The Health Technician (Phlebotomist) positions are located at the VA San Diego Healthcare System in Nursing Service at the various Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) including Oceanside, Chula Vista, Kearny Mesa and Sorrento Valley. The position is responsible for providing skilled phlebotomy, quality assurance compliant specimen processing and testing functions, clinical patient support and general administrative support for all patient related activities in the satellite CBOC labs.

Duties

Major duties include, but are not limited to: Phlebotomy / Specimen Processing/ Electrocardiograms Performs skilled venipuncture in accordance with facility and laboratory policies and procedures. Assures all test tubes are labeled accurately when performing venipuncture using facility and laboratory designated patient identifiers. Verifies correct patient identification, performs proper specimen handling and labeling, accessions specimens, checks that lab test requests are consistent with physician orders, generates labels and sorts labeled specimens. Perform a wide variety of blood collection in a responsible nature requiring enhanced knowledge of clinical science to understand the multiplicity of tests and specimen requirements, the mechanics of venipuncture and patient preparation. Performs tests that are new and involve very fine distinctions. Explain work requirements and procedures, giving special instructions with regard to specimen collection, specimen preparation, special specimen handling and test analysis Incumbent works closely with facility and laboratory computers systems, CPRS and VistA to accession specimens and retrieve results. Performs routine Electrocardiograms and ensure data uploading to electronic medical record (CPRS). Recognizes abnormalities and brings them to the attention of the appropriate Medical/Health Care Provider. Monitors the patient environment to ensure patient safety during phlebotomy procedures. Responsible for specialized preparation of specimens for transport to the main laboratory for appropriate processing. Responsible for cleaning disinfecting and sterilization of equipment and ancillary equipment according to Medical Center Policies and Procedures. Adheres to the Infection Control Guidelines for the Medical Center. Provides administrative support for the unit Performs all clerical duties required of the position, including work lists, logs, and pending lists. Maintains record of procedures performed in the phlebotomy area. Provides orientation/training in performance of phlebotomy and test procedures with the information and experience required to understand underlying disease processes, and inform the physician if unable to obtain specimen. Responds to technical questions regarding patient rights and responsibilities. Maintains the laboratory facilities and equipment and controls supplies. Sets up equipment for all phlebotomy procedures, making sure that all phlebotomy and ancillary equipment is functioning to standard. Determines compliance with safety requirements, establishes inventory and equipment maintenance requirements and maintains appropriate inventories and maintenance schedules. Maintains laboratory stock and orders materials as needed. Maintains laboratory in a clean and safe condition according to agency or accreditation requirements. Calibrates and maintains laboratory Instrumentation on timely intervals so as to minimize breakdown and delay of procedures. Conducts work according to Laboratory Safety Regulations and instructs coworkers on safety policies and procedures. Functions as primary point of contact for implementation of safety regulations and safe working conditions and is accountable to supervisor to report conditions and progress on eliminating discrepancies. Establishes and maintains customer relationships Duties involves customer satisfaction utilizing phone and face to face communication with all levels of clinical, clerical and administrative staff and our Veteran customers. Incumbent must exhibit a professional attitude and technical competence. Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with agency customers, co-workers, the general public and others who come in contact with the lab. Obtains release forms as per policy and assists patients, visitors, and others requesting information. Provides guidance or referral for special assistance. Meets the needs of customers while supporting VA missions. Work Schedule: Fulltime, 8 hour tour, Monday - Friday, between the hours of 7:30 am to 4:00 pm PST. Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health Technician Phlebotomist/PD10875-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/25/2024. 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-05 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-04. 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: GS-05 grade level: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-04 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as Experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled such as providing skilled phlebotomy, quality assurance compliant specimen processing and testing functions, clinical patient support and general administrative support for all patient related activities in the satellite CBOC labs. Performs skilled venipuncture in accordance with facility and laboratory policies and procedures. Perform a wide variety of blood collection in a responsible nature requiring enhanced knowledge of clinical science to understand the multiplicity of tests and specimen requirements, the mechanics of venipuncture and patient preparation. Phlebotomy collection will be from a variety of outpatient veterans and employees. The employee will be expected to demonstrate versatility of skill in rapidly proceeding from one patient to another to perform multiple and simultaneous collections using accurate patient and specimen identification procedures. OR, Applicants may substitute education for the experience to qualify at the GS-05 level: Successfully completed a 4-year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation. Training: Completion of appropriate training such as in service training programs, training acquired while serving in the Armed Forces, and government-sponsored developmental training programs will be allowed credit on a month-for-month basis, generally through the GS-5 level. Such training meets general or specialized experience requirements depending upon its applicability. Such training meets general or specialized experience requirements depending upon its applicability. OR, Applicants may combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-05 level: Have a combination of specialized experience and 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 l year of specialized experience. Determine the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the year of specialized experience required at the GS-5 level. Then determine the applicant's education as a percentage of the education that meets the requirements for GS-5. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for GS-05.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. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Clinical Data Collection/DocumentationCustomer ServiceDiagnostic Medical TestingInfection ControlSpecimen Collection Training: Completion of appropriate training such as in-service training programs, training acquired while serving in the Armed Forces, and government-sponsored developmental training programs will be allowed credit on a month-for-month basis, generally through the GS-5 level. Such training meets general or specialized experience requirements depending upon its applicability. Preferred Experience: Phlebotomy License preferred Preferred Experience: Minimum 1-2 year current Phlebotomy experience Experience working as an independent phlebotomist (1 of 1) Experience processing Lab specimens Ability to work collaboratively with others , excellent customer service skills Ability to document using Electronic Medical Records Ability to multitask Current Phlebotomy Certificate Current BLS certificate 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: The work requires manual dexterity and exceptional hand/eye coordination, some physical exertion, such as regular and recurring walking, bending, standing, sitting and concentration for long periods of time during the preparation of specimens. In many situations, the duration of the activity (such as most of a workday) contributes to the arduous nature of the job. Position requires lifting of reagent containers and supplies weighing up to 35 pounds 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 San Diego VA Medical Center 3350 La Jolla Village Drive San Diego, CA 92161 US
• Name: Charise Young
• Phone: 404-398-8281
• Email: [email protected]