Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to current, Permanent VHA employee's and open to the public.

Videos

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Radiation Safety

• Designs, establishes, and implements written policies and procedures for a Radiation Safety Program encompassing the clinical and research use of radionuclides and machine-made radiation, which includes the use of new imaging and treatment modalities, to ensure safety and compliance with radioactive material permits under the VHA Master Materials License, all applicable regulations, VHA directives, and Medical Center policies.
• Conducts periodic reviews and audits of areas where radionuclides and machine-made radiation are used.
• Provides radiological physics support for Medical Center activities involving the use of medical radiation in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. This support encompasses the establishment and management, under the direction of the Radiation Safety Officer, of a Radiation Safety Program. The components of this program include authorizations for individuals using radionuclides, the enforcement of regulatory requirements, personnel dosimetry, surveys, and training.
• Responds to radiation incidents involving patients, employees, or visitors and takes appropriate corrective action(s) as a subject matter expert in order to mitigate/minimize the impact to the individuals and the facility. Evaluates radiation exposures to patients, employees, and visitors and makes appropriate recommendations as a subject matter expert in order to ensure that they are mitigated or are as infrequently occurring as practicable. Reports exposures and recommendations to the Radiation Safety Committee. Determines when incidents are required to be reported to agencies outside of the VA and completes the required reports. Advises researchers on the unusual, complex, and critical problems that they encounter when they review and recommend changes to experimental procedures, and when they respond to emergencies involving radioactive materials and x-ray producing equipment.
• Instructs personnel in use of monitoring equipment, safe laboratory practices, decontamination methods, etc. Provide initial education and training to new employees regarding safety procedures for all personnel using radioactive materials and or radiation producing equipment and continuous training to existing employees including physicians, nursing, biomedical engineers, technologists, etc. Leads and maintain the radiation safety PPE programs for all medical center staff including affiliated residency programs and contracted personnel. Oversee a rigorous fluoroscopic x-ray user credentialing program in accordance with VHA Directive 1105.04.

Quality Assurance

• Coordinates with providers in developing and implementing quality assurance programs to ensure that imaging and treatment uses of radioactive material and machine produced radiation are optimum for patient care, and that employees, patients, and visitors are protected. Maintains compliance with regulations and best practices. Provides radiological physics support for Medical Center activities involving the use of medical radiation in imaging. This support encompasses the establishment and management, under the direction of the Radiation Safety Officer, of a comprehensive quality assurance program for diagnostic imaging equipment. This program includes/involves acceptance testing of new imaging equipment, the testing of equipment annually and after major repairs, daily and monthly tests by imaging technologists, recommending and implementing corrective actions based on those tests, evaluating image quality, evaluating protocols for computerized tomography in order to assist radiologists in optimizing image quality versus radiation exposure, and evaluating the overall program in order to determine its effectiveness and recommend and implement improvements.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30am - 4:00pm
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Health Physicist (Assistant Radiation Safety Officer)/PD110340
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): 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
• 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, 07/16/2026.

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-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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.

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

Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): In order to meet the basic requirement of the Health Physicist, 1306 Occupational series, you must possess:

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. (Copy of transcript required)
OR,
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. (Copy of transcript required)

IN ADDITION TO THE ABOVE IOR, you may qualify based on your experience as described below:

Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Professional knowledge of health physics as it relates to a medical environment, to adapt standard practices, equipment, or techniques to solve a variety of health physics problems. Planning and conducting work that requires judgment in evaluating, selecting, and adapting precedents and in modifying procedures and criteria. Knowledge of health protection standards, theories, and practices and to operate instruments used for measuring radiation and radioactive materials. Identifying and solving complex scientific problems in medical and research laboratory functions and activities involving numerous and varied sources of radiation. Ensuring proper use of radioactive materials. Advising researchers and medical staff on how to design and conduct procedures. Identifying and evaluating radiation hazards and taking measures to eliminate or control exposure to those hazards. Experience also includes evaluating, overseeing and recommending proper safety measures for laser use.

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 considerable walking, standing, bending, and lifting, in all areas of the Medic'31 Center. The 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. Often required to wear heavy, leaded radiation-protective garments for periods of one hour or more. Lifting up to 50 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.

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.