Clarification from the agency

Area of Consideration- Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred to in the following order: 1. All VA employees. 2. Current permanent Federal employees of other agencies. 3. All other applicants. Special authorities include: Former overseas employees and foreign service employees. Clarification for these authorities is provided in the questionnaire.

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Duties include but are not limited to:

• Interacts with patients, visitors, staff, students and volunteers in a courteous and professional manner.
• Responds positively in a timely manner to customer requests for service or information.
• Provides education to patients for the proper collection techniques of urine, stool or other fluid collections.
• Processes STAT and routine samples in a timely manner according to protocol
• Records and maintains checklists, maintenance, and temperature logs.
• Maintain adequate stock level of phlebotomy supplies in the blood collection area.
• Adheres to all universal precautions, infection control and safety regulations associated with collection and processing of blood and body fluids.
• Performs blood collection using a variety of phlebotomy techniques including vacutainer systems, syringe, and butterfly apparatus.
• Identifies inpatients and outpatients using proper forms of identification, verbally and electronically.
• Monitors the patient condition before, during and after the blood collection. Reports changes in physical or mental status.
• Administers initial intervention in the event of an emergency.
• Provides education to patients for the proper collection techniques of urine, stool or other fluid collections.
• Performs computerized order retrieval of test orders and accessions patient samples.
• Operates equipment
• Maintains equipment
• Demonstrates knowledge of principles, techniques, and practices of phlebotomy, hemostasis, and requirement of blood collection for the various tests performed in the laboratory.
• Troubleshoot problems with incorrect identifications, missing samples and missing orders.
• Collects and processes samples in a manner that preserves the integrity of the specimens.
• Develops polices and procedures for Specimen Procurement and Processing.
• Responsible for professional and administrative management to identify employees' continuing education and training needs by communicating training opportunities with subordinates
• Appropriately identifies and addresses specific concerns related to performance-related deficiencies.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:00am - 3:30pm
Telework: Not Authorized
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Medical Technician/PD705620
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)
• 5 CFR 330.502 - General restriction on movement after competitive appointment applies.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 10/28/2025.

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 within 30 days of 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. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met to qualify for the 0645 occupational series. To qualify for this occupational series, applicants MUST have Specialized Experience: 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 to the Individual Occupational Requirements applicants must also meet the Special Experience of the position to be filled.

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: Skilled in administrative duties; including but not limited to, scheduling, leading a team, maintaining inventory, and ensuring the section work-flow; Understands quality control, specimen testing requirements and interpreting test results for specified laboratory tests. Knowledge and skills in regulations (including, but not limited to CAP, TJC, etc.) that govern the performance of medical technician, specimen processing and general Laboratory procedures. Familiarity with hospital procedures to interact successfully with clinical staff and patients. 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 directly related to the work of the position.

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

• Computer Skills
• Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)
• Leadership
• Patient Care
• Quality Assurance
• Specimen Collection

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.

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.

Physical Requirements: The work requires regular physical exertion, such as prolonged standing, bending at the waist, walking and sitting at the computer terminal, and lifting light to moderately heavy load may exceed 25 pounds. Frequent trips to various locations in the laboratory and Medical Center are required to conduct Laboratory business.

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.

Resume Reminder - Your resume must include the following information for each job listed:

• Job title Duties (be as detailed as possible)
• Month & year start/end dates (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008)
• Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week)
• Series and Grade, if applicable, for all Federal positions you have held
• Please be aware that your answers will be verified against information provided on your resume. Be sure that your resume clearly supports your responses to all of the questions by addressing your work experience in detail.

Recommended: Even though we do not require a specific resume format, your resume must be clear so that we are able to fully evaluate your qualifications. To ensure you receive appropriate consideration, please list the duties you performed under each individual job title. If we are unable to match your experiences with the positions held, you may lose consideration for this vacancy. We cannot make assumptions regarding your qualifications.

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.

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.