This position is assigned to the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service (P&LMS) for Central Alabama Veteran Health Care System at one of several Community-Based Outpatient Clinics located in Columbus, Georgia.

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Major Duties: Correctly 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; 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; Observe and report any physical or mental changes while patients are being drawn; Follows the Laboratory procedures for collecting specimens in the appropriate container, maintains specimens under proper conditions, follows guidelines for collecting timed specimens at the correct times to ensure specimen viability; Evaluates the suitability of specimens for analysis, requesting new specimens if determined to be unusable; Controls the sample's physical condition and responds to time factors to ensure that the physiologic state of the specimen is maintained; Understands and follows the proper order of draw for tubes, whether in a Vacutainer system or a syringe system; Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:00-3:30pm or 7:30am - 4:00pm, may be subject to change based on agency needs Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required DESIGNATED DRUG-TESTING POSITION: Applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Applicants will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test result is received.

Requirements

Qualifications

To apply for this position, you must have the following qualifications: English Language Proficiency - In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position ~AND~ This position includes a Selective Placement Factor (skill, knowledge, ability or other worker characteristic basic to-and essential for - satisfactory performance of the job).Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration. The Selective Placement Factor for this position is: Experience performing phlebotomy/blood draws on human patients. ~AND~ EXPERIENCE: GS 4 Possess at least (6) months of general experience and (6) months of specialized experience which equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the Medical Technician - Phlebotomy, GS-4. General Experience is: (1) Any type of work that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work of the position, or (2) experience that provided a familiarity with the subject matter or processes of the broad subject area of the occupation. Examples of specialized experience include: (a) Technical medical laboratory support work such as performing laboratory tests and examinations (chemical, microbiologic, hematologic and blood banking) and preparing reports of findings or (b) technical support work in a closely related field, e.g., biological laboratory technician work, that required application of the methods and techniques for the position to be filled. ~OR~ SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED): Possess the successfully completion of (a) an associate - degree course of study of which the 2nd year of the two (2) year program included successful completion of a training course of approximately a year's duration in a certified laboratory assistant school approved by a nationally recognized accrediting agency; (b) one (1) year of study that included six (6) semester hours in chemistry and/or the biological sciences, plus successful completion of a full-time training course of approximately a year's duration in a medical or clinical laboratory assistant (or technician) school that included instruction in chemistry, hematology, blood banking, and microbiology (including serology) and that, in addition, included supervised laboratory practice incident to the diagnostic process and the treatment of patients; or (c) two (2) years of study that included at least twelve (12) semester hours of chemistry and/or biological science course work that must have been directly related to the specialization of the position to be filled. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business or technical school, junior college, college, or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. ~OR~ COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED Possess the equivalent combinations of successfully completed post high school education and specialized experience, as described above, may be used to meet total qualification requirements at the GS-04 level. If education is used to meet specialized experience requirements, then such education must include courses directly related to the work of the position and must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Computer SkillsCustomer Service (Clerical/Technical)Patient CareQuality AssuranceSpecimen Collection IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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. 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; religious; 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. Physical Requirements/Working Conditions: The work requires some physical exertion, such as regular and recurring standing, walking, bending, or lifting up to 40 pounds. In many situations, the duration of the activity contributes to the arduous nature of the job. There may be special requirements for agility or dexterity such as exceptional hand/eye coordination or good color vision. The work involves regular and recurring risks or discomforts associated with working in a clinical laboratory which require special safety techniques and universal precautions. Employees are required to use protective clothing or gear. Work areas must be maintained in a clean and organized fashion. 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

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: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov).

Contacts

• Address Central Alabama VA Medical Center-Montgomery 215 Perry Hill Road Montgomery, AL 36109 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]