Videos

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION***

NOTE: This announcement has been extended to close on October 4, 2023. Applicant(s) who previously applied, do not need to re-apply.

The Lead Medical Technician is responsible for assisting team in producing timely phlebotomy service to veterans with emphasis on maintaining a satisfactory level of customer service excellence and team competency. Additional duties include:

• Providing customers with laboratory information, supplies, collection instructions and referring the customer to the appropriate sections for test-specific technical information
• Preparing the monthly schedule/duty assignment for all staff in the Phlebotomy Department when the Phlebotomy Supervisor is unavailable or delegates the duty
• Assigning personnel to the various subsections within the section (e.g. send outs, inpatient, outpatient, STAT draws, AM rounds) in a fair and equitable rotation
• Assisting with orientation, scheduling and training of employees, volunteers and students; and coordinating phlebotomy student externship rotations with the affiliated school phlebotomy program
• Preparing procedures, guidelines, instructions and policies for Section use by medical technologists, medical technicians, other staff members and students when assigned by the Phlebotomy Supervisor
• Establishing and maintaining an inventory control program in the inpatient area to ensure adequate inventory of supplies /reagents for the section
• Preparing various reports, promulgating and submitting data for reports or analysis as assigned by the Phlebotomy Supervisor or Laboratory Manager
• Determining need for additional or replacement equipment and instrumentation and selecting such based on cost, rental or outright purchase
• Evaluating subordinate conduct and competency consistent with Medical Center policies as outlined in the Performance Appraisal System and the negotiated agreements
• Reviewing work while in progress periodically and reviews completed work for accuracy and adherence to established procedures, accepting, amending or rejecting completed work
• Responsible for proper receipt and accessioning of specimens; processing specimens (centrifugation, labeling, pour-offs); entering and verifying results; following up on misdraws, deletions, cancellations and incompletes, ordering send out tests, delivery of specimens, temp verification of incoming specimens, etc.
• Responsible for the timely and proper distribution of specimens to the appropriate section or reference laboratories
• Obtaining venous blood samples by aseptic venipuncture technique; correctly identifying the patient before obtaining any specimen and properly labels the specimen following specimen procurement according to established procedure
• Performing all phlebotomies and tests/examinations offered in Section within acceptable turnaround times
• Assisting in performance of moderate complexity laboratory tests in other sections of the laboratory when necessary
• Performing other related duties as assigned

Work Schedule: Full Time, Monday to Friday; 6:00am to 2:30pm with rotating weekends and holidays

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.

Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved

Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

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

Minimum Requirement:

• Specialized Experience (GS-06): You must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is experience performing technical medical laboratory support work such as performing laboratory tests and examinations (chemical, microbiologic, hematologic and blood banking) and preparing reports of findings; or 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. In addition, for this level, applicants must also have experience performing phlebotomy and specimen collection and processing. (CLEAR DETAILS OF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: Your resume must show complete information for each job entry, such as beginning and ending dates of employment, duties performed, and/or total hours worked per week.) OR
• Education (GS-06): Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level, you must have successfully completed at least one-half year of graduate level education or an internship in course matter that included courses directly related to the work of the position such as chemistry, biological sciences, hematology, microbiology, serology, etc. NOTE: 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. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.) OR
• Combination (GS-06): Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an equivalent combination of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience, as described above, which meets the total experience requirements for this grade level. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.)

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.
AND
SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR: This position includes Selective Placement Factors (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 Factors 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:

• Conscientiousness
• Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)
• Diagnostic Medical Testing
• Teamwork
• Technical Competence

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 moderate physical exertion, such as regular and reoccurring running, walking, stooping, or bending to collect blood or record information. In many situations the duration of the activity (such as most of a workday) contributes to the arduous nature of the job. There is a special requirement for agility and dexterity such as exceptional hand/eye coordination and sense of touch.


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/.

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. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

Your responses to the assessment questionnaire will be reviewed along with the information provided in your resume and supporting documentation to determine if you are qualified for the position. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered and/or you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

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.

Candidates who apply under All U.S. Citizens announcements will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. Qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The categories are defined as follows:

• Best qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position;
• Highly qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the requirements of the job;
• Well qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in some, but not all, of the requirements of the job; and
• Qualified - applicants possessing experience and/or education that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors.

Application of Veterans' Preference: Category rating and selection procedures place those with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligible applicants that meet the eligibility and qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category (except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher).

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

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.