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Health Science Specialist - Infection Preventionist

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Veterans Health Administration

Summary

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?

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
$98,630 - $128,221 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12
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
No
Drug test
No
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
CBSZ-13044987-26-WES
Control number
881717600

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Duties

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Duties include but not limited to:

  • Participates in the ongoing operations of the Medical Center's Infection Prevention and Control Program, working with Infectious Disease physicians and others as appropriate to develop guidelines, actions items and data collection procedures.
  • In addition, the incumbent collaborates with others in the design, conduct and analysis of other epidemiological studies.
  • Participates in activities to assist in the compliance of the Medical Center (MC) to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Bloodborne Pathogens Standard. Participates in the development of innovative approaches to implementing and assessing the efficacy of programs for the MC designed to prevent hospital-associated infections. Examples of such projects are the influenza immunization program, hand hygiene campaigns, construction risk assessment, and the needlestick prevention program.
  • Develops innovative approaches to implementing and assessing the efficacy of programs for the MC designed to prevent hospital-associated infections. Examples of such projects are the influenza immunization program, hand hygiene campaigns, construction risk assessment, and the needlestick prevention program.
  • Meets with several MC Committees and teams to discuss pertinent laboratory findings, their clinical significance, and necessary control measures, as well as other infection control concerns, and when unusual problems in Infection Control develop and presents feedback after appropriate action has been taken.
  • Institutes appropriate isolation procedures. Provide infection control consultation at the Medical Center, Community Living Center (CLC), Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC) and other outpatient points of care environments. This includes the review of microbiology
    laboratory data and the prompt reporting of significant results (both within the Medical Center, to VA Central Office, oversight agencies and to local public health authorities, as appropriate).
  • Implements developed surveillance techniques to track and predict the occurrence of Hospital associated infections. Educates staff regarding the potential for transmission of identified pathogens. Identifies patients requiring isolation, places patients in appropriate category isolation. Recommends the use of isolation procedures in accordance with MC and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines. Educates staff regarding isolation techniques and their relevance to the transmission of infection. Independently gathers data on healthcare associated infections and assembles it for presentation including graphic display and analysis based on up to-date infection prevention and control practice.
  • Surveys the Medical Center, Community Living Center (CLC), Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC) and other outpatient points of care environments for potential foci of infection. Identifies outbreaks of nosocomial infection and conducts outbreak investigations. Develops and maintains electronic records of nosocomial infections the MC. Notes case clustering and identifies unusual pathogens independently. Communicates with HES peers regarding the occurrence of hospital associated infections in the CC.
  • Participates in the gathering and recording of data on current practices, equipment uses, or clinical findings requested by appropriate authorities at VA Medical Center, including but not limited to, VA Central Office (VACO) or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
  • Provides knowledge, direction and support through educational programs, training, and consultation regarding the complex issues surrounding the safe provision of care of patients with blood-borne infectious diseases, including HIV infection. Synthesizes currently available data and, through continuing studies, provides additional data relevant to these issues.
  • Provides professional consultative support to the medical, nursing, and ancillary staff of the MC regarding clinical research projects in the field of hospital epidemiology; assists researchers with study design, data collection, management, and analysis pertinent to the conduct of epidemiological studies.
  • Designs techniques to be used in evaluating the efficacy of educational, prevention, and surveillance programs, and advises the Hospital Epidemiologist accordingly, through the use of program review, observation, and user feedback.
  • Collects and tracks colonization and infection data through passive and active surveillance, using electronic tools, microbiology records, chart review, rounds, and multidisciplinary communication.
  • Prepares handouts for house staff and other trainees as needed to clarify or reinforce Infection Prevention and Control policies or procedures.
  • Other duties as assigned.
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
  • To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
  • Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required.
  • 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)
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, 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, 08/31/2026.

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.

Education: Bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree: major study in an academic field related to the medical field, health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the work of the position. This degree must be from an educational program from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained.

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

  • Manages and Organizes Information
  • Analytical Thinking
  • Database Administration
  • Technical Documentation
  • Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)

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.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

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:

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.

Veterans Health Administration

The Corporal Michael J. Crescenz (CMJC) VA Medical Center (VAMC), located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania provides health care to Veterans living in America's fifth-largest metropolitan area. The facility is staffed by approximately 3,000 employees and supports 145 acute care beds, 135-bed Community Living Center, and serves a unique Veteran based of 60,000 patients. Affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania and numerous other allied health schools and colleges, the CMJC VAMC offers comprehensive surgical, medical and psychiatric care to include special emphasis programs, alcohol and drug dependence treatment, and rehabilitative care. Additional information can be found on our internet site https://www.philadelphia.va.gov/.

Agency contact information

William Simmons
Phone
(717) 272-6621 X4024
Email
WILLIAM.SIMMONS@VA.GOV
Address
Corporal Michael J Crescenz Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center
3900 Woodland Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19104
US

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