Clarification from the agency

The area of consideration is current, permanent employees of the Orlando VA Medical Center and satellite offices and those employed by the of Veterans Health Administration.

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Duties includes but are not limited to:

• Prepares correspondence, license amendments, applications and written communications required with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency.
• Instructs personnel using sources of radioactive material annually.
• Provides instruction using sources of ionizing radiation concerning the ALARA program, safety procedures, and local policy and procedures.
• Investigates overexposures, ALARA exceptions, accidents, spills, thefts, unauthorized receipts, uses, transfers, disposals, medical events, and any other deviation from approved radiation safety practice and implement corrective actions.
• Inspects all facilities where radionuclides are used and stored as needed by not less than once each year for compliance with Federal regulations and local policy and procedures.
• Maintains inventory records and performs required surveys and wipe tests for all facilities and sources assigned to the Radiation Safety Office.
• Manages the timely distribution and collection of personnel monitors and maintains records of personnel exposure including accounting for all missing or lost badges.
• Maintains written records of all activities of the Radiation Safety Office/Officer.
• Provides radiation safety support for each clinical therapeutic case.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Health Physicist - Radiation Safety/PD065360
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: 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)

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 by the closing date of this announcement, 12/05/2025.

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 by the closing date of this announcement.

• For a GS-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12.

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 Requirements - Health Physics Series 1306
Basic Requirements:

• A. Degree: Natural science or engineering that included at least 30 semester hours in health physics, engineering, radiological science, chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics, and/or calculus.
• B. Combination of education and experience - Courses as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or other education; or certification as a health physicist by the American Board of Health Physics, plus appropriate experience and other education that provided an understanding of sciences applicable to health physics comparable to that described in paragraph A.

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.

Preferred Experience: 5+ years of experience in Radiation Safety.

Minimum Qualification Requirement:
Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

• Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Planning, directing, performing the execution of the radiation safety programs, Consultative of each different scientific/research/dental/medical areas. Advising other health physicist, researchers, technical, and medical personnel relative to the use of radioactive materials and devices producing ionizing radiations. Reviewing experimental procedures, clinical therapeutic dosimetry calculations, occupational dosimetry determinations for employees, and evaluative measurements for patient absorbed doses. Act to control and prevent ionizing radiation hazards. Developing and implementing radiation safety program and training. Managing the storage, handling, transportation, and transfers of all radioactive materials and decontamination policies and procedure. Calibrating radioactive sealed source. Mathematically and practically determines radiation shielding needs and the associated dose assessment model. Determining radiation dose assessment and Federal Regulatory requirements for internal/external contaminations, establishing the emergency response to radiation accident incident. Establishing proper technique associated with physical detection and quantitative measurement of radiation. Applying radiation safety standards associated with the interaction of ionizing radiation exposure and contamination upon living tissue. Establishing and overseeing the programs for all acquisition, storage, and use, of radioactive materials; and maintaining a budget with oversight of radiation safety equipment and personal dosimetry programs.

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

• Communication
• Critical Thinking
• Data Management
• Health Physics

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 involves a certain amount of strenuous activity associated with small work spaces to change radioactive material activated charcoal air flow filters, preparing radioactive materials waste in 55-gallon drums and the handling of such drums, lifting heavy boxes of liquid scintillation vials and other solid waste materials for disposal, as well as facility roof surveys via tall ladder and small space access for motor contamination prior to equipment maintenance. Work is divided approximately equally between sedentary desk work and walking, bending and climbing required to inspect laboratory and equipment installations. Some occasional crouching, stooping, reaching, and pushing of moderately heavy items such as carts may be required. Lifting up to 45 pounds in weight may occasionally be required.

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.

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.