The Medical Technician will be assigned to the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service (P&LMS), Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System (CAVHCS), Veteran Integrated Service Network (VISN 7), Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, Columbus and Fort Moore, GA. The Phlebotomist is responsible for collecting a broad range of routine and emergency blood samples.

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Duties include, but may not be limited to the following: Phlebotomy Duties and Specimen Collection: Accounts for proper patient identification, proper sample procurement, and proper specimen labeling following guidelines from The Joint Commission (T JC) and the College of American Pathologists (CAP) "Patient Safety Goals. 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. Determines 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. Considers 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. 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. Accessioning and Processing Duties: a. 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. ` b. Reference Laboratory Specimen Processing Receives all specimens that are sent to commercial reference laboratories for testing. 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. Patient Care Testing Duties: Performs a limited amount of patient testing which includes, but is not limited to urine pregnancy testing, bleeding times, Fecal Occult Blood testing, I-Stat, Troponins, and/or the Iris. (Testing that is approved by CUA '88 personnel standards for waived testing). Performs established quality control procedures to check the accuracy and validity of the test results. Safety and Laboratory Support Functions: Complies with all Medical Center policies and procedures regarding safety practices. Demonstrates working knowledge of the appropriate safety protocol to include standard precautions, sharps handling, facility safety program, use of personal protective equipment in designated areas, and performs proper hand washing techniques. Work Schedule: TBD - 7:00am - 3:30pm, 7:30am - 4:00pm DESIGNATED DRUG-TESTING POSITION: Applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Applicants will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test result is received. Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

Qualifications

This position includes a Selective Placement Factor (skill, knowledge, ability or other worker characteristic basic to - and essential for - satisfactory performance of the job). Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration. The Selective Placement Factor for this position is: "Having experience performing phlebotomy and other specimen collections on human patients to include drawing blood by means for venipuncture." and ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position and EXPERIENCE GS-4: Applicants must possess six (6) months of general experience and six (6) months of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-3 level if in the Federal service. This experience must have equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position, and that is typically in or related to the work of this position. General Experience is (l) any type of work that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work of the position, or (2) experience that provided a familiarity with the subject matter or processes of the broad subject area of the occupation. Specialized experience includes experience that may have been gained in (a) technical medical laboratory support work such as performing laboratory tests and examinations (chemical, microbiologic, hematologic and blood banking) and preparing reports of findings or (b) technical support work in a closely related field, e.g., biological laboratory technician work, that required application of the methods and techniques for the positions being filled. OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE GS-4: (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) Successful completion of ( a) an associate-degree course of study of which the 2nd year of the two (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; (b) one (1) year of study that included six (6) semester hours in chemistry and/or the biological sciences, plus successful completion of full-time training course of approximately a year's duration in a medical or clinical laboratory assistant (or technician) school that included instruction in chemistry, hematology, blood banking, and microbiology (including serology) and that, in addition, included supervised laboratory practice incident to the diagnostic process and the treatment of patients; or (c) two (2) years of study that included at least twelve (12) semester hours of chemistry and/or biological science course work that must have been directly related to the specialization of the position being filled. OR COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE GS-4: (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements for the GS-4. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Computer SkillsCustomer Service (Clerical/Technical)Patient CareQuality AssuranceSpecimen Collection IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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. 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; religious; 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. Physical Requirements: The Medical Technician's work requires regular and recurring physical exertion such as standing for long periods of time, bending, lifting, walking, stooping, and stretching. The work requires duty on weekends, holidays, and evening shifts when assigned. 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

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

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: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov).

Contacts

• Address Central Alabama VA Medical Center-Montgomery 215 Perry Hill Road Montgomery, AL 36109 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]