Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. The position is only open to current, permanent employees of the Buffalo VA Medical Center.

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• Provides authoritative representation and interaction with affiliated universities, colleges, resource organizations, and state and/or Federal officials to coordinate program goals, objectives, and policies.
• Acts as the clinical education coordinator responsible for organization of all educational activities and relationships with external clinical laboratory educational programs.
• Coordinate and administers clinical training programs for clinical laboratory science students, facility staff, and others assigned for training, including formal in service and continuing education programs.
• Designs, evaluates, and teaches training programs in the areas they are proficient. The CLS establishes, negotiates, and maintains affiliation agreements and schedules students for appropriate rotations.
• Prepares student schedules and arranges lectures with educators/instructors.
• Acts as Safety Office, Biosafety Officer and Chemical Hygiene Officer for Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service. Develops and maintains current safety, emergency management, infection control, environment of care and chemical hygiene standard operating procedures.
• Ensures Laboratory Safety policies and procedures are consistent with accrediting agencies standards and requirements.
• Ensures Pathology and Laboratory Medicine employees and students have received safety training and maintains documentation.
• Ensures laboratory adheres to all practices and regulations related to workplace safety.
• Represents laboratory on appropriate medical center committees
• Responsible for the ordering and delivery of supplies, tracking and trending of supply usage, and for the tracking and trending of all fund controls within the clinical laboratory.
• Prepares and analyzes reports on supply program status.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday 7:30pm-4:00pm
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 13690-F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.Contact the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more

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.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• 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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 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 trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• English Language Proficiency: Ability to communicate in spoken and written English with patients and other health care personnel with sufficient fluency to satisfactorily carry out assigned responsibilities, in accordance with Public Law 95-201.
• Education (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED): A bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university. Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. Graduates of foreign baccalaureate degree programs meet the educational requirements if they meet either of the following: (1) Foreign transcripts are evaluated by an acceptable evaluation agency, and the degree is found to be equivalent to a NAACLS-approved U.S. clinical laboratory science degree program. OR (2) The applicant submits a letter from ASCP BOC or AMT stating the individual is eligible to take the certification examination.
• NOTE: Possession of a certification identified below automatically determines the foreign education as creditable and no further documentation or proof of equivalency is needed.
• Certification. Candidates must meet one of the following certification options below.
  • Generalist certification as an MLS given by ASCP BOC or AMT.
  • Generalist certification as an MT given by ASCP BOR or AMT.
• NOTE: Categorical and specialist certifications are not acceptable for CLS Generalist positions or lab sections unrelated to the categorical or specialist certification held.

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations:
Clinical Laboratory Scientist, Education Coordinator GS-12,
(1) Assignments. For all GS-12 assignments above the FPL, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty) and range of variety and be performed by the CLS at least 25% of the time. Candidates at this grade level are in one of the following assignments.
(2) Experience. 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level is required for all GS-12 assignments.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.
In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
(A)Knowledge of medical technology concepts, principles, and practices sufficient to support an educational program for students and continuing education programs for the staff.
(B)Knowledge of the education program's affiliation agreements and accreditation requirements.
(C)Knowledge of a particular specialty or function such as blood banking or molecular diagnostics, to be recognized as a technical authority for instruction.
(D)Knowledge of training methods to conduct continuing education sessions for staff development. The training sessions may be technical in nature or may focus on teaching techniques so that staff can improve their technical skills.
(E)Skill in using educational design, development, evaluation techniques, and teaching methods.


Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS12.

Physical Requirements: Work demands standing for up 2 hours, walking, bending, twisting, and lifting up to 20lbs.

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 MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for 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; 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.

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.

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.