This position is located in the Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Service (P&LMS) at the Community Based Outpatient Clinics- Ambulatory Care Line (Beaumont, Conroe, Galveston/Texas City, Katy, Lake Jackson, Lufkin, Richmond, Tomball - CBOCs-ACL) affiliated to Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center. The incumbent is a Health Technician performing a variety of clinical and administrative functions.

Duties

Process a wide variety of complex specimens from hospitalized patients and patients from outpatient and community-based clinics. Receive, route and store specimens noting labeling, contamination, hemolysis, shortage or other errors in sampling, recognizing common environmental or other considerations that could affect the results. Select the correct method of resolution for problem samples and orders and informs team leader or supervisor of problems that cannot be resolved. Prepare samples, slides, smears, or other types of specimens (i.e., blood, urine, tissue) common to the laboratory. Perform blood collection using a variety of phlebotomy techniques including vacutainer system, syringe, butterfly or capillary finger sticks with minimal number of failures, patient bruising or required repeat collection, ensuring samples are submitted to the clinical laboratory with least possible delay. Correctly label all blood tubes and instructs patients on proper specimen collection procedures. Verify and evaluate a variety of physician generated test orders for these specimens in VISTA, generates bar coded patient identification labels with laboratory testing accession numbers, affixes the labels to the correct specimens. Prepare and processes a variety of specimen types, recognizing appropriate test requirements according to laboratory information guidelines for shipping and transport. Function as a resource person and troubleshooter for clinic personnel in executing VISTA order entry and results options. Review order in CPRS to ensure that necessary orders are drawn. Investigate missing or incomplete patient laboratory orders. Assist with the development of technical bulletins, procedures, training materials and other program materials. Responsible for receiving and storage of laboratory supplies. Audit records to ensure appropriate classification, quantity, catalog information. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:00 am - 3:30 pm, subject to change based on the needs of the Agency Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health Technician/PD03712A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not 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, 04/04/2024. 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-05 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-04. 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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Individual Occupational Requirements: Specialized Experience: You must have specialized experience in support duties to medical or health personnel such as audiologists, speech pathologists, medical officers, and optometrists. Therefore, technician experience is experience that required application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of the position to be filled. Note: This experience must experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. In addition to the Individual Occupational Requirement: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-04 in federal service that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of the position and that is typically in or related to this position to be filled. Specialized experience includes: Working with collection tubes, minimum volume requirements, specimen processing and transportation conditions, testing procedures and requirements and phlebotomy procedures/techniques; Comprehensive knowledge of a wide variety of routine and special specimen testing requirements to collect the patient's specimen; Properly packaging and shipping of laboratory specimens. Working with infection control, aseptic and sterile techniques to prevent cross contamination and spread of infection; Knowledge of medical terminology; Working with the operation and maintenance of the diagnostic equipment utilized; Knowledge of the equivalent of Microsoft Programs, including word processing, spreadsheet applications and electronic mail, and skill to utilize various proprietary programs/menus, enabling entry of information into patient electronic medical records. Note: This experience must experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of successfully completed post-high school education (beyond the second year of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree) and specialized experience as listed above. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. Experience must be clearly indicated in your resume. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Clinical Data Collection/DocumentationDiagnostic Medical TestingSpecimen Collection 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 requires extensive and recurring physical exertion such as standing for long periods of time, bending, lifting, walking, stooping and stretching. The work requires manual dexterity and a large degree of concentration. 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

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 Michael E DeBakey VA Medical Center 2002 Holcombe Boulevard Houston, TX 77030 US
• Name: Susan Reynon
• Phone: (808) 726-0496
• Email: [email protected]