Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) Authorized: This position is eligible for EDRP, a student loan repayment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of your start date. 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

The Medical Technologist will serve as an MT/MLS/CLS Quality Control Technical Specialist/Medical Technologist in the Chemistry section of the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service at the Richard L. Roudebush Veterans Affair Medical Center. Serves as an expert by being assigned more complex and specialized duties beyond providing patient test results. Assignments may include laboratory test development or modification., method validation/performance evaluation, and providing consultation services to health care providers. Is a Key Operator for the Unity Real Time QC program with responsibility for maintenance, review, and data entry. The Quality Control Technical Specialist ensures the accuracy of laboratory procedures and results. The incumbent serves as an expert providing authoritative advice and consultation for Chemistry, Immunology, Infectious Disease, Urinalysis, and Blood Gases. They serve as a resource for quality control issues and advises all organizational levels on various aspects of quality control including appropriateness that takes into consideration the clinical context and the effect of quality control on patient testing. The Technical Specialist often works independently and is given freedom of action under the guidance of a pathologist or the section supervisor. The functions of the Quality Control Technical Specialist/Medical Technologist, GS-11 includes but are not limited to the following: Assists in leading a unit or team of Medical Technologists performing work at the GS-7, GS-9, and GS-10 level. Performs and documents per regulatory agencies quality control on reagents and products, and assurance activities and corrective actions related to test performance using statistical principles and theories of performance improvement. In charge of quality control functions, including reviewing quality control reports (Levy-Jennings plots), implementation of quality control products and new lot numbers, investigation of quality control outliers, reporting of quality control for peer review, and collaboration with pathologist and/or Chemistry Supervisor on quality control issues. Resolves and writes up any discrepancies and submits to pathologist and supervisor for review. Key Operator of the Unity Real Time QC program, and responsibility for the maintenance, review of quality control, and data entry review, and assists in training the team, providing professional and technical advice to other technicians and technologists on all shifts. Responsible for the review of the equipment maintenance sheets Assists in the preparation of the chemistry section for regulatory inspections by ensuring the section meets regulatory checklist requirements and participates in inspection of other clinical laboratories for accreditation agencies as required. Responsible for submission of monthly quality control data for peer review. Any discrepancies are investigated by the incumbent and documentation submitted to pathologist and section supervisor for review. The incumbent collaborates weekly with the section pathologist and section supervisor on all quality control issues. Coaches a team in the selection and application of appropriate quality control problem-solving methods and techniques. Responsible for monitoring tests analyses through quality control to ensure acceptable levels of performance. Oversees biomedical engineering service on chemistry equipment and pipette calibrations in the chemistry section. Recognizes methodology limitations such as linearity, interference, sensitivity, and specificity. Identifies training needs appropriate for the type and complexity of the laboratory services performed. Instructs technical staff Quality Control Levy-Jennings charts and Westgard Rules and troubleshooting, reporting of Quality Control results, and the use of the Unity Real Time Program. Knowledge of instructional techniques to instruct newly hired technologists in proper Quality Control performance of tests and applications of the Chemistry procedures. The specialist contributes to the development of comprehensive procedures manuals with periodic review and updating of such manuals. Updates and authorizes new procedures when necessary. Calibrates, standardizes, and adjusts instruments; verifies correct instrument operation using established procedures and quality control checks; and identifies the causes of common and difficult instrument problems and makes repairs. Conducts studies and recommends changes to correct deficiencies and improve the chemistry section. Recommends new or replacement instrumentation Work Schedule: 7:30 am - 4:00 pm Monday - Friday, rotating weekends and holidays Compressed/Flexible:Not Available Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 91734-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): 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, 05/23/2024. 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 Language Proficiency: MTs must be proficient in spoken and written English. Education and/or Experience Combination: (1) 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, (2) 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 inorganic 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, (3) 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 inorganic 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. Certification. Candidates must have either (1) or (2) below: (1) Candidates must currently possess the appropriate certification as a MT, MLS, or CLS given by the ASCP-BOC, ASCP-BOR, or AMT. (2) 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:GS-11 (a) Experience - Must have 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the full performance level (GS-9), which is directly related to the position to be filled. OR (b) Education - Must have 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education or a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in medical technology or a directly related field. (c) Assignments - These assignments require specialized training and experience and have wide latitude for exercising independent judgment. Employees must have advanced knowledge of specialized and complex subject matter extending beyond the duties of test performance. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and range of variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Continuation of Qualification Standards is in the Education Tab

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/.
Continuation of Qualifications standards:
Working Environment: Typical laboratory work area. Everyday exposure to contagious diseases in their contact with patients is present. Exposure to serum hepatitis, AIDS, and patients with other infectious diseases is a special hazard. Daily handling of dangerous chemicals is also required. Must be cognizant of both hospital and laboratory safety regulations and takes appropriate action to protect the patient, self, and other healthcare staff and visitors.

Contacts

• Address Richard L Roudebush VA Medical Center 1481 West Tenth Street Indianapolis, IN 46202 US
• Name: Tiffany Terrell
• Phone: 317-314-0864
• Email: [email protected]