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.
Basic Requirements Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. Education. A bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university. Certification. (1) Candidates must meet one of the certification options below. (a)Generalist certification as an MLS given by ASCP BOC or AMT. (b)Generalist certification as an MT given by ASCP BOR or AMT. (2) Exception for Non-Certified. (a) Applicants who do not currently hold valid certification may be hired by VA and actively work toward their certification if they meet one of the routes identified in Appendix A that makes them eligible to take the MLS certification exam through the ASCP BOC or the MLS certification exam through AMT Certification Agency. (b) 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). (c) Non-Certified individuals may only provide care under the supervision of a certified CLS at or above the FPL. (d) Non-certified individuals may only be appointed at the entry level and may not be promoted/converted until certification is obtained. (e)Temporary appointments of non-certified CLS may not be extended beyond 2 years or be converted to a new temporary appointment. (3) Failure to Obtain Certification. In all cases, CLSs must actively work to meet requirements for certification starting from the date of their placement into the occupation. At the time of appointment, the Human Resources(HR) Office staff, in collaboration with the supervisor, will provide the employee with the written requirements for certification, including the time by which the certification must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming certified by the deadline. Failure to obtain certification during this time period may result in separation from employment. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403 (f). Grade Determinations GS-12: Experience.1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (A) Knowledge of medical technology applicable to a wide range of duties to solve complex problems involving diverse aspects of clinical laboratory practice. (B) Skill to maintain, troubleshoot, and repair laboratory instrumentation. (C) Ability to develop procedures for new tests, and modify existing procedures and methods to resolve problems relative to complex and difficult situations. (D) Ability to manage and coordinate daily work activities and assignments in a section. (E) Ability to provide or coordinate staff development and training. (F) Ability to provide guidance and technical direction to a wide variety of individuals including physicians, nurses, and other clinical staff regarding technical aspects of testing, specimen requirements and results. The full performance level of this position is GS-12.
Selects, performs, evaluates, and monitors the performance of test procedures using manual and/or instrumental techniques in accordance with established protocols Recognizes and reacts to indicators of malfunction; locates and implements corrections Evaluates the suitability of the specimen for analysis, requesting new specimen if determined to be unusable Prepares specimens for analysis, ensuring that the physiologic state of the specimen properties is maintained Serves as primary operator on new systems Conducts quality control procedures on equipment, reagents, and products and maintains proper records for quality control reports Calibrates, standardizes, adjusts and maintains instruments Verifies correct instrument operation using established procedures and quality control checks and monitoring Identifies the cause of common problems and makes simple repairs Performs Daily, Weekly, and Monthly maintenance as required per instrument specifications Performs reagent lot to lot validations and new lot quality controls crossover studies Performs bi-annual linearity and AMR studies Assists in writing procedures and other documents as directed Evaluates the validity of data in relation to the test system and accepted assay procedures Assumes the responsibility to maintain operations including preventative maintenance and training of technicians and technologists on the operation of new test systems Oversight of the clinical training experiences of technical and professional level technologist or technician training programs in order to fulfill education and professional requirements (where training programs exist) Provides technical training and guidance to students, residents, staff, and other employees Performs additional tests to clarify or confirm abnormal patient results Recognizes abnormal results that require immediate attention by the physician and reports them directly Calculates final test results and applies knowledge of statistics to prepare and interpret quality control data (mean, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation) Responsible for the accurate generation of laboratory results from the work area into the laboratory computer system and for editing and verification of the results recorded into the computer system Recommends updated guidelines and policies in compliance with regulatory requirements for non-routine or complex assignments Responsible for monitoring the section for inspection readiness Responsible for annual competency checklist completion, signature serves as knowledge verification Coordinates the section competency program Responsible for quality control review and recommend updates to procedure manuals for specific laboratory function Responsible for a working knowledge of the established safety standards in order to maintain compliance and to assure protection from injury and biological hazards, practices standard precautions within all aspects of the laboratory Performs sound independent work with minimal oversite of the Supervisor and maintain competency to lead staff work performance Performs Blood Bank duties Performs all type and crossmatches for transfusion Attends vendor training as assigned for complex analytical instruments and is responsible for training employees in its operation Responsible for performing complex maintenance procedures and is consulted as the in-house expert for troubleshooting problems Work Schedule: Day, evening and night shift w/rotating weekends and holiday EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more