This position will provide support in a wide variety of basic clinical and intermediate level administrative activities. The incumbent must ensure compliance with VA regulations, JCAHO standards and other regulatory agencies. The purpose of the position is to improve the quality and timeliness by which basic services are delivered to the patients.

Duties

Duties include but are not limited to the following: Initiate and carry out a variety of administrative, laboratory and echocardiogram duties in support of patient examinations in the Primary Care Clinic and CBOCs. Provide and perform administrative, venipuncture and echocardiograms in coordination of patient examinations and advise the professional staff on administrative order request for venipuncture. Ensure all orders for venipuncture and EKG;s are completed. Perform standard diagnostic tests or procedures such as electrocardiograms, attaching electrodes to chest area of patient for testing results transmission, venipuncture for collection of blood specimen, according to written protocol or as directed by the physician or other professional staff. Responsible for accurate labeling and packaging of samples for transport to facility lab. Relay telephonic, e-mail, and face to face messages to team members. Analyze situations to determine what decision can be made or if advice of a higher authority is needed, especially for problems that may involve public relations. Receive and review new lab and EKG orders. Obtain all key information needed to initiate administrative processing of physician orders in a timely manner. Assure that patients are comfortable and treated courteously, enthusiastically and in a timely manner. Coordinate with team members to assure that patients are seen in a timely manner. Ensure maximum utilization of available provider appointment times. Analyze, interpret and implement regulations accurately to reflect current operating procedures and is familiar with procedures concerning changes in regulations or policies. Maintain and understand medical terminology and abbreviations. Acquire and maintain computer literacy and knowledge of all computer packages which are used to support patient care and required to perform duties. Complete order entries into CPRS daily to assure proper workload credit and statistical information is maintained for the Medical Center. Act in the capacity of liaison between patients, team members as well as specialty and ancillary services. Provide information and technical support on availability of services, points of contact and necessary authorizations and approvals. Communicate effectively with people from diverse cultural, educational, and organizational backgrounds within and outside the Primary Care Clinic and CBOCs. Comply with all OSHA safety/fire prevention rules/regulations, using protective equipment when required. Promptly report all accidents and notifies supervisor of unsafe or unhealthy conditions in the workplace. Contact Social Worker on behalf of patient's personal needs as needed or requested and the travel office to arrange necessary transportation following established guidelines. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm Telework: Not available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health Technician/PD07486A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized 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, 08/06/2024. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-4 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: technical medical laboratory support work such as performing laboratory tests and examinations (chemical, microbiologic, hematologic and blood banking) and preparing reports of findings; technical support work in a closely related field (e.g. biological laboratory technician work) that required application of the methods of techniques for the position being filled; and experience performing phlebotomy/blood draw procedures on human patients. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successful completion of 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 a Health Technician position. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education that is qualifying for this vacancy. For GS-5 level positions, only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. Two full academic years of study, or 60 semester hours, beyond the second year is equivalent to one (l) year of specialized experience. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Computer SkillsCustomer ServicePatient CareSpecimen CollectionTeamwork 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. Preferred Experience: Experience in Phlebotomy, Point of Care Testing (Glucose checks), and EKGs. Physical Requirements: The work is performed in a Primary Care Service Line Clinical area. This includes a variety of potential extended periods of sitting, walking, standing, carrying of items weighing up to 20 pounds. In general the work does not require special physical demands. Work Environment: The work is performed in outpatient/lab care settings of the Medical Center. The environment involves risks which require normal safety precautions. The employee works in a health care facility where exposure to contagious disease and carcinogenic materials exists. Additionally, this involves the risk of assault by patients who may be mentally impaired. Features of this environment include varying patient populations that range from minimal acuity to critically ill. ???????Recruitment/Relocation Incentive: A recruitment or relocation incentive may be paid to a Highly Qualified candidate. Note: Definition of Highly Qualified Candidates: Candidates who possess unique skills and competencies needed to perform critical mission-essential functions. Per OPM.gov, to be Highly Qualified, the candidates are considered by the Human Resources Office and the subject matter expert (selecting official) as being highly proficient in all the requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position almost immediately or with a minimum amount of training and/or orientation. 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 Ralph H Johnson Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 109 Bee Street Charleston, SC 29401 US
• Name: Christen Watson
• Phone: 404-694-2114
• Email: [email protected]