Job Description
Summary
This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) - a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval - award amount (up to $200 -000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.
Qualifications
To qualify for this position - you must meet the basic requirements as well as any additional requirements (if applicable) listed in the job announcement. Applicants pending the completion of training or license requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. The VA HR Office staff can hire applicants who do not currently hold valid certification - but actively working towards their certification - at the entry level - GS-7.
Basic Requirements:
- United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy
- Education: A bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university
- Certification: Candidates must meet one of the certification options below for GS-9 and GS-11: (a)Generalist certification as an MLS given by ASCP BOC or AMT
- (b)Generalist certification as an MT given by ASCP BOR or AMT
- (c)Categorical certification or Specialist certification by ASCP or AMT
- Exception for Non-Certified: Applicants who do not currently hold valid certification may be hired by VA and actively work toward their certification if they meet one of 4 the routes identified in Appendix A of qualification standard that makes them eligible to take the MLS certification exam through the ASCP BOC or the MLS certification exam through AMT Certification Agency
- Non-Certified applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements for licensure may be given a temporary appointment CLS under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2)
- Non-Certified individuals may only provide care under the supervision of a certified CLS at or above the FPL
- Non-certified individuals may only be appointed at the entry level and may not be promoted/converted until certification is obtained
- Temporary appointments of non-certified CLS may not be extended beyond 2 years or be converted to a new temporary appointment May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria)
- GRADE DETERMINATIONS: In addition to the basic requirements for employment - candidates must meet the following grade-determining criteria for placement at grade levels specified
- Clinical Laboratory Scientist - GS-07 - Experience & Assignment: Candidates at this level must meet the criteria below: Experience: None beyond the basic requirements
- Education: None beyond the basic requirements
- Clinical Laboratory Scientist - GS-09 - Experience or Education: Candidates at this level must meet one of the criteria below: Experience: 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade
- OR Education: Master's degree or 2 academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education in medical technology or a directly related science
- Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities: In addition to the experience or education above - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of policies and procedures of clinical laboratory testing
- Knowledge of laboratory quality control and quality assurance principles
- Knowledge of laboratory equipment and routine maintenance
- Ability to work as a team member and effectively complete assignments
- Ability to read and interpret written instructions
- Ability to accurately perform pre-analytical - analytical - and post-analytical phases of testing
- Clinical Laboratory Scientist - GS-11 (1) - Experience or Education: Candidates at this level must meet one of the criteria below: Experience: 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level
- OR Education: Must have 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education or a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in medical technology or a directly related science
- (2) Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities In addition to the experience or education above - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of professional clinical laboratory science principles - practices - concepts - and theories that support sound - independent work
- Knowledge of laboratory quality control and quality assurance procedures and principles of performance improvement
- Skill in informatics - laboratory data flow - and laboratory processes
- Ability to maintain - troubleshoot - and repair instrumentation
- Ability to use independent technical judgment to analyze and interpret laboratory results
- Ability to read - interpret - and apply complex written instructions
- Ability to communicate - consult - and interact with other members of the health care team - external relations - customer service - and patient education
- Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit: The full performance level of this vacancy is 11
- Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met
- All other requirements must be met within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement
- Physical Requirements: The work requires regular and recurrent standing to perform procedures and tests - walking between different areas within the laboratory and throughout the medical center
- The work involves sitting at a microscope or computer - manual dexterity - visual acuity - color vision and the ability to sit and concentrate for long periods of time
- Requires intermittent moderate lifting (15-44 pounds)
- light carrying (under 15 pounds)
- use of fingers
- both hands required
- intermittent but possibly prolonged stooping and kneeling
- ability to read and comprehend ordinary type and computer screens
- ability to hear (aid permitted) and work in an environment with constant noise
- working closely with others
- high cognitive function required to work in a fast-paced environment with competing priorities without loss of accuracy
- emotional stability required to maintain self-control in difficult and stressful situations.
Duties
- VA Careers Total Rewards Information: Allied Health Total Rewards: Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Clinical Laboratory Scientist: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Medical-Technologist-Career-Flyer.pdf A Clinical Laboratory Scientist (Chemistry) at this level independently carries out the day-to-day operations in the laboratory
- Evaluates the suitability of each specimen for analysis - requesting a new specimen if determined to be unusable
- Prepares specimen for analysis according to established procedures
- Follows established procedure for handling of mislabeled - unlabeled - or unsuitable specimens
- Ensures acceptable orders have been placed by a provider and accurately accessions and receives specimens - maintaining correct patient identification throughout each phase of processing - analysis - and resulting
- Selects - performs - evaluates - and monitors the performance of test procedures using manual and/or automated techniques in accordance with established protocols
- Recognizes and reacts to indicators of malfunction
- locates and implements corrective action
- Conducts quality control procedures on instrumentation - equipment - reagents - and products and maintains proper records for quality control reports
- Performs initial quality control of all incoming reagents and supplies as required
- Performs initial testing on all reagents received in the department before reagents are put into use
- This includes lot-to-lot testing and/or parallel testing that is then presented to the supervisor or laboratory director to review/approve before reagents or supplies are put into use
- Calibrates - standardizes - adjusts - and maintains instruments
- This includes verifying correct instrument operation using established procedures and quality control checks and monitoring
- Identifies the cause of common problems and makes simple repairs
- Ensures maintenance - calibrations - and quality control are completed as scheduled and within the required timeframes
- Evaluates the validity of the data in relation to the test system and accepted assay procedures
- Correlates quantitative data with patient data (e.g. - history - medications) as necessary to verify results
- Reviews and investigates delta checks - flags - alerts - etc
- and performs additional testing to clarify or confirm abnormal patient results
- Recognizes abnormal results that require immediate attention by the physician and reports them directly and follows the proper laboratory and medical center policies
- Responsible for the generation of laboratory results from the work area into the laboratory computer system and for the editing and verification of results recorded into the computer system
- Additional Information: Work Schedule: 0730-1600 - M-F - rotating weekends/holidays Compressed/Flexible: May be authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave - 13 days of sick leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior [work experience] or military service experience
- Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment - up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth - adoption - or foster care placement of a child
- Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment - full time employees with a total family income below $144 -000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66
- Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Functional Statement #: 92782-0 - 92781-0 - 92780-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
- Contact VISN10HRCCOE@va.gov - the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
- Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized
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The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.
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Holiday work, Permanent employment, Full time, Temporary work, Work experience placement, Immediate start, Relocation package, Flexible hours,