Clarification from the agency

This vacancy announcement is open to current, permanent employees of the Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center and Status eligibles; First area of consideration will be given to current, permanent employees of the Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center; Second area of consideration will be given to current, permanent VISN 15 and VHA eligibles; and the Third area of consideration will be given to Status eligibles.

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The incumbent Serves as a Medical Technician in Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Service
at the Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center, performing various lab functions related to specimen
collection.

Duties include but are not limited to the following;

• Correctly identifies each in- or outpatient using at least two valid acceptable patient identifiers as required by VA Directive 1106, The Joint Commission, College of American Pathologists (CAP) and other regulatory agencies.
• Using the computer, performs a search for past and future lab test orders for outpatients presenting to the draw station to assure all appropriate testing is done.
• If no order is found, interviews the patient to determine which specialty clinic or primary care provider failed to order the tests; contacts the correct provider and advises the provider to order the test.
• Accesses tests for all areas of the laboratory, troubleshooting inappropriate and/or outdated orders, coordinates with providers and healthcare teams to validate unusual orders and prints bar code labels to be used by automated instrument platforms.
• Assesses patient collection sites, determine the best option from which a quality sample could be obtained.
• Performs routine and stat venipuncture specimen collections from inpatient, outpatients, and ambulatory inpatients, ensuring that samples are submitted to the clinical laboratory timely.
• Performs specialized venipunctures, such as blood culture, serum drug levels, transplant, or
  genetic testing, to ensure proper collection at specified times using appropriate procedures, kits, or equipment.
• Ensures and verifies correct labeling and patient identification of every patient specimen collected (blood, urine, fluid, etc) with necessary identifiers and information, in the presence of the patient.
• Adheres to special collection instructions, such as transport on ice, deliver immediately, protect from light, etc.
• Distributes specimens in a timely manner to various units within the P&LMS or assures that volunteer couriers are timely in their rounds.
• Trains on, uses, and maintains pneumatic tube delivery system when available.
• Operates centrifuges, reporting any malfunction.
• Ensures work area remains clean.
• Processes timely request for supplies to ensure adequate materials are always maintained.
• Processes send-out specimens for pharmacogenomic testing.
• Serves as first point of contact for all patients in the Laboratory Service.
• Responds to, reports, and assists in emergency situations. Observes and reports any physical or mental changes while patients are being drawn.
• Works closely with affiliated training programs to provide quality internships to students in programs requiring phlebotomy rotations.
• Trains and/or assesses competency of Clinical Laboratory Scientist students, medical students, residents, CBOC personnel and nurses regarding Medical Center blood and specimen collection policy and procedure.

This announcement lists two positions with the following schedules

Work Schedule:

M-F 5:30am-2pm, shifts vary and may include weekend rotations.

M-F 1pm- 9:30pm, shifts vary and may include weekend rotations.

Telework: Not available
Position Description/PD#: Medical Technician/Phlebotomist/PD10529-ARelocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

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 identification 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)

• 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.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/21/2026.

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-04 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-03.

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.


Selective Placement Factors (SPF) are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for the position.

Applicants who do not meet the SPF are ineligible for further consideration.

You MUST have experience performing phlebotomy/blood draws on human patients.



To qualify for the GS-04 you must meet the following:

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

Experience: At least six (6) months of general experience, and six (6) months of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.


General Experience: (1) Any type of work that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work of the position, or (2) experience that provided a familiarity with the subject matter or processes of the broad subject area of the occupation.


Specialized experience: (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.

Note: Experience MUST be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hour worked per week.

OR,

Education: Successful completion of

(a) an associate-degree course of study of which the 2nd year of the 2-year program included successful completion of a training course of approximately a year's duration in a certified laboratory assistant school approved by a nationally recognized accrediting agency;

(b) 1 year of study that included 6 semester hours in chemistry and/or the biological sciences,

PLUS successful completion of the training course as described in (a) above for GS-3; or (c) 2 years of study that included at least 12 semester hours of chemistry and/or biological science course work that must have been directly related to the specialization of the position to be filled.

OR,

Combination: Equivalent combinations of post-high school education and experience, as described above. (Transcripts must be submitted at time of application)

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 incumbent must fully utilize all safety practice and equipment provided by the medical center, and in compliance with local and accrediting agency requirements. This position requires visual acuity, keen hearing, clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. The work requires moderate physical exertion, such as regular and recurring standing, walking, sitting, twisting or bending to collect blood or record information. In many situations the duration of the activity (such as most of a workday) contributes to the arduous nature of the job. This position requires lifting up to 20lbs and transferring patients or other objects may be required. Additionally, the incumbent may be required to don protective clothing for infectious solation situations.


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.