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, 7:00am - 3:30pm Position Description Title/PD#: Health Technician (EKG)/PD07486A 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.

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
• Subject to a background/suitability investigation
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
• May serve a probationary period
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. 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. To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 60 semester hours that you earned). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-5. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Preferred Experience: Phlebotomy Point of Care Testing (glucose checks) EKGs 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.

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. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf for more information.

Contacts

• Address Ralph H Johnson Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 109 Bee Street Charleston, SC 29401 US
• Name: Christen Watson
• Email: [email protected]