Massachusetts Healthcare Jobs

Summary Located in the Medical Technician in Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Service at the VA Clinic in Hyannis, MA, the Medical Technician performs phlebotomy and rotates in Hematology, Coagulation, Blood Bank, Chemistry, Urinalysis, and Microbiology. This position is responsible for a variety of procedures, including complex analysis and infrequently requested tests, evaluating abnormal results in all sections, using and maintaining equipment, and implementing and monitoring Quality Control. Responsibilities THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION Major duties and responsibilities include: Performs phlebotomy, following applicable procedures and guidelines Processes specimens using instrumentation such as centrifuges Measures aliquots of body fluids, such as 24-hour urine, to store or prepare for testing Provides efficient customer service to clients who contact the processing section by phone or in person Assists in training new staff and phlebotomy students in accessioning and phlebotomy skills Explains collection procedures, handling requirements and any special requirements for esoteric testing Operates instrumentation that performs blood cell testing with the newest methodologies which include impedance testing, flow cytometry, immunochemical staining Identifies abnormal cellular morphology Performs manual cell counts on body fluids, sedimentation rates on blood, cytocentrifugation preparations, and crystal examinations on body fluids utilizing polarized microscopy Operates instrumentation for semi-quantitative and quantitative measurements of chemical and cellular constituents in urine specimens Operates instrumentation for the determination of prothrombin time for warfarin monitoring, activated partial thromboplastin time, and d-dimer testing Operates and troubleshoots a variety of complex instrumentation Prepares slides, smears, cultures, etc., of extremely delicate or otherwise volatile specimens Performs other related duties as assigned DESIGNATED DRUG-TESTING POSITION: 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. Applicants will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test result is received. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm. May require coverage of evenings, nights, holidays, weekends, etc., as scheduled. Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required Requirements 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 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications This position includes a Selective Placement Factor (skill, knowledge, ability or other worker characteristic basic to - and essential for - satisfactory performance of the job). Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration. - The Selective Placement Factor for this position is: Experience performing phlebotomy/blood draws on human patients. AND 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. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position. AND To qualify for this position at the GS-7 level, you must meet one of the following: Experience: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-6) in Federal Service that has given you the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of a Medical Technician, GS-7. Specialized experience includes: (a) technical medical laboratory support work such as performing laboratory tests and examinations (chemical, microbiologic, hematologic and blood banking) and preparing reports of findings and/or (b) technical support work in a closely related field, e.g., biological laboratory technician work that required application of the methods and techniques of a Medical Lab Technician. Experience should include collecting, categorizing, cataloging, storing, and maintaining specimen integrity; and calibrating, standardizing, and maintaining equipment and instruments. Additional specific qualifying specialized experience for this position which should be documented on your resume is: Operating complex instrumentation in Hematology, Coagulation, Urinalysis, Chemistry, Microbiology and Blood Bank; interprets complex reports, cellular characteristics, and identifies abnormal smears and results; troubleshoots complex, and highly technical instrumentation; rotates and performs various complex testing procedures through a clinical laboratory; maintains quality assurance to include identifying and investigating specimen discrepancies. NOTE: 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. OR Education: Successful completion of one (1) full year of graduate education that is directly related to the work of this position. Such graduate education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR Combination: Equivalent combination of successfully completed graduate level education (beyond the first half year or 9 semester hours) and specialized experience, as described above. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Applies Technology to Tasks Specimen Collection Technical Competence Technical Problem Solving IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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. 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; religious; 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. 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 IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. Additional Information Physical Requirements: The work requires manual dexterity and exceptional hand/eye coordination, some physical exertion, such as regular and recurring walking, bending, sitting over a microscope and concentration for long periods of time while reading specimens and to stand for several consecutive hours during the preparation and analysis of specimens. In many situations the duration of the activity (most of a work day) contributes to the arduous nature of the job. Position requires lifting of reagent containers weighing up to 40 pounds. 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. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. 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. 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. For more information on how to apply using this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator within the office, contact the facility Human Resources Department at (401) 273-7100. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more before any Veterans preference points) for this vacancy. 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/. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.