Supervisory Medical Technologist - Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration

Summary This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. Responsibilities VA Careers - Pharmacy: https://youtube.com/embed/Fn_ickNBEws VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU VA Careers - Licensed Clinical Social Worker: https://youtube.com/embed/U_xC25QsN0w VA Careers - Microbiology/Molecular Medical Technologist: https://youtube.com/embed/eSDGhIwZKdw VA Careers - Biomedical Engineer: https://youtube.com/embed/F571hsIKQUk VA Careers - Diagnostic Radiologic Technologist: https://youtube.com/embed/I-4ku5UMvWM VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/EE9c4XkaELo VA Careers - Lead Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/UJO_XH5uCLs VA Careers - Licensed Practical Nurse: https://youtube.com/embed/Ae85IP1Oiz4 VA Careers - Psychologist: https://youtube.com/embed/77qHlLw9Xck Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Medical Technologist: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Medical-Technologist-Career-Flyer.pdf This position reports to the Finger Lakes VA Healthcare System Integrated Laboratory Manager and serves as the Supervisory Medical Technologist for the Canandaigua and ROPC locations of the Finger Lakes VA Healthcare System Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service (PALMS). In addition to the site supervisor responsibilities, the position serves as the Finger Lakes VA Healthcare System PALMS Supervisory Medical Technologist for the Hematology, Coagulation, Urinalysis and Referral Laboratory sections. The incumbent also provides support throughout the clinical and patient care areas of the medical center involved with the PALMS. Serves as a recognized technical expert to provide authoritative advice & consultation in areas of quality control/assurance, records control, proficiency testing, inspection, and accreditation to all levels of the organization relative to Hematology, Coagulation, Urinalysis and Referral Lab testing. The Incumbent performs: Plans and schedules on-going work, Adjusts staffing levels or work procedures. Chooses methods for achieving work goals, objectives, and management strategies. Day-to-day supervision of highly complex test performance. Is responsible for monitoring test analyses and specimen examination to ensure acceptable levels of performance. Assures corrective action is initiated when test performance deviates from established performance specifications. Assures orientation, training and competency assessment of staff. Implements and monitors quality management activities. Performs the full range of supervisory duties. Recommends appointment, plans and assigns work, gives advice and counsel, and evaluates work of subordinates. Assures that prescribed quality control measures are met and maintained by all personnel. Performs regular review of quality control for all sections of the laborator. Advises technologist on a course of action to follow when standard and control sample values are unacceptable. Works with Laboratory Manager and Pathologist to develop annual PI programs for the laboratory. Implements and monitors the programs. Provides appropriate reports and posts progress. Monitors laboratory quality issues in other related departments and Community Based Outpatient Clinics. Works with the Pathologist and Laboratory Manager to make appropriate changes to procedures, equipment and supplies used in these areas in order to meet quality measures and regulatory requirements. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday: 7:30 am to 4:00 pm and weekends and holidays as assigned. Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact, VISN2EDRPCoordinators@va.gov. the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement: Supervisory Medical Technologist Permanent Change of Station (PCS): 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. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. 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. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. 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 Basic Requirements: a. Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g, this part.) b. Education and/or Experience Combination (1) A bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university in medical laboratory science, medical technology, clinical laboratory science or in a related science (e.g., laboratory sciences such as chemistry, biochemistry, biology, microbiology, immunology, etc.). AND completion of a medical technology clinical practice program. Clinical practice programs completed after 1974 must have been accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS), Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP, formerly CAHEA), or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). The professional curriculum may have consisted of a post-baccalaureate certificate program or be integrated into a four-year program of study that culminated in a baccalaureate degree. OR, (2) A bachelor's degree from an accredited college/university, including 16 semester hours of biological science (with one course in microbiology), 16 semester hours of chemistry (with one course in organic or biochemistry) and one course in mathematics, AND two years of post-certification clinical laboratory experience (e.g., blood banking, chemistry, hematology, microbiology, immunology, clinical microscopy, etc.) within the last ten years as a certified Medical Laboratory Technician by the American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Certification (ASCP-BOC), American Society of Clinical Pathology Board of Registry (ASCP-BOR) or American Medical Technologists (AMT). This experience must include performing moderate and/or high complexity testing in blood banking, chemistry, hematology, microbiology immunology and clinical microscopy (or categorical experience which matches categorical certification) in a clinical laboratory. OR, (3) A bachelor's degree from an accredited college/university, including 16 semester hours of biological science (with one course in microbiology), 16 semester hours of chemistry (with one course in organic or biochemistry) and one course in mathematics, AND five years of clinical laboratory experience within the last ten years performing moderate and/or high complexity testing in blood banking, chemistry, hematology, microbiology, immunology and clinical microscopy (or categorical experience which matches categorical certification) in a clinical laboratory. c. Foreign Graduates. Graduates of foreign baccalaureate degree programs meet the educational and/or experience requirements if the degree is found to be equivalent to degree programs recognized by the NAACLS or clinical laboratory experience as described in paragraph 2b(2) or (3) above. This