This position is located in the Pathology and Laboratory Service Line at the at the San Diego VA Medical Center in San Diego, CA. The Medical Technician responsible for performing venipunctures and a full range of routine and emergency waived testing procedures including glucose monitoring, urine pregnancy, and occult blood testing.
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 language proficiency requirement, the following is also required: EXPERIENCE: At least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-4 grade level in the Federal service that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is: (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. At this level, specialized experience should include experience performing a variety of relatively standardized tests, examinations, and determinations. The procedures and techniques are well-established but involve many meticulous sequential steps to complete a test; and following written procedures which give carefully detailed instructions on each step of the assigned test and examinations. ~OR~ EDUCATION: 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 appropriate to the position to be filled. (Transcripts must be submitted at time of application) ~OR~ COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: An equivalent combination of post-high school education and specialized experience as described above. Note: 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. (Transcripts must be submitted at time of application) SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR: 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 requirement 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. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Computer Skills Customer Service (Clerical/Technical) Patient Care Quality Assurance Specimen 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 manual dexterity and exceptional hand/eye coordination, some physical exertion, such as regular and recurring walking, bending, sitting over a microscope and concentrate for long periods of time while reading specimens and to stand for several consecutive hours during the preparation of specimens: In many situations the duration of the activity (such as most of a workday) contributes to the arduous nature of the job. Position requires lifting of reagent containers weighing up to 35 pounds. 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/.
***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 and responsibilities include but are not limited to: Maintaining the laboratory facilities and equipment and controlling supplies; setting up equipment for all phlebotomy procedures, making sure that all phlebotomy and ancillary equipment is functioning to standard Maintaining the laboratory in a clean and safe condition according to agency or accreditation requirements Conducting work according to Laboratory Safety Regulations and instructing coworkers and graduate students on safety policies and procedures Maintaining and controlling laboratory records and responsible for presenting the data to the supervisor in a logical and systematic fashion Performing all clerical duties required of the position, including work lists, logs, and pending lists and managing turn-around times of pre-analytical testing and patient wait times Providing orientation/training in performance of phlebotomy and test procedures Performing venipunctures in accordance with facility and laboratory policies and procedures Performing work in the testing and examination procedures carried out in the laboratory and urine drug testing collections Selecting, performing, evaluating, and monitoring the performance of test procedures both manually and on testing equipment Preparing slides, smears, cultures, etc., of extremely delicate or otherwise volatile specimens, using critical concern for the quality of the specimen given the procedure to be used for test or examination Performing other related 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: Various schedules - 7am to 3:30pm or 8:30am to 5pm or 9:30am to 6pm; with rotating weekends and holidays Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified candidates Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved