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Health Technician

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Veterans Health Administration - VA Salt Lake City Healthcare System

Summary

The position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), at the Salt Lake City VA Medical Center and Clinics in the Pathology and Laboratory Medical Service (PMLS). The multi-skilled Health Technician performs a wide range of administrative functions which includes compliance to CUA regulations for laboratory testing, clerical, and health tech functions.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$45,409 - $59,031 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 6
Promotion potential
None
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Not required
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
Yes
Drug test
Yes
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
CBSU-13037497-26-BLB
Control number
880913500

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

ALL US CITIZENS DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.205), ICTAP and CTAP Eligible for this occupation.

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Duties

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Major duties and responsibilities include but not limited to:

  • Receives patients for medical laboratory testing.
  • Processes orders and appointment, collects specimens and evaluates tests for processing determination.
  • Performs patients care procedures such as collection of lab specimens, applying dressings, and adjusting simple supportive equipment.
  • Contacts providers to correct order errors and to place orders if a patient arrives with no orders in the system.
  • Follows proper patient preparations and venipuncture while following sterile collection techniques and bandage patient appropriately following collection.
  • Collect, label, process, store, and either ship specimens that require reference lab testing or deliver to laboratory area that performs tests that are outside of the Health Technician scope of testing or not performed at our facilities.
  • Monitor the patient's status and inform the provider of critical changes in health status and lab values.
  • Organizes work so that efficiency is paramount and work area is neat, tidy and meets all regulatory requirements for sanitization required for laboratory certification.
  • Monitors and documents temperature and humidity of room and equipment, refrigerators, instruments, etc.
  • Responsible for all point of care laboratory testing which includes Urinalysis, Pregnancy Testing, Hemoglobin A1C, stool Hema cults, Rapid Strep, Rapid Flu and finger stick blood glucose.
  • Ensure that all quality control materials are run and acceptable daily or as required by regulations.
  • Ensure proper cleaning and perform minor maintenance of laboratory equipment and make adjustments as needed.
  • Make adjustments to equipment of laboratory testing, set up all necessary accessories and supplies regarding laboratory testing and assist with minor surgical procedures.
  • Run any proficiency specimens correctly and within required timeframe.
  • Performs daily, monthly maintenance as required and documents such appropriately.
  • Processes tissue cultures and specimen samples related to pathology testing which require difficult specialized procedures, specifically dermatological procedures (assists with pathology paperwork and specimen collection, transport, and proper labeling).
  • Assists the ATC in the supervision of clinical staff including training and competency assessments.
  • Maintains continuity of functions and provides full medical administrate support and nursing assistant functions within the clinic to both clinical, laboratory, and administrative VA staff.
  • Other duties as assigned.
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 12:00pm - 8:30pm. Occasional weekend coverage and holiday rotations may be required.
Position Description/PD#: Health Technician/PD13888A
Physical Requirements: The work requires much walking through the clinic, with occasional requirements to lift objects, computer work and operating office equipment. The positions require the ability to process written and electronic information. The work requires the ability to physically control or defend against emotionally distressed patients. The work requires above average agility and dexterity due to the fine skills of some of the point of care lab testing. The work may require heavy lifting of equipment or patients. The work environment involves risks typically associated with performance of laboratory work. Work involves regular and recurring exposure to moderate risks or discomforts that require special safety precautions. Environment may involve infectious diseases, contact with or disposal of body secretions, verbal and physical abuse from emotionally distraught individuals and/or working around equipment.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
  • Subject to a background/suitability investigation
  • Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
  • A complete application package; including Resume, Transcripts, etc. is required
  • 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.
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary 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 , 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, 08/26/2026.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education GS-6 as described below:

Health Aid and Technician Series, 0640 Individual Occupational Requirements:

Specialized Experience (for positions at GS-4 and above): Positions in this series range widely in type and include support duties to medical or health personnel such as audiologists, speech pathologists, medical officers, and optometrists. Therefore, technician experience is experience that required application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of the position to be filled.

In ADDITION to meeting the IOR Requirement the Health Technician 0640 Series requires Specialized Experience to be met as well.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:
  • Specialized Experience: GS-6 grade level: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: data entry to include entering specimens into computer, collecting patient specimens, answering questions relative to patient specimens, instructing and assisting patients in specimen collection, performs routine repetitive diagnostic tests and procedures such as venipuncture collection of blood specimens, adhering to safety, infection control, and universal precautions at all times while drawing blood or performing tests, preparing and packaging specimens for shipment, ensuring/verifying correct labeling, patient identification, and appropriate storage temperature.
OR

Applicants may substitute education for the experience required for the GS-06 level.
Graduate education or an internship meets the specialized experience required if the education or internship was directly related to the work of the position. Transcripts are required if you're using education as a substitute for specialized experience

OR

Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-06 level.

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/.

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

Additional information

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position:

Clerical
Customer Service
Patient Care
Specimen Collection
Technical Competence

USA Hire Assessments include a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. 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. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

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.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator.

Veterans Health Administration

OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for those who have served in our nation's military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate whole health care to Veterans?

DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.205) for this occupation.

Agency contact information

VISN 19 HR Contact Center
Phone
719-227-4600
Email
V19USAJOBS@VA.GOV
Address
VA Salt Lake City Health Care System
500 Foothill Drive
Salt Lake City, UT 84148
US

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