finding may be based on either of the following: (1) A letter from a college or university with a baccalaureate program recognized by the NAACLS stating that the individual's foreign degree has been evaluated and been found to be equivalent to its bachelor of medical technology degree. (2) A letter from ASCP-BOC or AMT stating that the individual is eligible for the certification examination. d. Certification. Candidates must have either (1) or (2) below: (1) Candidates must currently possess the appropriate certification as a MT, MLS, or CLS given by the ASCP-BOC, ASCP-BOR, or AMT. (2) For positions up to the full performance level, candidates must currently possess the categorical or specialist technologist level certification from the certification agencies listed above, such as, but not limited to, chemistry (C/SC), hematology (H/SH), microbiology (M/SM), molecular biology (MB/SMB) and blood bank (BB/SBB). Technologists with categorical or specialist certifications may only perform duties within the area of the laboratory specific to their categorical certification (e. g., an individual with a chemistry (C) certification can only perform duties in chemistry). (5) Loss of Credential. Once certified, MTs must maintain their certification. Loss of certification will result in removal from the occupation and may result in termination of employment. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. English Language Proficiency. MTs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part. 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: Creditable Experience Knowledge of Current Professional Laboratory Practice. For positions at or above the full performance level, the experience must have demonstrated the use of knowledge, skills and abilities as a MT and may be paid or non-paid employment. Quality of Experience. Experience is only creditable if it is equivalent to at least the next lower grade level and is directly related to the position being filled. Part-time Experience. Part-time experience as a MT is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time workweek. For example, a MT would receive 1 week of full-time credit for each 2 weeks of half-time work. Graduate Education. Graduate education and graduate degrees may be substituted as specified at each grade level. Education must have been from an accredited college or university in a field related to MT (e.g., biochemistry, chemistry, microbiology, immunology, hematology, immunohematology, biological science, physiology, allied health education, health systems administration, infection control and preventive medicine), which was accredited at the time the candidate completed the program. GS-11 (a) Experience. Must have 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the full performance level (GS-9), which is directly related to the position to be filled. OR, (b) 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 field. Supervisory Technologist. The incumbent has full supervisory responsibility for smaller, less complex laboratories or laboratories having no GS-11 positions subordinate to the supervisor. Employees in this assignment perform the full range of supervisory duties for one or more sections of the laboratory, including responsibility for assignment of work performed; performance evaluations; recommendations for appointment, awards, advancement and disciplinary actions; identification of continuing education and training needs. The individual ensures compliance with accrediting agency and regulatory requirements; establishes and monitors the quality of the pre-analytical processes as part of the overall laboratory quality management program, and initiates corrective action. This individual will develop policies and procedures, manage document control, develop performance standards, position descriptions and functional statements. Responsible for professional and administrative management of an assigned area, to include budget execution, orientation and competency assessment of assigned staff. The supervisor will maintain effective interdepartmental relations with other services in order to accomplish medical center goals. In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (See the Additional Information Section Below.) References: VA Handbook 5005/72, Part 2, Appendix G-24, Medical Technologist Qualification Standard, dated May 12, 2014. The full performance level of this vacancy is at the GS-11 level. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information a. Knowledge of Federal and state laws, regulations and accrediting/regulatory requirements in order to develop plans and procedures for the laboratory. b. Knowledge of laboratory quality management procedures and principles sufficient to establish and monitor a laboratory quality management program and/or education and training of laboratory staff. c. Demonstrated leadership and managerial skills including skill in interpersonal relations and conflict resolution in order to deal with employees, team leaders and managers. d. Ability to perform the full range of supervisory duties which includes responsibility for assignment of work, performance evaluations, selection of staff, recommendation of awards, advancements and disciplinary actions. e. Ability to plan, organize, set short and/or long term goals and conduct studies on technical and administrative problems, including personnel shortages, organizational structure, new technology, etc. f. Knowledge of concepts, principles and methods of clinical laboratory technology and operations. Physical Requirements: The incumbent must be able to perform moderate lifting of 15-44 pounds, straight pulling, pushing, reaching above the shoulder, use of fingers and both hands, walking 4-8 hours, standing 4-8 hours, kneeling, repeated bending, and use of both arms and legs. Specific visual requirements include vision for both eyes, depth perception, the ability to distinguish colors and shades of colors, and the ability to read ordinary type without strain. The incumbent must have adequate hearing (aids permitted), and the emotional stability and mental stability to deal with stressful situations. The employee must have rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously and have the ability to operate a motor vehicle as occasional travel to and from the CBOCs may be required. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. (c) Assignments. These assignments require specialized training and experience and have wide latitude for exercising independent judgment. Employees must have advanced knowledge of specialized and complex subject matter extending beyond the duties of test performance. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty) and range of variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. 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.