The Pathways Internship Program allows students to join VA in career positions that emphasize long-term training and development. As a student trainee, Medical Laboratory Aid, the incumbent performs the duties of a general Medical Lab Aid in the clinical laboratory of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in a developmental position drawing routine specimens during high workload times.

Duties

This position is being filled under the Pathways Internship Program. The program is designed to provide students enrolled in a wide variety of educational institutions, from high school to graduate level, with paid work opportunities in agencies to explore Federal careers while still in school. The Internship provides managers a ready source of student employees and potential permanent employees upon completion of the program requirements. It also provides the student with work experience directly related to the curriculum studies or career goals while offering eligibility for non-competitive conversion to permanent employment upon completion. For more information on Internship opportunities within the Department of Veterans Affairs, please visit: https://www.va.gov/EMPLOYEE/pathways-internship-program/.Duties include but not limited to: Performs phlebotomy and other specimen collection procedures and, on a rotational basis, is required to run the front desk of the laboratory Responsible for proper patient identification, proper sample procurement, and proper specimen labeling following guidelines from The Joint Commission (TJC) and the College of American Pathologists (CAP) "Patient Safety Goals. Properly identifies all patients with two identifiers to assure the accuracy of the specimen collected and documents collection appropriately. Performs phlebotomy procedures following a sequence of steps approved for sample collection. Independently responsible for selecting the best venipuncture site, most suitable needle type, size and most appropriate cleansing agent(s), proper collection vials and assessing the patient's condition before, and after the procedure. Attends to patients while in their care during the phlebotomy procedure. Is attentive to patient needs, actions and complaints. Has knowledge of medical conditions/therapy (e.g. diabetes, anticoagulation, fainting, hematomas) and applies that knowledge while the patient is in their care. Following a sequence of the best venipuncture site, most suitable needle type, size and most appropriate cleansing agent(s), proper collection vials and assessing the patient's condition before, and after the procedure. Follows the Laboratory procedures for collecting specimens in the appropriate container, maintains specimen under appropriate conditions, follows guidelines for collecting timed specimens at the appropriate times to insure.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/28/2023. Internship Program: To be eligible, applicants must be accepted for enrollment or currently enrolled and seeking a degree (diploma, certificate, etc.) in a qualifying educational institution, on a full or half-time basis as defined by the institution in which you are enrolled. To qualify for the GS 3 grade level: You may qualify based on education and/or experience as described below: Education: Applicants may substitute education for the experience required. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a completion of 1 academic year leading to a bachelor's degree. Transcripts required 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. 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/. Physical Requirements: The work requires some walking, light lifting, and intermittent periods of standing. It also requires manual dexterity and color vision.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

You must have a completion of 1 academic year leading to a bachelor's degree.

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 Richard L Roudebush VA Medical Center 1481 West Tenth Street Indianapolis, IN 46202 US
• Name: DaiMiona Jones
• Phone: 317-874-8113
• Email: [email protected]