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Health Technician

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Veterans Health Administration

Summary

Serves as a Health Technician in Nursing, Ambulatory Care Services at the Lewiston Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC). The Health Technician serves in a multi-faceted capacity to provide medical and administrative support to promote timely and efficient patient care.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
02/13/2026 to 02/17/2026
Salary
$40,736 to - $59,031 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 5 - 6
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Lewiston, ID
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
6
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
CBSV-12884118-26-SL
Control number
857641800

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Duties

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  • Serves as key contact for veterans and beneficiaries seeking Diagnostic services, experiencing problems, and/or requesting information.
  • Personally greets veterans requesting assistance, determines nature of diagnostic needs, questions or complaints, answers questions, provides information, gives guidance, and initiates action as appropriate.
  • Acts as an administrative assistant to professional staff, ensuring clinical staff are relieved of clerical/ administrative duties, providing full, complete, technical advice, administrative support, training, guidance, problem solving/resolution for efficient coordination of diagnostic services.
  • Serves as liaison and resource person between supportive staff, clinicians, veterans, families, law enforcement, medical or public agencies, utilizing independent judgment as interpreted from guidelines for decisions.
  • Interprets providers' orders, requests for laboratory testing, follow-up paperwork, paperwork for fee of contractual agreement with appointment notifications to veteran/clinical staff. Schedules examinations and laboratory tests coordinating date and time.
  • Performs specimen collection where needed in the emergency room, hospital rooms, extended care rooms and out-patient specimen collection area.
  • Identifies tests that require special handling conditions and appropriately performs proper specimen collection.
  • lnitiate emergency care procedures in the event a patient has a reaction to blood collection procedures including fainting, hematoma, and anxiety.
  • Maintains an adequate supply of phlebotomy supplies, and reports shortages to logistics staff or the supervisor for resolution.
  • Ensures that only in-date supplies are used, rotates supplies appropriately to minimize waste and discards expired supplies appropriately (biohazard, sharps, or routine waste containers.)
  • Other duties may be assigned.


Work Schedule: Monday to Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Health Technician/PD80397A and PD80399A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
  • To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
  • English Language Proficiency: Individuals serving in direct patient care positions must be proficient in both spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d).
  • 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
  • Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required.
  • 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, 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, 02/17/2026.

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-6 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. 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.

To qualify you must meet both the Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) and the minimum qualifications for the grade level(s) based on your experience and/or education as described below:

Individual Occupational Requirement:

  • Specialized Experience: Positions in this series range widely in type and include support duties to medical or health personnel such as audiologists, speech pathologists, medical officers, and optometrists. Therefore, technician experience is experience that required application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of the position to be filled. OR,
  • Education and Training: For GS 5- Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position.
GS 5 Minimum Qualifications:
  • Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-4 in the federal service that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Provides clinical support under direct supervision of the Clinical Staff. Knowledge of medical terminology, especially laboratory test names and specimen requirements based on tests ordered. Knowledge of human anatomy as it relates to phlebotomy and impact on laboratory testing. Knowledge of impact of drawing above or below an IV, mastectomy or fistula site. Give basic instructions and explanations about tests and procedures to patients and families in a manner they can understand. OR,
  • Education (Transcripts Required): Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a bachelor's degree or four (4) years of education above the high school level with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business or technical school, junior college, college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. One year of full-time undergraduate study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business or technical school. OR,
  • Combination (Transcripts Required): Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an equivalent combination of successfully completed post-high school education (beyond the second year) and specialized experience, as described above, which meet the total qualification requirements for this grade level. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business or technical school, junior college, college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite.
GS 6 Minimum Qualifications:
  • Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-5 in the federal service that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Phlebotomy techniques such as capillary collection, blood culture collection, and venipuncture utilizing a syringe, butterfly, or vacutainer collection system. Receiving and following through on patient requests for service, obtaining and reviewing patient medical records regarding clinic appointments, scheduling patient appointments, and determining eligibility for clinic appointments. Recognizing and properly processing specimens using equipment and supplies in a variety of diagnostic procedures for the purpose of carrying out specimen collection, processing, or testing. Evaluates operations, analyzes, and provides problem trend data, solutions, offers recommendations to all levels of management. Must be adept at combining knowledge and use resourcefulness, initiative, and judgment in following standard operating procedures and resolving problems. Knowledge of electronic medical records and hospital/laboratory computer systems is needed to promptly access correct lab orders, build lists, cancel tests, and add tests. OR,
  • Education (Transcripts Required): Education above the GS-5 level is generally not applicable unless directly related. Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify using education for this level you must have successfully completed 9 semester credits of graduate education. If using education to qualify for the GS-06 grade, such education must include courses directly related to the work of the position.
NOTE: If using education or a combination of education and specialized experience transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

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/.

Education

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. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position:

  • Attention to Detail
  • Customer Service
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork


Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. 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. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

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)
  • Salary/Rank etc.
  • Series and Grade, if applicable, for all Federal positions you have held
  • References, current or recent supervisor

Do not include the following types of information in your resume:

  • Classified or Government sensitive information
  • Social Security Number (SNN)
  • Photos of yourself
  • Personal information, such as age, gender, religious affiliation, etc.

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. The experience stated in your resume must support your assessment responses.


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.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

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