This position is located within the Environmental Health and Safety Section of the VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, California, servicing as the Radiation and Laser Safety Officer at a medical facility with complex uses of radioactive material and complex uses of machines that produce ionizing radiation lasers.

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Monitors the use of diagnostic and therapeutic nuclear medicine and x-ray imaging systems for screening, diagnosis and guidance of interventions; Oversees the facility performance of external beam radiation oncology, brachytherapy with sealed sources of radioactive materials, yttrium-90 microsphere therapists, peptide-receptor radionuclide therapies, etc.; Oversees research involving the administration of radioactive materials or ionizing radiation to human subjects and biomedical research using radioactive tracers; Manages the facility's radiation safety program, ensuring the safety of patients, staff, and members of the public and compliance with federal regulations and VHA requirements; Serves as the facility's leading subject matter expert in medical health physics; Has delegated authority by executive leadership to stop any operations involving the use of radioactive material or machine produced radiation in which health or safety may be compromised; Oversees the laser safety program through semiannual inspections and reports to the facility Laster Advisory Committee; Provides guidance for the implementation of new lasers within the healthcare system; Inspects laser use areas to ensure administrative controls are in place. Designs and implements training programs in line with organizational strategies related to maintaining and improving safety; Performs other related duties as assigned. 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. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Recruitment/Relocation Incentives are authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

Requirements

Qualifications

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. ~AND~ All applicants must meet the following Basic and Minimum Qualification requirements: BASIC REQUIREMENT: Successfully completed a bachelor's degree (or higher) in natural science or engineering that included at least 30 semester hours in health physics, engineering, radiological science, chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics and/or calculus. NOTE: If you select this option, you must submit a copy of your transcript with your application. Education will not be credited without documentation. ~OR~ A combination of education and experience that includes courses as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or other education; or certification as a health physicist by the American Board of Health Physics (copy of certification must be submitted with your application materials), plus appropriate experience and other education that provided an understanding of sciences applicable to health physics comparable to that described in paragraph A. NOTE: If you select this option, you must submit a copy of your transcript with your application. Education will not be credited without documentation. 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. ~ AND ~ MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: At least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-12) in the Federal Service that equipped you with the particular 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. Specialized experience includes using in-depth knowledge of the techniques used to detect and measure ionizing radiation in assessing workplace conditions; performing monitoring, surveying, source accountability and decontamination procedures; performing emergency procedures related to radiation safety; utilizing knowledge of mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology sufficient to understand radiation protection standards, theories, and practices; interpreting regulations, standards, concepts, and procedures to include Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), etc. NOTE: Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must clearly indicate the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position. Your experience must be fully documented in your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Decision MakingHealth PhysicsManages ResourcesQuality Management 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 work requires some physical exertion, such as long periods of walking and standing during audits of clinical programs such as nuclear medicine and standing while giving presentations to groups of people. Bending and squatting is necessary when surveying floors and surfaces in use areas to assess radioactive contamination by collecting wipe samples and scanning with radiation survey meters. Time is also spent in formal and informal meetings with many different groups. Much of the work is administrative in nature and requires sitting in an office and utilizing computers. In addition, periods of driving in traffic are required to visit outlying clinics and CBOCs. Lifting up to 50 pounds in weight is occasionally required, such as when handing containers of radioactive waste. 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

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 San Diego VA Medical Center 3350 La Jolla Village Drive San Diego, CA 92161 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]