The Lead Medical Technologist facilitates team or unit processes by working in collaboration with team members to ensure that tasks, priorities, goals, and achievements are coordinated with management. Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Service offers comprehensive and complex laboratory services in an affiliated medical center and healthcare system.

Duties

This job opportunity announcement (JOA) will be used to fill three (3) full-time and permanent GS-0644-11 Lead Medical Technologist vacancies in the areas of Chemistry, Microbiology, or Blood Bank at the Lt. Col. Luke Weathers, Jr VA Medical Center, Memphis, TN, within Pathology & Laboratory Medical Service. The incumbent serves as Lead Medical Technologist in the Microbiology, Chemistry, or Blood Bank Department at Memphis VA Medical Center and facilitates team or unit processes by working in collaboration with team members to ensure that tasks, priorities, goals, and achievements are coordinated with management. The incumbent is responsible for all aspects of operation in their area of specialty including preparation and maintenance of records and reports, analysis of testing methodologies, training, instrumentation and compliance, and acts as a liaison to other departments of the medical center for the appropriate laboratory specialty. Duties will include but not limited to: Plans work to be accomplished, sets short and long-term goals; assigns work based on priorities; instructs employees on work and administration matters. Assisting section staff in obtaining continuing education and determining their training needs. Directly responsible for the teaching and training of new personnel or students within the section. Responsible for the expedition of emergency and special requests and the quality, quantity and accuracy of tests performed in the section. Assures that all specimens are processed and tested in a timely and efficient manner with a minimum amount of errors; and reviews test results. Determines if additional information is needed for clarification of test results and/or to establish a definitive diagnosis, and consults with physicians on additional tests as necessary. Ensures that significantly abnormal results are brought to a provider's attention through other than normal channels (i.e. critical values). Implements, reviews, and troubleshoots quality control procedures; provides technical guidance to technicians/technologists when quality control or instrument problems occur; and knowledgeably exercises judgment in selecting the most reliable procedures to be followed when presented with specimens submitted under varying conditions. Implements the performance of proficiency survey samples or unknown specimens by technicians/technologists in the Section and assists the Supervisory Medical Technologist with corrective actions for out-of-range survey results. In collaboration with the Service Chief, Lab Manager, and Supervisor, oversees implementation of policies and procedures within the Section that comply with the guidelines of appropriate regulatory and accrediting agencies (i.e., FDA, Joint Commission, CAP, AABB, and any other applicable entities). Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30p Telework: Not Available Functional Statement #: 50231-F, 50232-F, 50233-F Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/31/2023. 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 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 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 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. 3. 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) 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). 4. Exception. Non-certified applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements for certification may be given a temporary appointment up to the full performance level not to exceed one year as a graduate medical technologist under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2)(B). Failure to become certified within one year from date of appointment will result in removal from the GS-0644 MT series. 5. Physical Requirements. Intermittent moderate lifting (15-44 pounds); light carrying (under 15 pounds); use of fingers; both hands required; walking (up to 4 hours); standing (up to 4 hours); repeated bending (up to 2 hours); intermittent, but possible prolonged stooping and kneeling; ability to distinguish basic colors; near vision correctable at 13" to 16"; ability to read and comprehend ordinary type and computer screens; ability to hear (aid permitted) and work in an environment with constant noise; working closely with others; high cognitive function required to work in a fast paced environment with competing priorities without loss of accuracy; emotional stability required to maintain self-control in difficult and stressful situations; ability to wear required personal protective equipment as required. 6. English Language Proficiency. MTs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with the VA Handbook 5005. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements, the below qualification requirements must be met at the grade(s) in which you are applying. GS-11 Lead Medical Technologist (a) Experience. Must have 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the full performance level (GS-9), which is directly related to the position to be filled. OR, (b) Education. Must have 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education or a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in medical technology or a directly related field. (c) Assignments. These assignments require specialized training and experience and have wide latitude for exercising independent judgment. Employees must have advanced knowledge of specialized and complex subject matter extending beyond the duties of test performance. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty) and range of variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Lead Medical Technologist. Facilitates team or unit processes by working in collaboration with team members to ensure that tasks, priorities, goals and achievements are coordinated with management. Responsible for all aspects of operation in their area of specialty including preparation and maintenance of records and reports, analysis of testing methodologies, training, instrumentation and compliance. Acts as a liaison to other departments of the medical center for the appropriate laboratory specialty. In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: a. Knowledge of medical technology applicable to a wide range of duties to solve complex problems involving diverse aspects of clinical laboratory practice. b. Knowledge of regulatory, licensing and accrediting agency requirements and statutes governing clinical laboratory operations in order to plan, implement or monitor laboratory programs and services. c. Ability to manage and coordinate daily work activities and assignments in a section. d. Skill to maintain, troubleshoot and repair laboratory instrumentation. e. Ability to provide technical oversight in order to manage personnel and work assignments in a manner that assures completion of the laboratory workload. References: VA Handbook 5005/72 Part II G24 The full performance level of this vacancy is 11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of to 11.

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 Memphis VA Medical Center 1030 Jefferson Avenue Memphis, TN 38104 US
• Name: Kweli Webster
• Phone: 615-695-2200
• Email: [email protected]