***Recruitment Incentives may be authorized for highly qualified candidates*** This position is located in the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service at VA Puget Sound Healthcare System - American Lake VA Medical Center in Tacoma, WA.

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** 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. This position involves a multi-grade career ladder. The major duties listed below represent the full performance level of GS-05. At the GS-04 grade level, you will perform assignments of a more limited scope and with less independence. You will progressively acquire the background necessary to perform at the full performance level of GS-05. Promotion is at the discretion of the supervisor and is contingent upon satisfactory performance, availability of higher-level work, and availability of funds. Major duties and responsibilities include but not limited to: Using special drawing techniques and assuring that proper tubes are used, uses the correct order of draw for plastic Vacutainer tubes and the correct amount of blood is drawn Performing venipuncture specimen collections from inpatient, outpatients, and ambulatory inpatients, with a minimal number of failures, patient bruising, or required re-sticks Verifying the patient as the individual denoted on the request; labeling all tubes in the presence of the patient with the patient's full name, full social security number, phlebotomists initials, date and time of collection Being proficient in the area of phlebotomy and able to draw all but the most difficult patients and follows proper procedures for redrawing blood Collecting timed specimens such as growth hormone, peak and trough drug levels. Instructing patients in procedures to follow prior, during, and after tests Instructing patients in proper sterile midstream urine collection, 24-hour urine collection, and collection of specimens for culture and sensitivity, ova and parasites, and occult bloods Assisting in teaching laboratory and medical center personnel theoretical and practical aspects of phlebotomy, specimen collection, and specimen requirements Receiving all requests for testing into the laboratory; accessioning all requests into the hospital computer system; receiving all samples for testing into the laboratory; processing all specimens according to strict guidelines to assure specimen integrity Accessioning Laboratory tests via the use of Vista and has the ability to build, add/remove tests, edit, print and build collection lists in Vista; performing work related to tests and examinations using the techniques of medical laboratory practice; operating centrifuges, reporting any malfunction to supervisor Operating and maintaining the modular automated chemistry (MPA) processor which utilizes 8 independent modules to prepare specimens for testing Using the MPA Total System Manager (TSM) and the Data Innovations (Dl) to retrieve archived samples or to archive recently analyzed samples Operating the automated chemistry processing instrument and knowledgeable at the tube station; utilizing a variety of reference materials to determine specimen and storage requirements, quantity, patient preparation, etc. of any requested Laboratory test; Performing waived or moderately complex testing for bacterial or viral infections, urinalysis or glucose Monitoring and maintaining all refrigerators and freezers in the service, including monitoring room temperature, documenting the temperature of each device on a temperature log and reporting any deviation from the acceptable temperature range to the supervisor Monitoring and maintaining all centrifuges and the section including cleaning the interior and exterior of each device in accordance with standard infection control policies and documenting the completion of the task on the log sheet Responsible for the collection and handling of specimens in accordance with the Federal Workplace Drug Testing Program as administered and regulated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) for drug testing of new employees Preparing referral specimens for shipment; contacting physicians for clarification of request and justification of need for send-out testing; packaging and shipping containers; and filing final referral reports when received Performing clerical duties including but not limited to answering incoming calls for Laboratory Services, maintaining files of computer and printed order entry forms, ordering and distributing supplies to laboratory departments and CBOC's, receiving and issuing blood and components Work Schedule: Monday to Friday; 08:00 a.m. to 04:30 p.m. Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified candidates. Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

Qualifications

Minimum Requirement: The following are minimum requirements for appointment as a Medical Technician in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). One of the following minimum requirement criteria must be met to be qualified for this position. Specialized Experience (GS-04): You must have at least six (6) months of general experience, and six (6) months of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. 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. Specialized experience is: (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. (CLEAR DETAILS OF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: Your resume must show complete information for each job entry, such as beginning and ending dates of employment, duties performed, and/or total hours worked per week.) OR, Education (GS-04): Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successful completion of (a) an associate-degree course of study of which the 2nd year of the 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) 1 year of study that included 6 semester hours in chemistry and/or the biological sciences, plus successful completion of the training course (i.e., 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) 2 years of study that included at least 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. NOTE: One year of full-time undergraduate study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business or technical school. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.) OR, Combination (GS-04): Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education, as described above. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) Specialized Experience (GS-05): You must have one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (i.e., GS-04). Specialized experience is: (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. At this level (GS-05), specialized experience should include experience performing a variety of relatively standardized tests, examinations, and determinations. The procedures and techniques are well-established but involve many meticulous sequential steps to complete a test; and following written procedures which give carefully detailed instructions on each step of the assigned test and examinations. (CLEAR DETAILS OF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED) OR, Education (GS-05): Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level, you must have successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects appropriate to the position to be filled (Medical Technician). (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED.) OR, Combination (GS-05): Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education as described above. For GS-05 level position, only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. Two full academic years of study, or 60 semester hours, beyond the second year is equivalent to l year of specialized experience. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) AND 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 SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR: 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 requirement 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. 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: The work requires extensive and recurring physical exertion such as standing for long periods of time, bending, standing, lifting, walking, stooping, and stretching. The work requires duty on weekends, holidays, and nights when so assigned. 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 VA Puget Sound Health Care System 1660 South Columbian Way Seattle, WA 98108 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]