This position is located in the Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Service (PLMS) at the Portland VA Medical Center in Portland, OR.

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Major Duties: Collecting and processing specimens obtained for analyses throughout P&LMS and associated reference laboratories. Performing venipuncture specimen collections from inpatient, outpatients, and ambulatory inpatients, with a minimal number of failures, patient bruising, or required re-sticks, ensuring that samples are submitted to the clinical laboratory with the least possible delay. Interacting directly with liver/kidney/other organ transplant recipients or prospective recipients. Making gross visual observations and identifying subtle changes regarding the patient's condition, notifying appropriate emergency personnel as needed. Responsible for the processing and handling of specimens in accordance with the Federal Workplace Drug Testing Program as administered and regulated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) for drug testing of new employees. Preparing specimens for testing, such as labeling, centrifugation, decanting, aliquotting, etc., following the specimen and storage requirements per test instructions. Receiving and sorting specimens collected from inpatients, outpatients, and all CBOC's, checking request slips for proper information, logging in specimen, and delivering specimens to various laboratory sections. Performing other 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-Friday 9:00am-5:30pm with rotating weekends and holidays Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved

Requirements

Qualifications

This position includes a Selective Placement Factor (skill, knowledge, ability or other worker characteristic basic to - and essential for - satisfactory performance of the job). Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration. The Selective Placement Factor for this position is: Experience performing phlebotomy/blood draws on human patients. (This experience must be documented in your resume.) ~AND~ 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. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position. In addition to the requirements listed above, the following is also required: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You must possess at least one year of specialized experience that equipped you with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position, and that is typically in or related to the work of this Medical Technician position. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-4 grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience includes: (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. (THIS EXPERIENCE MUST BE SUPPORTED BY YOUR RESUME TO BE CREDITABLE.) ~OR~ SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE: 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 directly related to the position. 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. Education cannot be credited without documentation. (COPY OF TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED AT TIME OF APPLICATION.) ~OR~ COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: You must possess equivalent combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience, as described above, to meet total qualification requirements at the GS-5 level. Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. (THIS EXPERIENCE MUST BE SUPPORTED BY YOUR RESUME TO BE CREDITABLE AND COPY OF TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED AT TIME OF APPLICATION.) You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Computer SkillsCustomer Service (Clerical/Technical)Patient CareQuality AssuranceSpecimen 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: The work requires extensive periods of standing and walking, regular and recurring bending, moderate lifting, stooping and stretching. 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 VA Portland Health Care System 3710 Southwest US Veterans Hospital Road Portland, OR 97239 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]