This position is located in the Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Service (P&LMS) at the Beckley, WV VAMC. The incumbent serves as a Phlebotomist and is responsible for collecting a broad range of routine and emergency blood samples. The incumbent may perform phlebotomy or testing on inpatients, outpatients, surgical patients, CBOC patients, ED patients or wherever the need arises.

Duties

Duties include but not limited to: Responsible for proper patient identification, proper sample procurement, and proper specimen labeling following guidelines from The Joint Commission (TJC) and the College of American Pathologists (CAP) "Patient Safety Goals. Properly identifies all patients with two identifiers to assure the accuracy of the specimen collected and documents collection appropriately. Uses judgment and independently resolves identification discrepancies through staff contacts as needed. Performs phlebotomy procedures following a sequence of steps approved for sample collection. Independently responsible for selecting the best venipuncture site, most suitable phlebotomy equipment ( needle type, size and length), most appropriate cleansing agent(s), proper collection vials and assessing the patient's condition before, during and after the procedure. Attends to the patients while in their care during the phlebotomy procedure. Is attentive to patient needs, actions and complaints. Has knowledge of medical conditions/therapy (e.g. diabetes, anticoagulation, fainting, hematomas) and applies that knowledge while the patient is in their care. Independently determines the need and initiates a Medical Emergency, Code Blue and/or Code Green for a violent patient. In the event of a Medical Emergency or Code Blue, the phlebotomist administers initial intervention until specialized assistance arrives on the scene. Observes and reports any physical or mental changes while patients are being drawn. Follows the Laboratory procedures for collecting specimens in the appropriate container, maintains specimen under appropriate conditions, follows guidelines for collecting timed specimens at the appropriate times to insure specimen viability. Evaluates suitability of specimens for analysis, requesting new specimens if determined to be unusable. Controls the sample's physical condition and responds to time factors to ensure that the physiologic state of the specimen is maintained. Understands and follows the proper order of draw for tubes whether in a Vacutainer system or a syringe system. Responsible for the sterile collection and dispersal of physician requested patient clean catch urinalysis specimens, urine cultures, and 24-hr urine collections. Provides education to patients for proper collection techniques of urine, stool, or other fluid collections. Responsible for Urine collection for the Federal Workplace Drug Testing Program, including maintaining the integrity of the collection process, ensuring the privacy of the donor, ensuring the security of the specimen, and avoiding conduct or statements that could be viewed as inappropriate or offensive. Responsible for participation in method comparison to evaluate the use of new equipment and processes and compare them with those being used in terms of adherence to accreditation and safety requirements. Makes recommendations to management for use of devices based on outcomes. Responsible for preparation of the collection site and for drawing blood cultures without contamination. Specimen Receipt and Processing Receives requests for testing and specimens into the laboratory and verifies the accuracy and completeness of the request. Separates and routes the specimens to the specific laboratory section that performs the testing. Assists healthcare personnel who deliver specimens by directing them to place the specimens in the proper location based on the type of testing and the laboratory section. Recognizes emergency testing situations and takes necessary action to direct the specimens to the proper location. Notifies the laboratory Medical Technologists of the need for emergency testing. Reference Laboratory Specimen Processing Receives all specimens that are sent to commercial reference laboratories for testing. The individual must be knowledgeable about the specimen requirement for each reference laboratory test and the test ordering procedures for each of the reference laboratories. Verifies proper patient preparation, specimen collection, and specimen transport requirements for all reference laboratory tests. Identifies unusual conditions and discrepancies that may cause erroneous test results. Makes sound decisions independently, and takes appropriate action to correct and solve problems. Patient Care Testing Duties. Safety and Laboratory Support Functions. Work Schedule: 08:00AM- 04:30PM, Monday-Friday Compressed/Flexible: To be determined by supervisor Position Description/PD#: Medical Technician/PD24054A Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 06/13/2024. 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-04 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-03. 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: For Specialized Experience at GS-04: Applicants must possess at least one (1) full year of specialized experience, which equips you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the Medical Technician - Phlebotomy GS-04 position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Examples of specialized experience include: Performs blood collection using a variety of phlebotomy techniques including vacutainer systems, syringe, butterfly, and/or capillary finger sticks. Collects blood specimens, using correct container and order of draw. Identifies patients and ensure proper sample procurement and specimen labeling. Assesses patient condition before, during, and after procedures. Administers initial intervention in the event of an emergency. Note: Evidence of specialized experience must be supported by detailed documentation of duties performed in positions held on your resume. You must provide work experience information such as hours per week, salary, and starting/ending dates of employment (month and year format) to establish you have one (1) full year of Specialized Experience at or comparable to the required grade level. Education and/or Training: Successful completion of an associate-degree course of study of which the 2nd year of the 2-year program included successful completion of a training course of approximately a year's duration in a certified laboratory assistant school approved by a nationally recognized accrediting agency; OR, 1 year of study that included 6 semester hours in chemistry and/or the biological sciences, plus successful completion of the training course as described in (a) above for GS-3; OR, 2 years of study that included at least 12 semester hours of chemistry and/or biological science course work that must have been directly related to the specialization of the position to be filled You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Computer SkillsCustomer Service (Clerical/Technical)Patient CareSpecimen 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 physical demands are primarily standing and walking, but also some bending, lifting and carrying of light items. The work requires above average agility and dexterity. 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 Beckley VA Medical Center 200 Veterans Avenue Beckley, WV 25801 US
• Name: Josie Simpson
• Phone: 541-530-5477
• Email: [email protected]