These positions are located within the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa, FL and the Community Based Outpatient Clinic in Lakeland, FL and New Port Richey, FL. The Medical Technician - Phlebotomy functions in a semi-independent status in the application of policies, procedures, and accepted standards and emits composure under stressful conditions.

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** The major duties include but are not limited to: Interprets and enters specific laboratory orders in the automated patient care system and responds to changing priorities that frequently depend upon the urgency of the situation that will have a direct impact on the quality of patient care and treatment; Facilitates the initiation and completion of efficient processing of patients within the laboratory and throughout the medical and surgical units within the facility; Performs a variety of technical and clerical duties related to receipt, processing, preparation of specimens and procurement using phlebotomy skills which entails daily potential exposure to blood borne pathogens and requires skill and thorough knowledge of safety and infection control; Greets patients, checks their lab test requests ordered by the provider in Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VISTA), appropriately inputs/accessions/prints labels for test requests, labels specimen containers with correct patient identification, and provides other correct collection containers along with both written and in person instructions for collection as required to accomplish the provider's requests; Provides primary support for the laboratory by assisting with filing, typing, and/or updating of laboratory procedure manuals; Provides pre-analytic, analytic, and post analytic instructions related to collection and processing of laboratory specimens to ensure the accuracy of testing and the quality of proper patient care; Performs the critical task of properly identifying patients utilizing the full name and full social security number before processing and/or hospital computer entry of requests; Looks up the correct sample container for the great variety of esoteric tests that are drawn, processed, and sent to referral laboratories to prevent patients from being recalled for a recollect; Maintains storage and rotation of all phlebotomy supplies according to outdates as needed; Maintains lab files and records; Performs phlebotomy by venipuncture on patient wards, the facility Nursing Home, and in the Outpatient Phlebotomy Area as required by staffing needs of the Service; Participates in the evaluation of the integrity of the sample and assures the validity of the result from the "Referral Laboratory Testing"; and, Performs all other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday with rotating weekends and holidays. In addition to the assigned tour of duty, an assigned rotation for On-Call and Disaster Schedule for Essential Personnel will be required to meet minimum staffing requirements and service needs. Schedule subject to change to meet the needs of the service and/or agency. Duty Locations: There are three (3) locations for the Medical Technician - Phlebotomy vacancies. Applicants will have the opportunity to select one, two, or all locations when completing the Announcement Questionnaire. Applicants will only be considered for the location(s) they select. Lakeland, FL: 3 Vacancies New Port Richey, FL: 1 Vacancy Tampa, FL: 5 Vacancies 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: May be authorized for highly qualified candidates Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved

Requirements

Qualifications

English Language Proficiency Requirement: 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 perform the duties of this position. ~AND~ In addition to the English Language Proficiency, to qualify for this position at the GS-5 level, you must meet one of the following requirements: Experience: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-4) in the Federal Service that has given you the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Medical Technician - Phlebotomy, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is (a) technical medical laboratory support work such as performing laboratory tests and examinations (chemical, microbiologic, hematologic, and blood banking) and preparing reports of findings and/or (b) technical support work in a closely related field, e.g., biological laboratory technician work that required application of the methods and techniques of a phlebotomist. At this level, specialized experience should include experience performing a variety of relatively standardized tests, examinations, and determinations. The procedures and techniques are well-established but involve many meticulous sequential steps to complete a test; and following written procedures which give carefully detailed instructions on each step of the assigned test and examinations. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates, AND hours worked per week. ~OR~ Education: Successful completion of a full four (4) year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects appropriate to the Medical Technician - Phlebotomy position which may include clinical hematology, clinical laboratory practices, phlebotomy practicum, clinical microbiology, clinical practicum, or special topics in the Medical Laboratory Technology field. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business or technical school, junior college, college, or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. One year of full-time undergraduate study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college, or university or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business or technical school. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. ~OR~ Combination: Equivalent combinations of successfully completed post-high school education (beyond the second year) and specialized experience, as listed above, may be used to meet total experience requirements. The education portion must include courses directly related to the work of the Medical Technician - Phlebotomy position such as clinical hematology, clinical laboratory practices, phlebotomy practicum, clinical microbiology, clinical practicum, or special topics in the Medical Laboratory Technology field. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business or technical school, junior college, college, or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: HAZARDOUS MATERIALS QUALITY ASSURANCE PATIENT CARE COMPUTER SKILLS SPECIMEN 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: Approximately 60% of the work performed is accomplished in a standing or "bending" position while performing phlebotomy/processing procedures. Lifting and carrying of trays, specimens, and supplies weighing up to 20 pounds is required. Approximately 40% of the time is spent sitting, reaching, and walking in the performance of phlebotomy and processing duties. Computer typing skills are required to appropriately input patient test requests, properly queue reports and collection labels, and for the monitoring of computer monitors and printers for proper operation. The proportion of time spent standing, bending, stretching, and walking versus sitting, varies depending on the assigned tasks at any time (i.e., phlebotomy, clerical, or specimen processing). 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.

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 James A Haley Veterans Hospital 13000 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard Tampa, FL 33612 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]