Clarification from the agency

Open to current, permanent employees of the VA (i.e. T38, T38 Hybrid, and VCS employees on excepted appts covered by an interchange agreement); Federal employees on a Career/Career-Conditional appt.; Former competitive civil service employees eligible for reinstatement; VRA, and 30% DAV; Those eligible under the Employment Program for People with Disabilities; and those eligible for CTAP/ICTAP.

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Major duties and responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

• Performs complex procedures in the venipuncture area, such as glucose tolerances, blood cultures, etc.
• Works from laboratory requisitions/orders and/or computer-generated draw lists.
• Accurately identifies and labels patient specimens.
• Utilizes correct patient and test identification procedures to assure that appropriate specimens are obtained on the tests ordered.
• Transports patient specimens to appropriate laboratory areas.
• Keeps inventory and stock supplies on trays and in the laboratory blood-drawing room and main laboratory supply area, as needed.
• Order supplies both through reference laboratories or IFCAP compliant laboratory personnel.
• Performs clerical duties such as receiving incoming telephone calls, answering questions concerning specimen requirements and test turnaround times.
• Prepares many types of specimens, some that are highly specialized and involve many processing steps.
• Seeks assistance from professional or higher graded Technologists to refine the procedures for test and examination preparation for unusual or novel circumstances.
• Performing related duties as required.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Medical Technician/PD117610

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, 03/06/2026.

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-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. 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 (IOR) for the GS-06:
Specialized Experience for positions at the GS-06 grade: (a) Technical medical laboratory support work such as performing laboratory tests and examinations (chemical, microbiologic, hematologic and blood banking) and preparing reports of findings or (b) 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.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

• Specialized Experience for the GS-06: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: performing laboratory tests and examinations (chemical, microbiologic, hematologic and blood banking) and preparing reports of findings; Collects lab specimens; Prepares specimens to be sent to outside laboratories; Maintains a clean work environment; Maintains, cleans, and stores all laboratory medical equipment; Works in close cooperation with License Independent Provider / Medical Officer of the medical Center in ensuring effective medical treatment is provided; provides phlebotomy training to Medical Laboratory Technicians, Medical Technologists, Medical Technology students, and other Medical Professionals. This experience must be documented in your resume to receive credit. OR,
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successful completion of at least one-half year of graduate level education (9 semester hours above a bachelor's degree) or an internship in course matter that must include courses directly related to the work of the position such as chemistry, biological sciences, hematology, microbiology, serology, etc. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. Transcripts required. OR,
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond the second year. Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements.

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

• Analytical Reasoning
• Clerical
• Diagnostic Medical Testing
• Technical Competence

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 requires above average agility and dexterity. The work may require heavy lifting of equipment or patients. The work requires extensive and recurring physical exertion such as standing for long periods of time, bending, standing, lifting up to 30 lbs. or more, walking, and stretching. The work requires some physical exertion, such as regular and recurring walking, or bending to collect patient specimens. In many situations, the duration of the activity (such as most of a workday) contributes to the arduous nature of the job. In other situations, such as in a laboratory, there may be special requirements for agility or dexterity such as exceptional hand/eye coordination.



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.

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.