Clinical Laboratory Scientist - Send Outs

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.

01Basic Requirements

United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. Education. A bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university. Certification. Candidates must meet one of the certification options below. Generalist certification as an MLS given by ASCP BOC or AMT. Generalist certification as an MT given by ASCP BOR or AMT.

Categorical certification or Specialist certification by ASCP or AMT NOTE: Categorical and specialist certifications are not acceptable for CLS Generalist positions or lab sections unrelated to the categorical or specialist certification held.

Categorical or specialist certifications are acceptable for higher-graded positions within the relevant lab section or one of the non-section specific assignments (including, Ancillary Testing Coordinator, Education Coordinator, Laboratory Information Manager, Quality Manager, Laboratory Manager, Regional Technical Specialist, National Quality and Compliance Agent, Regional Program Manager, Regional Director, Laboratory Director, or National Quality and Compliance Officer). Exception for Non-Certified.

Applicants who do not currently hold valid certification may be hired by VA and actively work toward their certification if they meet one of 4 the routes identified in Appendix A that makes them eligible to take the MLS certification exam through the ASCP BOC or the MLS certification exam through AMT Certification Agency. Non-Certified applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements for licensure may be given a temporary appointment CLS under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2).

Non-Certified individuals may only provide care under the supervision of a certified CLS at or above the Full Performance Level. Non-certified individuals may only be appointed at the entry level and may not be promoted/converted until certification is obtained. Temporary appointments of non-certified CLS may not be extended beyond 2 years or be converted to a new temporary appointment.

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).

02Grade Determinations

Clinical Laboratory Scientist, GS-07. Experience. None beyond the basic requirements. Clinical Laboratory Scientist, GS-09. Experience or Education. Candidates at this level must meet one of the criteria below: Experience. 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade. OR Education. Master's degree or 2 academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education in medical technology or a directly related science. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.

In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (a)Knowledge of policies and procedures of clinical laboratory testing. (b)Knowledge of laboratory quality control and quality assurance principles. (c)Knowledge of laboratory equipment and routine maintenance. (d)Ability to work as a team member and effectively complete assignments. (e)Ability to read and interpret written instructions. (f)Ability to accurately perform pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical phases of testing.

Clinical Laboratory Scientist, GS-11 Experience or Education. Candidates at this level must meet one of the criteria below: Experience. 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. OR Education. Must have 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education or a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in medical technology or a directly related science. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.

In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (a)Knowledge of professional clinical laboratory science principles, practices, concepts, and theories that support sound, independent work.(b)Knowledge of laboratory quality control and quality assurance procedures and principles of performance improvement. (c)Skill in informatics, laboratory data flow, and laboratory processes. (d)Ability to maintain, troubleshoot, and repair instrumentation. (e)Ability to use independent technical judgment to analyze and interpret laboratory results. (f)Ability to read, interpret, and apply complex written instructions. (g)Ability to communicate, consult, and interact with other members of the health care team, external relations, customer service, and patient education.

03Preferred Experience

This position requires ASCP / AMT Certification and at least 2 years of experience working as a Medical Technologist. The ideal applicant should have a demonstrated history of job stability and minimum of 3 continuous years Experience working independently on an evening or overnight shift in a core laboratory, including experience in Chemistry, Hematology, Microbiology, and Blood Bank. 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-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-07 to GS-11.

04Physical Requirements

Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, puling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment.

Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Major duties for the position include (but are not limited to): - Performs the full range of Send Out Section procedures for all laboratory sections including specimen accessioning, processing, distribution, manifest preparation, specimen storage, packaging, report verification, provider notification, and report entry. - Completes Training for Shipping Dangerous Goods (Category A & B) annually, or as required. - Implements and follows safety, Infection Control, OSHA, International Air Transport Association (IATA), The Joint Commission (TJC) and DVA requirements concerning specimen processing and shipping and complies with regulations of CAP, AABB, FDA, and all other relevant regulatory bodies. - Develops procedures and protocols for sending samples from all laboratory sections to external entities for testing, analysis, and consultative services, as well as evaluating validity of the reference lab results, and reporting outside results in the VA electronic Health Record (EHR). - Sends samples from all laboratory sections to external entities for testing, analysis, and consultative services, evaluates validity of the reference lab results, and reports outside results in the VA electronic Health Record (EHR) following established procedures and protocols. - Contacts Reference Labs as needed for test information, pricing, shipping requirements, and any issues with reports such as clarification to comments, demographic corrections, reporting delays or cancellations. - Communicates with providers as needed to seek demographic information, patient history, and clarification of testing being requested. - Seeks approval from Pathologists for new tests and testing over the budget threshold. - Processes reference lab samples to assure all sample requirements are met. - Prepares manual testing requisitions and electronic manifests as appropriate. - Packs and ships glass slides and blocks to the Joint Pathology center (JPC) for consultation. - Packs blood, glass slides, or paraffin blocks for genetic testing. - Packs and sends PAPs to an outside reference laboratory for interpretation.

Tracks samples and scans and/or types results into the electronic medical record. - Packs and ships Glass Slides to other VA facilities for QC review. - Reconciles incomplete testing lists for all send out laboratories and VA Reference Laboratories. - Tracks packages, checks incomplete lists, reports test results, and communicates with providers as appropriate for send-out concerns and issues. - Resolves lost and delayed package occurrences. - Resolves lost and delayed package occurrences and creates Issue Briefs as needed.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:30 am - 5:00 pm, with occasional weekends and Holidays as needed for clinical coverage (Subject to change based on the needs of the facility) Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact [email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance.

Learn more Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 01186F, 01187F, 01188F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized