THE CLOSING DATE FOR THIS ANNOUNCEMENT WAS EXTENDED UNTIL 09/04/2024. IF YOU PREVIOUSLY APPLIED, YOU DO NOT NEED TO REAPPLY; HOWEVER, YOU MAY UPDATE YOUR APPLICATION PACKET DURING THIS TIME. The Health Technician serves in the Alaska VA Healthcare System (AVAHS) Clinical Laboratory and collaborates with team members for effective and efficient operation of the laboratory. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 09/04/2024. Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for the 0640 occupational series. All applicants, regardless of grade level must meet minimum experience requirements. 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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Properly collects, handles, labels, processes, records, and delivers specimens while adhering to patient identification, safety, infection prevention and control policies and universal precautions; draw blood cultures; instruct patients in proper collection techniques of specimens; receive and prepare test requests, and specimens into the clinical laboratory and verify accuracy and completeness of the requests; maintain a clean phlebotomy workstation and storage areas stocked with phlebotomy supplies; enters all test requests into the facility's computer system. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have Graduate education or an internship meets the specialized experience required above GS-5 only in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. Physical Requirements: Work is performed in a laboratory atmosphere and requires regular and physical exertion such as walking, bending, recurrent standing, and moderate lifting. The work requires specific physical characteristics and abilities and dexterity needed to perform intricate analytical and technical procedures. Entering patient information, test orders, and data in a computer may result in physical problems form the effects of repetitive motion and eyestrain. Laboratory instrumentation makes constant noises which could lead to hearing loss over long periods of exposure. The position may also require assisting geriatric and/or disabled patients. The incumbent must have normal color vision. Work Environment: The work involves moderate risks or discomfort associated with working in a clinical laboratory with regular and recurring exposure to hazards such as infectious materials, chemicals, electrical appliances, and loud noises. The incumbent takes special safety precautions and must use protective clothing and devises such as fluid resistant lab coats, gloves, face shields, eye protector, and safety shields in accordance with OSHA guidelines. The incumbent's dress and personal appearance should reflect the professional image of a healthcare worker. Resume Reminder - Your resume must include the following information for each job listed: Job title Duties (be as detailed as possible) Month & year start/end dates (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008) Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week) Series and Grade, if applicable, for all Federal positions you have held Please be aware that your answers will be verified against information provided on your resume. Be sure that your resume clearly supports your responses to all of the questions by addressing your work experience in detail. Recommended: Even though we do not require a specific resume format, your resume must be clear so that we are able to fully evaluate your qualifications. To ensure you receive appropriate consideration, please list the duties you performed under each individual job title. If we are unable to match your experiences with the positions held, you may lose consideration for this vacancy. We cannot make assumptions regarding your qualifications. Do not include a photograph or video of yourself, or any sensitive information (age, date of birth, marital status, protected health information, religious affiliation, social security number, etc.) on your resume or cover letter. We will not access web pages or encrypted, and digitally signed documents linked on your resume or cover letter to determine your qualifications. 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/. ["Duties include but are not limited to: Laboratory specimen analysis by manual methods and analyzer operation. Quality control, and maintenance of analyzers and instruments. Results data entry, review, and report release. Laboratory specimen preparation and processing for transportation, storage, and analysis. Conveying collection instructions to the Patient. Patient specimen collection. Collect chain-of-custody drug screen specimens. Manage Laboratory inventory. Works with multiple databases to research and clarify tests, orders, and results for clinical staff. Prepares specimens to be sent shipped to Reference Laboratories. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:00am - 3:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health Technician (Phlebotomy/Processing)/PD50400A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized"]
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.