Clarification from the agency

Open to current, permanent Battle Creek VA Medical Center/VA Clinic employees only. This includes: Career/Career Conditional or Excepted Service (i.e. Canteen, Hybrid, Title 38, etc. and meets interchange agreement requirements). This does not include temporary, term or temporary intermittent. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position.

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Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• Advises all organizational levels on functions and capabilities of the LIS. The individual implements and maintains coding and mapping for laboratory test ordering, reporting, billing, and workload recording while considering compliance principles.
• Analyzes emerging trends, software, and technology and adopts appropriate methods for local programs to meet agency goals.
• Serves as the local expert for national software developers for testing and validating software packages.
• Responsible for compliance with regulatory agency requirements as related to information systems, and they perform audits as needed.
• Consults with and trains personnel on computer functions, including ordering options, and is responsible for the maintenance of computer security keys.
• Serves as a consultant, facilitator, trainer, and technical advisor to staff at all levels to ensure facility compliance with clinical laboratory accreditation and regulatory standards.
• Ensures the laboratory maintains continuous readiness and supports the organization's performance improvement and patient safety programs.
• Maintains a laboratory performance improvement program, ensures monitoring of components and customer feedback, and interacts with management officials and organizations involved in inter-laboratory quality assurance and proficiency testing.
• Develops, implements, and performs quality management policy review.
• Advises lab management on quality management concerns that could impact other services and assists with the necessary follow ups.
• Identifies current lab functions needing improvement and develops a plan with associated individuals to implement change and monitor improvement.
• Uses comprehensive knowledge for statistical evaluation and analysis and understands laboratory operations and the laboratory's relationship to the organization.
• Follows laboratory quality control/assurance practices based on policies, procedures, and principles.
• Evaluates and implements new techniques and procedures to address laboratory quality including development of validation plans in terms of equipment, method comparison, and establishment of reference intervals using statistical methods and theoretical knowledge.
• Provides oversight, guidance, and advice to develop required quality assurance monitors and focused reviews.
• Provides consultative services for laboratory-related root cause analysis, health care failure mode effect analysis, and sentinel events and develops action plans and outcome measures.
• Establishes processes to monitor compliance with policies, identify patterns and/or trends, and ensure findings from quality management activities and performance improvement initiatives are used to redesign systems to improve quality.
• Implements surveillance procedures to monitor variables that affect quality of services.
• Skilled in evaluating, interpreting, and teaching others to use quality control procedures and implement corrective actions.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm
Functional Statement #: 93589-A

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 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).
• 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

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:

• Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).
• Education. A bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university.
• Certification. Candidates must meet one of the certification options below:
  (a) Generalist certification as an MLS given by ASCP BOC or AMT.
  (b) Generalist certification as an MT given by ASCP BOR or AMT.
  (c) Categorical certification or Specialist certification by ASCP or AMT.

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations:

Clinical Laboratory Scientist (Laboratory Information Manager), GS-12

Experience. 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level is required for all GS-12 assignments. Examples of creditable experience include, but are not limited to: independently carries out the day-to-day operations in the laboratory; develops, performs, evaluates, interprets, correlates, and validates the accuracy of laboratory procedures and results in line with current laboratory regulatory requirements; conducts quality control and routine maintenance of instrumentation and troubleshooting; correlates abnormal lab data with pathological states, determines the validity of test results, and the need for additional tests.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• Knowledge of concepts, principles, and methodology of clinical laboratory technology in relation to laboratory information systems.
• Knowledge of laboratory operations and their relationship to the organization.
• Knowledge of laboratory computer systems sufficient to implement various laboratory associated packages and sustain operation of the laboratory system.
• Knowledge of compliance and regulatory requirements for laboratory functions.
• Ability to adapt, implement and integrate the use of software to specific laboratory applications and processes, including the use of office automation software.
• Ability to independently plan, organize, set priorities, work as a team member, and effectively complete assignments.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12.

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.

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.