The Phlebotomist positions primary duties would include phlebotomy, advanced phlebotomy, drug screening, send out handling, client service support, nursing/hospital staff training and competencies for blood collection in the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service at the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Veteran Administration Medical Center.

Duties

Duties include but not limited to: Incumbent will field and direct call to the laboratory. S/he will provide guidance on ordering, collection, and drop-off information to clinical staff on clinical and anatomical laboratory testing services. Incumbent would field and log physicians and customer complaints. The incumbent will also advise physicians on proper ordering protocols for patient care efficiency based on established guidelines and experience. S/He will perform the add-on function for the clinical sections of the laboratory to include but not limited to Chemistry, Molecular, Immunology, and Special Chemistry, Hematology, and Microbiology. This includes identifying viable samples for the request determining their suitability for requested testing, as well as locating and routing the specimen for the new test requested. Incumbent will maintain detailed logs, or spreadsheets of ordering discrepancies, and add on request. S/he will report trends in errors and perspective solution to supervisors. Incumbent will have to solve problems using a cascade of probabilities starting from the simplest, to the most complex of solutions using limited resources. S/he will be responsible for performing initial training and conducting annual competencies for phlebotomy for the medical center nursing staff that perform phlebotomy, as well as physicians, residents and research staff upon request. The incumbent will train, observe, evaluate and make the determination of competency for these staff members. Responsible for the preparation and distribution of clinical laboratory specimens. Preforms preanalytical screening of incoming laboratory specimens. Screen entails but is not limited to correct collection container, anticoagulant, collection method, processing time and labeling. Appropriately prepares specimens for testing by centrifugation, serum/plasma aliquoting, and visual inspection Ensures all specimens are properly labeled and identified throughout the entire specimen procurement and preparation process to maintain specimen integrity. Responsible for proper patient identification, proper sample procurement, and proper specimen labeling following guidelines from The Joint Commission (TJC) and other relevant regulatory bodies "Patient Safety Goals". Properly identifies all patients with two identifiers to assure the accuracy of the specimen collected and documents collection appropriately. Uses judgment and independently resolves identification discrepancies through staff contacts as needed. Performs phlebotomy procedures following a sequence of steps approved for sample collection. Independently responsible for selecting the best venipuncture site, most suitable phlebotomy equipment (needle type, size and length), most appropriate cleansing agent(s), proper collection vials and assessing the patient's condition before, during and after the procedure. Attends to the patients while in their care during the phlebotomy procedure. Must make on the spot decisions to make corrections or identify other means to obtain needed specimens when faced with patients with difficult anatomy for collection. Has knowledge of medical conditions/therapy (e.g. diabetes, anticoagulation, fainting, hematomas) and applies that knowledge while the patient is in their care. Independently determines the need and initiates a Medical Emergency, Code MNR/Dr. Heart/Mr. Strong has needed. In the event of a Medical Emergency, the technician administers initial intervention until specialized assistance arrives on the scene. Observes and reports any physical or mental changes while patients are being drawn. Incumbent will perform advanced phlebotomy services. S/He will perform blood culture collection and on-demand collection. The incumbent will produce uncontaminated properly labeled blood culture specimens. S/he will retrieve blood samples that coworkers could not obtain due to the level of difficulty involved. Other duties include but not limited to special projects and acting as a lead Health technician in absence of the supervisor ensuring that all problems are reported to the lead Medical technologist to include but not limited to section coverage, outside customer complaint, and computer or technical issues. Work Schedule: 7:30am - 4:00pm, rotating weekends and holidays. Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Position Description/PD#: Health Technician/PD01770A 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. Experience and/or Education Experience. One year of experience as a health technician or assistant in the health care field demonstrating the applicant's ability to perform the work or by demonstrating a basic understanding of work in the health care field; OR Education. Successful completion of two academic years above high school with a minimum of 12 semester hours related to health technician/assistant or health technician/assistant or associate degree, or completion of an independent study course in an optometry related technician or assistant field; OR Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying. English Language Proficiency. Health Technician (Optometry) candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).Grandfathering Provision. All individuals employed in VHA in this occupational series or in another occupational series performing the duties as described in the qualification standard on the effective date of the qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held including positive education and licensure/trademark/registration/certification. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: They may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. Health Technicians who are converted to title 38 hybrid status under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation. Grade Determinations: Health Technician, GS-05 Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of specimen collection requirements Ability to operate computer terminals utilize the data; ability to work with numbers and recognize transcription errors (such as transposition of digits). Thorough knowledge of the VistA computer system, CPRS, LEDI software, and the commercial laboratory computer system Knowledge of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine policies and procedures as related to the overall operation of the laboratory. This knowledge includes laboratory procedures for receiving and following through on patient requests for testing: obtaining and reviewing request forms; and giving preparatory instructions to costumers for a variety of medical procedures. Knowledge of CMC VAMC Philadelphia regulations governing release of medical information Knowledge of collection, processing, and storage requirements and procedures for laboratory specimens Knowledge of specimen requirements, test ordering procedures, specimen processing guidelines, and specimen packaging requirements for the commercial reference laboratories. Knowledge and technical skill to perform patient testing verify the accuracy of the test results and report the test results through VistA. Knowledge of infection control, safety, and universal precaution procedures The skill and ability to effectively communicate both verbally and in writing. The incumbent must be able to expresses information in an organized manner to all levels of the organization and VA patients. The ability to listen to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately. Interpersonal ability to provide assistants and to individuals and groups, and adjusts approaches to suit different people and situations. The incumbent develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult and hostile. Relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations; is sensitive to cultural diversity, race, gender, disabilities, and other individual differences. References: VA Handbook 5005/142 Part II Appendix G68. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-5.

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 Corporal Michael J Crescenz Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 3900 Woodland Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19104 US
• Name: Judy Moment
• Phone: 4128222222
• Email: [email protected]