Medical Technologist Advanced Staff Specialist has professional oversight and responsibilities of a laboratory team. The Advanced Staff Specialist facilitates team or unit processes by working in collaboration with team members to ensure that tasks, priorities and goals are coordinated with laboratory management. The incumbent also provides technical advice to staff and other health care members and oversees work assignments and workflow.

Duties

Duties: Facilitates team or unit processes by working in collaboration with team members to ensure that tasks, priorities and goals are coordinated with laboratory management. Incumbent provides technical advice to staff and other health care members and oversees work assignments and workflow The Advanced Staff Specialist is responsible for ensuring that staff follow all policies and procedures and is a subject matter authority when there are questions of a technical or professional nature. The incumbent may be responsible for reporting personnel absences and may be responsible for staff schedules and other assignments delegated by the departmental supervisors. Modifies or adapts new methods or techniques to improve or expand services Develops protocols for performance of tests and evaluation of results Ensures that laboratory tests and procedures are consistent with accrediting agencies standards and requirements Recognizes methodology limitations such as linearity, interference, sensitivity, and specificity and considers these when drawing conclusions about the validity of testing results Performs validation/method verification studies for new systems Consults with healthcare providers on logical protocol to follow in attempting to confirm the diagnosis or risk assessment of a patient Provides advisory services to technicians, technologists, and other specialists Performs quality control and maintenance functions, documentation reviews, and ensures compliance with accreditation standards Work Schedule: Varies Functional Statement #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

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. 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. 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). 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) Grade Determinations: 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Comprehensive knowledge of and skill in applying a wide range of concepts, principles and methodology of the field to perform advanced techniques. Ability to modify or adapt established methods, procedures or techniques to resolve difficult or complex problems. Knowledge of the application of laboratory regulatory requirements Ability to provide or coordinate staff development and training References: VA Handbook 5005/72 Part II, Appendix G24 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-10. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-10 Physical Requirements: Standing for long periods of time, bending, light to moderate lifting and can be extremely stressful. Some assignments require sitting at a computer workstation for moderate periods of time.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript is REQUIRED andmust 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Central Virginia VA Health Care System 1201 Broad Rock Boulevard Richmond, VA 23249 US
• Name: Martina Henderson
• Phone: 8045046811
• Email: [email protected]