Medical Technologist - Laboratory Manager The VA Black Hills Health Care System Laboratory Manager shares with the laboratory medical director full responsibility for managing and supervising all phases of laboratory service operations at the Hot Springs VA Medical Center. ***Highly qualified candidates may be eligible for a recruitment or relocation incentive***

Duties

***Highly qualified candidates may be eligible for a recruitment or relocation incentive*** Duties include, but are not limited to: - Incumbent has a considerable amount of responsibility for the overall operation of Hot Springs VA Medical Center Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service with the laboratory supporting inpatient and outpatient services, Urgent Care services, and Community Outpatient Clinics. The Hot Springs VA Medical Center laboratory operates 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year. - Directs the performance of the laboratory through scheduling, work prioritization and supervision. Oversees all facets of laboratory testing and functions. - Ensures testing systems provide quality laboratory services for all aspects of test performance, which includes the preanalytical, analytical, and postanalytical phases of testing. - Ensures the conditions of the laboratory are appropriate for the testing performed and provide a safe environment in which employees are protected from physical, chemical, and biological hazards. - Ensures test methodologies selected have the capability of providing the quality of results required for excellent patient care. - Ensures verification procedures used are adequate to determine the accuracy, precision, and other pertinent performance characteristics of testing methods. - Ensures laboratory personnel are performing the test methods as required for accurate and reliable results. - Ensures the laboratory is enrolled in an HHS-approved proficiency testing program for the testing performed. - Ensures proficiency testing samples are tested as required under CLIA regulations and that the results are returned within the timeframes established by the proficiency testing program. - Ensures all proficiency testing reports received are reviewed by the appropriate staff to evaluate each laboratory's performance and to identify any problems that require corrective action. - Ensures an approved corrective action plan is followed when any proficiency testing result is found to be unacceptable or unsatisfactory. - Ensures the quality control and quality assessment programs are established and maintained to assure the quality of laboratory services provided and to identify failures in quality as they occur. - Ensure the establishment and maintenance of acceptable levels of analytical performance for each test system. - Ensures all necessary remedial actions are taken and documented whenever significant deviations from each laboratory's established performance characteristics are identified, and that patient test results are reported only when the system is functioning properly. - Ensures reports of test results include pertinent information required for interpretation. - Ensures consultation is available to each laboratory's clients on matters relating to the quality of the test results reported and their interpretation concerning specific patient conditions. - Ensures adequate laboratory personnel with the appropriate education and either experience or training needed to provide quality laboratory services. - Ensures prior to testing specimens, all personnel have the appropriate education and experience, receive training for the type and complexity of the services offered, and have demonstrated they can perform all testing operations reliably to provide and report accurate results. - Ensures policies and procedures are established for monitoring individuals who conduct preanalytical, analytical, and postanalytical phases of testing to assure they are competent and maintain their competency to process specimens, perform test procedures and report test results promptly and proficiently, and whenever necessary, identify needs for remedial training or continuing education to improve skills. - Ensures an approved procedure manual is available to all personnel responsible for any aspect of the testing process. - Ensures there are documented responsibilities and duties of each consultant and each supervisor, as well as each person engaged in the performance of the preanalytical, analytic, and postanalytical phases of testing, that identifies which examinations and procedures each individual is authorized to perform, whether supervision is required for specimen processing, test performance or result reporting and whether supervisory or director review is required prior to reporting patient test results. - Participates in applicable cross organizational performance-improvement activities, develops and communicates objectives, and coordinates efforts to integrate patient care and support services. Work Schedule: Full-time; Monday-Friday. Tour of duty will be discussed during interview. Telework: If approved, will be on an ad-hoc basis. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized 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. 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 fouryear 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 in organic 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 in organic 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. 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 above. This finding may be based on either of the following: (1) 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. (2) A letter from ASCP-BOC or AMT stating that the individual is eligible for the certification examination. Certification: Candidates must currently possess the appropriate certification as a MT, MLS, or CLS given by the ASCP-BOC, ASCP-BOR, or AMT. English Language Proficiency: MTs must be proficient in spoken and written English. Grade Determinations: GS-12 Laboratory Manager Experience: Must have 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, GS-11, which is directly related to the position to be filled. AND Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: a. Ability to balance the administrative and clinical functions in order to coordinate and manage programs and resources. b. Knowledge and skill in management/administration, which includes strategic and tactical program planning, coordination, interpretation, supervision, consultation, negotiation, problem solving, formulation of policy and guidelines and monitoring of laboratory programs. c. Ability to effectively communicate, both orally and in writing, on technical information with a wide variety of individuals including senior VHA managers in the medical center, Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) level staff and VHA Central Office staff. d. Skill in applying analytical and evaluative methods and techniques to the measurement and improvement of program effectiveness and/or organizational productivity. e. Skill to develop new or modified work methods, organizational structures, records and files, management processes, staffing patterns, etc. f. Knowledge of regulatory, licensing, and accrediting agency requirements, and statutes governing clinical laboratory operations used in planning, implementing and monitoring laboratory programs and services. g. Skill in administrative management (e.g., budgeting, contracting, procurement and property management) in accordance with VHA regulations. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/72 PART II APPENDIX G24 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application.

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 Black Hills Health Care System 113 Comanche Road Fort Meade, SD 57741 US
• Name: Adam Abbott
• Phone: 612-629-7067
• Email: [email protected]