Clarification from the agency

This job is open to current, permanent Department of Veteran Affairs employees; current, permanent Federal employees of other agencies; and all US Citizens. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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Nuclear Medicine Technologists have responsibility for providing a wide range of specialized nuclear medicine procedures, including diagnostic imaging, therapy with unsealed radioactive materials, radioassay, in-vivo or in-vitro cell labeling; evaluating abnormal results; using and maintaining equipment; setting up and monitoring quality control; working within guidelines from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), National Health Physics Program (NHPP), Department of Transportation (DOT), Occupational Safety & Health Association (OSHA).

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Prepare, assay, and administer radiopharmaceutical doses by injection, inhalation or ingestion as prescribed
• Be proficient in introducing intravenous catheters in patients for administration of radiopharmaceuticals and/or medications
• Test blood glucose levels in patients. Respond properly to results that are outside normal range
• Be knowledgeable regarding possible side effects of radiopharmaceuticals and other medications, such as Lasix and Captopril, to be administered. Take immediate action to remedy any noted effects
• Order and manage radiopharmaceutical doses as required for daily patient studies. Maintain adequate supplies of doses to perform patient studies without a delay whenever possible
• Receive patients, explain procedure, answer questions relating to the procedure, position patient for necessary views and tend to their comfort for the duration of the procedure
• Obtain pertinent clinical data from the patient, electronic chart, requisition, and interviewing the patient/family
• Operate nuclear medicine equipment such as SPECT, SPECT/CT, and PET/CT, well counters, GM survey meters, thyroid uptake system, FDG dose injector, & dose calibrators for various patient procedures
• Understand and perform exposure rate calculations
• Perform a full range of nuclear medicine imaging, non-imaging, invitro and therapeutic procedures, including highly specialized computer assisted studies such as gated, tomographic, 4D, and quantitative procedures
• Perform and understand a range of hybrid imaging including SPECT/CT and PET/CT. Be knowledgeable in low dose Computed Tomography aspects including KeV and MAS settings. Understand attenuation correction and anatomical landmarks as they relate to CT. Also be attentive to CT safety and reducing the patient's dose to as low as reasonably possible
• Analyze procedure images for quality & obtain additional images when necessary.
• Administer radiopharmaceuticals to patients. Utilize necessary quality management methods of patient identification such as using multiple unique identifiers and using active rather than passive identification
• Perform radionuclide therapy in collaboration with Nuclear Medicine Physician. Receive and assay prescribed therapeutic doses. Record appropriate documentation and administer dose with the nuclear medicine physician
• Demonstrate a thorough understanding of personnel requiring film badges. Read/understand the film badge exposure report. Determine exposure patterns and recommend actions to reduce exposure levels to public, radiation workers and self
• Schedule patient procedures, taking into consideration camera availability, scan length, patient condition, the need for multiple nuclear medicine studies, other clinic appointments of the patient, contraindications for the test and urgency of the request. Inform patient of all pertinent preparations for his/her scan, i.e. NPO, follow certain diet, bowel prep, etc. Adjusting schedule to prevent overbooking and to prevent extended patient wait times
• Perform required technical procedures for safe receipt, handling, transport, usage and disposal of radioactive materials, assuring compliance w/ Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), National Health Physics Program (NHPP), Department of Transportation (DOT) and license conditions. Understand different precautions used based upon the various package types
• Understand, utilize, and practice the concepts of ALARA principal, maintaining radiation exposures as low as reasonably achievable
• Efficiently navigates and maintains the electronic health record (EHR) system, ensuring complete, timely, and accurate documentation of patient encounters, clinical workflows, imaging results, & departmental records
• Utilizes an electronic dose-tracking system to accurately document, monitor, and verify radiopharmaceutical administration in compliance with regulatory and institutional standards
• Maintains a high level of awareness regarding Veterans' emotional states and behavioral cues, providing compassionate, respectful, and patient-centered communication at all times

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., on-call requirements may be necessary based on the needs of the service
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position
Functional Statement #: 94205-A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
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.
• 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.
• 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

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.
• Certification: All applicants must be certified in nuclear medicine technology by the Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board (NMTCB) or American Registry of Radiologic Technology (ARRT). NMTCB or ARRT (N) certification eligibility requirements are normally satisfied by one of the following: graduation from an educational program in nuclear medicine technology accredited by the Committee on Allied Health Education and Accreditation; or national certification as a registered medical technologist or registered radiologic technologist; or a bachelor's or associate's degree in one of the physical or biological sciences, and 4 years of clinical NMT experience.
• English Language Proficiency: [NMTs] must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part.

Grade Determination: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates:

GS-11:

Experience: At least one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-9) directly related to the position being filled that demonstrates the clinical competencies described at that level. i.e., experience that demonstrates possession of the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics needed to provide Nuclear Medicine Technology services at that level which include:

• Ability to document excessive radiation exposure in the working environment.
• Knowledge of medical events requiring documentation and the ability to properly document them and make recommendations to the radiation safety officer (RSO).
• Ability to communicate orally and in writing post therapeutic safety precautions.
• Ability to troubleshoot gamma camera and auxiliary equipment problems.
• Ability to analyze computer generated data for technical quality and artifacts and initiate corrective measures.

In addition to the experience listed above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSA's:

• Ability to produce and assess high quality scans and quality control images using independent judgement to recognize abnormal or unacceptable results.
• Knowledge and skill in use of ancillary equipment with an understanding of how the results will affect the study outcome.
• Knowledge of physiologic processes as they relate to altered radiopharmaceutical uptake and/or artefactual findings.
• Ability to obtain, assess, and document pre-therapy patient preparation information and provide post-therapy patient education following proper administration of advanced therapy dose.
• Ability to develop new protocols for imaging procedures.
• Ability to analyze instances of increased radiation exposure levels and recommend measures to reduce.
• Ability to analyze consequences of improper packaging of radioactive material and take appropriate actions.

References: VA Handbook 5005/125, Part II, Appendix G19. For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: This position requires the ability to do the following: Heavy lifting (45lbs and over), moderate carrying (15-44lbs), pushing, use of fingers, use of both hands, walking (up to 8hrs), standing (up to 8hrs), repeated bending (up to 8hrs), ability to distinguish basic colors, emotional/mental stability. Environmental factors include: exposure to radiant energy, slippery or uneven walking surfaces, working closely with others and/or working alone.

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.

Areas of Consideration - Applicants will be considered based on the following areas of consideration.

• First Area of Consideration (Facility Employees) - Current, permanent VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System employees (this includes Outpatient Clinics, permanent employees of the Veteran Canteen Service assigned to this facility, Office of Information & Technology employees assigned to this facility, and Virtual CBOPC bargaining unit employees under station 741 located at the Cleveland VAMC.
• Second Area of Consideration (Other VA Employees) - Current, permanent Department of Veterans Affairs Employees (VA employees who are located at other VA medical centers).
• Third Area of Consideration - Current, permanent employees of other Federal agencies.
• Fourth Area of Consideration (Preference Eligible Veterans) All Preference Eligible Veterans including: CPS/CP: A veteran who served at any time and who has a compensable service-connected disability rating of at least 10 percent, XP: A veteran who served at any time and has a present service-connected disability or is receiving compensation, disability retirement benefits, or pension from the military or the Department of Veterans Affairs but does not qualify as a CP or CPS; or is a purple heart recipient, TP: 5 point preference based on eligible active duty service, SSP (Sole Survivorship Preference): Discharged from active duty from the armed forces, after August 29, 2008, by reason of a "sole survivorship discharge."
• Fifth Area of Consideration:Veterans with no preference and all other qualified U.S. Citizens.

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.