The Health Physicist functions as the Assistant Radiation Safety Officer, reporting directly to the Radiation Safety Officer at the Birmingham VA Health Care System. This position is primarily responsible for serving as a subject matter expert for the Radiation Safety Service to ensure that safety is maintained, policy is implemented, and that compliance with regulations is occurring. Ionizing and non-ionizing radiation is employed in the acquisition of medical images.

Duties

Recruitment/Relocation Incentives may be approved for highly qualified candidates The Health Physicist (Assistant Radiation Safety Officer) position requires a highly skilled individual with technical knowledge of x-ray equipment, the effects of ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, techniques of measurement, evaluation of hazards, and quality control within a healthcare setting. The position requires specialized knowledge of the nature and effects of ionizing and non ionizing radiation, principles and techniques of measurement, evaluation of hazards, principles and techniques employed in medical imaging quality control, knowledge of standards and the administrative organization required to effectively conduct such programs. A successful candidate must have strong interpersonal skills, critical thinking skills, and progressive technical expertise in a healthcare setting. Duties include and are not limited to: Design, establish, and implement written policies and procedures for a Radiation Safety Program encompassing the clinical and research use of radionuclides and machine-made radiation, which includes the use of new imaging and treatment modalities, to ensure safety and compliance with radioactive material permits under the VHA Master Materials License, all applicable regulations, VHA directives, and Medical Center policies. Conduct periodic reviews and audits of areas where radionuclides and machine-made radiation are used. Provide radiological physics support for Medical Center activities involving the use of medical radiation in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Coordinate with providers in developing and implementing quality assurance programs to ensure that imaging and treatment uses of radioactive material and machine produced radiation are optimum for patient care, and that employees, patients, and visitors are protected. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health Physicist (Assistant Radiation Safety Officer)/PD110340 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

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01/19/2024. 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-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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 Requirements Basic Requirements: 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. or 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. In addition to the IOR above, applicant must meet the experience requirements. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-11) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Providing Radiation Consulting Services; Purchase/Procurement of orders for service; Maintain records in accordance with Records Management; and Knowledgeable of Regulations and Requirements as it relates to Safety. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Health Physics Hazardous Materials Compliance Inspection Technical Competence Written Communication 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 work is sedentary. Some work may require movement between offices, hospitals, warehouses, and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work. Work may also require walking/standing, in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site. Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds. 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

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address Birmingham VA Medical Center 700 South 19th Street Birmingham, AL 35233 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]