You will serve as a Health Technician (Phlebotomist/Processor) with the Anchorage VA Medical Center in Anchorage, Alaska. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 09/12/2024. 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 within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. 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. You may qualify based on your experience 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: receive and prepare laboratory test requests and specimens; enter all test data, requests, and results into a computer system; abide to safety, infection control, and universal precautions; properly process, transport, and store, and biological specimens; analyze biological specimens; prepare site and draw blood cultures; collect, handle, and deliver specimens; collect chain-of-custody drug screen specimens; instruct patient on specimen collection procedures; provide patient care in a laboratory setting; research and clarify test orders and results; maintenance of equipment, instruments, and inventory in a laboratory setting. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Diagnostic Medical Testing Specimen Collection Technical Competence 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: 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 Conditions: 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. 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/. ["Perform phlebotomy and laboratory processing work. Draw blood from outpatients for requested laboratory testing. Properly collect, handle, label, accession, process, record, and deliver specimens while adhering to patient identification, safety, infection prevention, control policies, and universal precautions. Assure that the proper tubes are used, and the correct amount of blood is drawn. Perform special drawing techniques when needed. Prepare the collection site and draw blood cultures. Instruct patients in procedures to be followed prior, during, and after tests, preparing schedules for a patient to follow to obtain the correct blood specimens at the required time. Collect chain of custody drug screens. Responsible for receiving and preparing test requests and specimens into the clinical laboratory and verifies the accuracy and completeness of the requests. Access all test requests into the facility's computer system. Recognize urgent testing situations and takes necessary action to direct the specimens to the proper location. Able to follow detailed instructions to operate various types of laboratory equipment, such as centrifuges, refrigerators, freezers, incubators, thermometers, timers, and eyewash stations. Serve as the reference and processor for complex specialized tests. Maintain a record of all specimens submitted to the reference laboratories by building, reviewing, and printing shipping manifests. Perform other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday- Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health Technician/PD50400A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized. Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): 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.