This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

Duties

Duties include but are not limited to the following description: GS-12 Supervisory Medical Technologist: The incumbent has full supervisory responsibility in a complexity index group 1 laboratory or in a complexity index group 2 laboratory that performs at least 1 million Standard Billable Tests annually (reported to the Laboratory Management Index Program). The incumbent supervises a large staff of nonsupervisory personnel including at least one GS-11 subordinate. Recommends appointment, plans and assigns work, provides advice and counsel and evaluates work of subordinates. The supervisor is responsible for monitoring test analyses and specimen examinations to ensure acceptable levels of performance and initiate corrective action. Verifies orientation, training and competency assessment of assigned staff. Develops and updates technical policies and procedure manuals. Ensures all staff and affiliate staff are in compliance with accrediting and regulating bodies. Adjusts staffing levels or work procedures to accommodate resource allocation decisions made at the executive level. This individual manages document control, develops performance standards, position descriptions and functional statements, and is responsible for professional and administrative management of an assigned area to include budget execution. The supervisor will maintain effective interdepartmental relations with other services to accomplish medical center goals. In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of Federal and state laws and regulations, laboratory accrediting and regulatory requirements in order to develop new policies and guidelines, formulate plans and the ability to judge effectiveness of the operation. Knowledge of laboratory quality management procedures and principles sufficient to establish and monitor a laboratory quality management program and/or education and training of laboratory staff. Knowledge of, and ability to, provide the full range of supervisory duties which would include responsibility for assignment of work to be performed; performance evaluations; selection of staff; recommendation of awards, advancements, and disciplinary actions. Ability to analyze organizational, technical and administrative problems to develop and implement solutions that result in efficient overall laboratory operation. Skill in interpersonal relations and conflict resolution to deal with employees, team leaders and managers. Ability to manage fiscal matters, forecast resource and equipment needs and administer the allocated budget. Ability to set short and/or long term goals for the section and conduct studies on technical and administrative problems, including personnel shortages, organizational structure, new technology, etc. GENERAL DESCRIPTION: An MT/CLS at this level serves as the Central Processing (CP) Supervisor and has full supervisory responsibility for a large staff of personnel, including GS-5 and 6 Phlebotomists, GS-7 MLT's and GS-9/11 MT's, and assures compliance with accrediting agency and regulatory requirements; establishing and monitoring the quality of both analytical and pre-analytical processes as part of the overall laboratory quality management program, and assures corrective action is initiated as needed. The CPP operation will encompass; performing procedures and duties in both inpatient and outpatient specimen procurement, manual and/or semi-automated patient testing, communications, inventory management, reference testing center, central desk operations for the Main Core Lab as well as courier coordination for the off-site labs, CBOCs and blood collections sites. The work is performed at VA Connecticut Healthcare System, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Service located in the West Haven, Connecticut Facility. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5:00pm, rotating weekends and holidays. Telework: Not Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 00000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. EDRP Authorized: Contact Hannah Neilson at [email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required.

