorographic equipment, and Computed Tomography. Performs patient Computed Tomography Dose Index (CTDI) measurements for clinically used protocols. Initiates corrective action and follow-up medical physics testing for X-ray equipment failing medical physics testing. Provides Safe Operating Procedures (SOPs);Work with RSC to develop/approve SOPs, Train medical center personnel on SOPs. Assists Services operating X-ray equipment developing routine Quality Control checks in accordance with equipment manufacturer & ACR guidance. Provides oversight of Biomedical Engineering to assure X-ray equipment is maintained in accordance with manufacturer specifications. Assists Radiology development of annual training for CT Radiology technologist. Training will include methods for maintaining patient dose ALARA Reports patient radiation injuries to the appropriate agency including; National Health Physics Program (NHPP), JC, & FDA. Supports radiologist & Radiology technologist developing optimum protocols while reducing patient dose As Low As Reasonable Achievable (ALARA). Assists radiologist & Radiology technologist developing optimum techniques & provide technique charts listing patient dose for clinically used settings. Provides oversight for Services performing X-ray procedures to assure inspection of protective aprons, gloves & other equipment. Provides additional radiation safety duties as alternate RSO including; 1) Nuclear Medicine, 2)occupational radiation exposure, 3) shielding design, and 4) control of radioactive material. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30-4:00pm, subject to change based on the needs of the facility. Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Position Description/PD#: Health Physicist/PD069890 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May Be Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

*A relocation or retention incentive may be approved for a highly qualified candidate* To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/16/2023. 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-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. 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. Individual Occupational Requirement: Applicants who meet the Individual Occupational Requirements described below are fully qualified for the specified entry grade and must also meet the specialized experience and/or education requirements. To qualify, you must have: A) Degree: natural science or engineering that included at least 30 semester hours in health physics, engineering, radiological science, chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics, and/or calculus (transcripts required). OR B) Combination of education and experience -- courses as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or other education; or certification as a health physicist by the American Board of Health Physics, plus appropriate experience and other education that provided an understanding of sciences applicable to health physics comparable to that described in paragraph A (transcripts required). In addition to meeting the above Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR), applicants must also meet the experience and/or directly related education relevant to this position. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS 12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Experience with radiation safety, regulatory issues and emergency procedures. Operate and maintain a Broad Scope Medical Use Radioactive Materials License. Communicate effectively using oral and written skills. Apply industrial hygiene principles and practices sufficient to manage related problems of worker radiation exposure. Solve problems involving radiation activity, field strength concentrations in matter, air and water, shielding and personnel dose assessment. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Health PhysicsProblem SolvingQuality ManagementTechnology Application 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 performance of inspections requires recurrent long periods of standing, walking, climbing, crouching, and lifting and occasional carrying of moderate to heavy items. 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 New Orleans VA Medical Center 2400 Canal Street New Orleans, LA 70119 US
• Name: Kathy Carroll
• Phone: 813-503-7921
• Email: [email protected]