Medical Technician

Summary

This position is located within the Pathology & Laboratory Medical Service at the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center. The incumbent is responsible for independently performing a variety of laboratory procedures and examinations within various disciplines of the clinical laboratory.

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Overview

• Accepting applications

• Open & closing dates

09/25/2024 to 10/07/2024

• Salary

$52,214 - $67,880 per year

• Pay scale & grade

GS 7

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Location

1 vacancy in the following location:

• West Palm Beach, FL 1 vacancy

• Remote job

No

• Telework eligible

No

• Travel Required

Not required

• Relocation expenses reimbursed

No

• Appointment type

Permanent

• Work schedule

Full-time

• Service

Competitive

• Promotion potential

7

• Job family (Series)

• 0645 Medical Technician

• Supervisory status

No

• Security clearance

Other

• Drug test

Yes

• Position sensitivity and risk

Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

• Trust determination process

• Suitability/Fitness

• Financial disclosure

No

• Bargaining unit status

Yes

• Announcement number

CBTC-12556061-24-DF

• Control number

811332700

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This job is open to

• Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

Federal employees who meet the definition of a "surplus" or "displaced" employee.

• Internal to an agency

Current federal employees of this agency.

Clarification from the agency

Area of Consideration (AOC): Current permanent employees of the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center (Station 548) including its satellite locations and CTAP eligible.2nd AOC current and permanent Department of Veterans Affairs Employees. You must be currently working for the Department of Veterans Affairs to be eligible.

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Duties

Duties include, but may not be limited to the following:

• Serve as a "floater" within the Pathology & Laboratory Service, performing analytical testing procedures as directed within the Hematology, Chemistry, Blood Bank, and Microbiology section of the service. Analytical testing procedures are performed utilizing a variety of waived testing methods in multiple laboratory sections.

• Testing methodologies employed by the incumbent within the discipline of Chemistry include, but are limited to, glucose, bun, creatinine, sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, and lactic acid.

• Procedures performed within the discipline of Microbiology include, but are not limited to, chemical urinalysis and occult blood.

• Procedures performed within the discipline of Hematology include, but are not limited to, hemoglobin analysis; coagulation studies( i.e. Prothrombin Time, Partial Thromboplastin Time, Thrombin Time).

• Performs accessioning duties, orders, receives, and accessions specimens after checking relevant documentation such as name of requesting individual, date of order, patient demographic data, requesting practitioner, requested procedures, appropriateness of sample, priority status of request, collection time, patient location, etc.

• Acts as liaison between the laboratory and the patient care areas regarding such matters as test requests, integrity of specimens received, disposition of orders for uncollected specimens, etc.

• Sorts and processes specimens received in central specimen receipt area of the Laboratory Service

• Assists in the overall support of the laboratory by performing additional duties such as glassware cleaning, supply stocking, and other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Medical Technician/PD01516A

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job

• All 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.

• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959

• You may be required to serve a probationary period

• Subject to background/security investigation

• 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, 10/07/2024.

This position has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR):

Specialized Experience: Technical medical laboratory support work such as performing to perform complex analytical testing procedures within the Chemistry, Hematology, Microbiology, Urinalysis and Anatomic Pathology sections of the service for preparing reports of findings or (b) technical support work in a closely related field, e.g., skilled venipuncture and other phlebotomy related duties that required application of the methods and techniques for the position to be filled.

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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. 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.

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-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: .

• Performs blood collection by using venipuncture and/or fingerstick technique.

• Sorts and processes specimens received in central specimen receipt area of the Laboratory Service

• Performs accessioning duties, orders, receives, and accessions specimens after checking all relevant documentation / information.

• Acts as liaison between the laboratory and the patient care areas regarding such matters as test requests, integrity of specimens received, disposition of orders for uncollected specimens, etc.

• Assists in the overall support of the laboratory by performing additional duties such as glassware cleaning, supply stocking, and other duties as assigned.

OR,

Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience.To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have one full year of graduate education; one year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended.

OR,

Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Communication

• Diagnostic Medical Testing

• Specimen Collection

• Technical Competence

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 regular and recurring physical exertion with considerable walking and standing.

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/.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

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. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

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• Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new window

Learn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.