The Medical Technician Phlebotomist is located within the Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Service (P&LMS) within the Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6) for the Durham VA Medical Center. The Phlebotomist performs many different functions, including accession specimens into computer systems; collects, evaluates and processes patient specimens and instructs and assists patients.

Duties

Work Schedule: Monday - Sunday; may include days, evenings, rotating weekends and holidays; intermittent schedules may apply. Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized. Telework: Not Authorized. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Medical Technician (Phlebotomist)/PD06706A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Duties: Perform positive (active) identification of patients and specimens including: full name and full social security number through entire process of specimen collection, accessioning, processing, and storage/distribution of patient's specimens to clinical laboratory departments. Coordinates with all other clinical departments, to include medicine, surgery, dialysis, dermatology, to complete order entry and accessioning of test orders in the computer, correcting duplications or entry errors. Accurately evaluates and interprets patient orders in the computer to determine which testing may be accessioned and performed at the time, if fasting or other specific preparation is required, and if any specimens must be collected and returned by the patient. Accepts computer and written requests for all clinical departments both surgical and medicine. Performs phlebotomy using appropriate procedures and established venipuncture techniques and universal precautions, being careful to avoid areas close to never bundles and arteries. Knows appropriate resources for requirements of unusual tests and assures accuracy prior to collection. Applies universal blood and body fluid precautions when processing, de-capping tubes, and allocating all specimens. Evaluates and recognizes any visible signs of poor quality samples, including hemolysis, clots in anticoagulated tubes, unspun or incompletely spun, especially for morning collects. Operates laboratory equipment to prepare blood samples and other specimens in a safe and efficient manner. Enters information in laboratory computer system for test ordering, accessioning and results.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/04/2024. 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-5 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-4. 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: 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: 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 position to be filled. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a full 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 position to be filled. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond. Two full academic years of study, or 60 semester hours, beyond the second year is equivalent to one year of specialized experience. Such education must include courses directly related to the work of the position. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:Computer SkillsCustomer Service (Clerical/Technical)Patient CareQuality AssuranceSpecimen 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: This position requires visual acuity, keen hearing, clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. This position requires mostly periods of continued walking, standing, stooping, sitting, bending, pulling, and pushing. Transferring patients and objects may be required. The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations. The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients/residents who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on stakeholder needs. 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 Durham VA Medical Center 508 Fulton Street Durham, NC 27705 US
• Name: KARI LEPINE
• Phone: 906-396-9895
• Email: [email protected]