Employee will serve as a Health Physicist (Medical) aligned within the Medical Physics Section of the Veteran Affairs Caribbean Healthcare System in San Juan, PR. Recruitment and Relocation Incentives have been authorized

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** As member of a team of professionals responsible for the diagnosis and treatment of patients, the applicant is responsible for (a) perform imaging equipment (x-ray equipment, nuclear medicine cameras, PET/CT cameras, ultrasound units, and MRIs) inspections to ensure compliance with the current American College of Radiology (ACR), Joint Commission (JC) and Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA) requirements, (b) for the accuracy and safety of physical methods used in close cooperation with Physicians and other personnel, (c) for routine clinical applications of equipment, (d) Perform evaluation of diagnostic x ray units, (e) assists the Chief Medical Physics Section and Radiation Safety Officer in the implementation of the Radiation Safety Plan and Quality Improvement Program. Furthermore, responsible for quality assurance of equipment used in diagnostic radiology and for providing education and training in medical physics and safe use of the equipment, (f) Serves as COTR or certifying official for the Medical Physics and Radiation Safety Section, (g) perform acceptance testing of all new or relocated imaging equipment, (h) perform shielding design calculations, (i) assist in developing a comprehensive technical quality assurance program (e.g., technique charts; repeat/reject analysis monitoring; monitor dose metrics from fluoroscopy studies), (j) trains, keep records and verifies training of personnel that uses ionizing radiation equipment, (k) performs other directly related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Recruitment and Relocation Incentives have been authorized 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. Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

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 SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR (SCREEN-OUT) - Selective Placement Factors (SPF) have been identified for this position. Selective Placement Factors (SPF) are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for the position. Applicants who do not meet the SPF are ineligible for further consideration. The SPF for this position is: Requires applicants to be proficient in written and spoken Spanish? (Note: All application materials must be submitted in the English language to receive credit) AND The SPF for this position is: Requires applicants to be Board Eligible, or Board Certified in Diagnostic Radiologic Physics, AND, current in the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Program? (DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED TO RECEIVE CREDIT) In addition to the screen-outs above, applicants must meet the Individual Occupational Basic Requirements: A. Bachelor's Degree (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) with a major study in 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- B. Combination of education (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) and experience (CLEAR DETAILS REQUIRED) -- 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 screen-outs above, applicants must meet the specialized experience requirement: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Requires one full year of specialized experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-11) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes performing inspections, acceptance testing, and shielding design calculations on radiologic imaging equipment; assisting in development of comprehensive technical quality assurance/improvement program and radiation safety plan; conducting training, record keeping, and verifying the training of personnel that uses ionizing radiation imaging equipment; and using various computer programs for testing, dosimetry, data collection and storage, and data analysis. A Quality Ranking Factor* has also been requested by the facility to help determine which of the basically qualified applicants are likely to be better qualified for a position. The quality ranking factor for this position is: A highly qualified applicant will possess a Master's degree in Medical Physics (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED TO RECEIVE CREDIT) *Quality Ranking Factors are skills, knowledge, abilities, or other worker characteristics which could be expected to result in superior performance on the job. Quality ranking factors will not be used for screening but may be used as ranking criteria. Applicants with higher proficiency levels may rank above those with lower proficiency levels on a quality ranking factor. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Health PhysicsInformation ManagementPlanning and EvaluatingQuality AssuranceQuality Ranking Factor 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 includes periods of standing, walking, or sitting at a computer console. Required to carry moderately heavy articles, such as phantoms, with some bending and lifting. Manual dexterity is required for the use of measuring devices and radioactive source handling. This position involves some exposure to low levels of radiation; handling of lead and lead alloys will provide some exposure to that metal as well as cadmium and bismuth. Exposure is restricted through safety precautions and proper ventilation. 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 at the time of application to verify the educational requirements are met..

There is no educational substitution for the specialized experience 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: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov).

Contacts

• Address San Juan VA Medical Center 10 Calle Casia San Juan, PR 00921 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]