Requirements

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. 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. English Proficiency: Proficiency in spoken and written English is required by 38 USC 7402(d) and 7407(d). Education and/or Experience Combination: A bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university in medical laboratory science, medical technology, clinical laboratory science or in a related science (e.g., laboratory sciences such as chemistry, biochemistry, biology, microbiology, immunology, etc.), AND completion of a medical technology clinical practice program. Clinical practice programs completed after 1974 must have been accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS), Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP, formerly CAHEA), or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). The professional curriculum may have consisted of a post- baccalaureate certificate program or be integrated into a four-year program of study that culminated in a baccalaureate degree. OR, A bachelor's degree from an accredited college/university, including 16 semester hours of biological science (with one course in microbiology), 16 semester hours of chemistry (with one course in organic or biochemistry) and one course in mathematics, AND two years of post-certification clinical laboratory experience (e.g., blood banking, chemistry, hematology, microbiology, immunology, clinical microscopy, etc.) within the last ten years as a certified Medical Laboratory Technician by the American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Certification (ASCP-BOC), American Society of Clinical Pathology Board of Registry (ASCP-BOR) or American Medical Technologists (AMT). This experience must include performing moderate and/or high complexity testing in blood banking, chemistry, hematology, microbiology immunology and clinical microscopy (or categorical experience which matches categorical certification) in a clinical laboratory. OR, A bachelor's degree from an accredited college/university, including 16 semester hours of biological science (with one course in microbiology), 16 semester hours of chemistry (with one course in organic or biochemistry) and one course in mathematics, AND five years of clinical laboratory experience within the last ten years performing moderate and/or high complexity testing in blood banking, chemistry, hematology, microbiology, immunology and clinical microscopy (or categorical experience which matches categorical certification) in a clinical laboratory. Foreign Graduates: Graduates of foreign baccalaureate degree programs meet the educational and/or experience requirements if the degree is found to be equivalent to degree programs recognized by the NAACLS or clinical laboratory experience as described in the paragraph above. This finding may be based on either of the following: A letter from a college or university with a baccalaureate program recognized by the NAACLS stating that the individual's foreign degree has been evaluated and been found to be equivalent to its Bachelor of Medical Technology degree. A letter from ASCP-BOC or AMT stating that the individual is eligible for the certification examination. Certification: Candidates must have either (1) or (2) below: Candidates must currently possess the appropriate certification as a MT, MLS, or CLS given by the ASCP-BOC, ASCP-BOR, or AMT. For positions up to the full performance level, candidates must currently possess the categorical or specialist technologist level certification from the certification agencies listed above, such as, but not limited to, chemistry (C/SC), hematology (H/SH), microbiology (M/SM), molecular biology (MB/SMB) and blood bank (BB/SBB). Technologists with categorical or specialist certifications may only perform duties within the area of the laboratory specific to their categorical certification (e. g., an individual with a chemistry (C) certification can only perform duties in chemistry). 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). Grade Determinations: Supervisory Medical Technologist (GS-12): Experience: Must have 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, which is directly related to the position to be filled. Functions of the position include but are not limited to the following description: MAJOR DUTIES: The incumbent plans, coordinates and directs the daily activities of the personnel in the Central Processing operations; front desk, inpatient phlebotomy, patient testing, referral desk, call center and outpatient service suite. Plans and coordinates long range goals for all of those areas. Provides technical assistance and reviews and evaluates performance of all staff. Ensures the validity and accuracy of test orders, reference test results, sample testing, specimen collection guidelines for in-house as well as outpatient clinics and all other applicable information. Knowledge to evaluate the suitability of specimens for analysis, requesting new specimens if determined to be unusable. Preparation of appropriate specimens for analysis, insuring that the physiologic state of the specimen properties is maintained both for in-house testing and for referral samples. Assigns duties and prepares work schedule to provide coverage and effective utilization of personnel. Provides technical instructions and training of personnel and/or students in testing techniques, specimen procedures, instrumentation, and organization of work for the CP operations. Recommends selection, promotion, transfer, discipline, and discharge of personnel to the Laboratory Manager. Prepares and submits documentation to support these recommendations through the Laboratory Manager to Senior Laboratory Management and/or HR. Incumbent will establish, implement and monitor specimen collection, specimen accessioning, patient identification, specimen testing and record retention systems in such a manner as to meet internal and external policies and regulations and to maintain surveillance for clerical errors. Ensures that the CP operations and CBOC locations are in absolute compliance with all applicable CAP monitors and checklist including but not limited to the General Lab, Specimen Processing and Reference Testing checklists as well as checklists that cover applicable manual and/or semi-automated patient testing. Establishes a preventive maintenance program for all instruments and equipment and log system for recording activity. Oversees the maintenance of equipment and instruments so that they are in good operating condition; sees that the proper corrective action is taken when malfunctions occur. Participates in continuing education by attending seminars in the field of laboratory medicine and with special emphasis on phlebotomy techniques, automated processing systems, manual and/or semi-automated patient testing, instrumentation, and transport procedures. Informs personnel of new knowledge gained from seminars. Preferred Experience: Phlebotomy experience preferred. References: See VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G24. Physical Requirements: The work requires moderate standing, stooping, pushing, pulling, walking, reaching over-head, bending, lifting light/moderate objects and to have good visual acuity and appropriate hearing for a mechanized environment. The work involves constant exposure to biohazards and chemical hazards in a controlled environment.

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

Contacts

• Address West Haven VA Medical Center 950 Campbell Avenue West Haven, CT 06516 US
• Name: Heather Volpe
• Email: [email protected]