Summary

Will serve as Medical Technician (Phlebotomist) in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service (P&MLS) at VA Minneapolis Health Care System - Minneapolis - MN. The technician performs phlebotomy in inpatient - outpatient - and extended care areas of the hospital and associated clinics. Performing a variety of computer - computer service - and communication tasks.

Qualifications

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. This position includes a Selective Placement Factor (skill - knowledge - ability or other worker characteristics basic to - and essential for - satisfactory performance of the job). Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointments 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. To qualify for this position at the GS-4 level - you must meet one of the following: EXPERIENCE: For this Medical Technician - GS-4 position - do you have: At least six (6) months of general experience - and six (6) months of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge - skills - and abilities (KSA's) to successfully perform the duties of the position - and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled? General Experience is: (1) Any type of work that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work of the position - or (2) experience that provided a familiarity with the subject matter or processes of the broad subject area of the occupation. Examples of Specialized experience include: (a) Technical medical laboratory support work such as performing laboratory tests and examinations (chemical - microbiologic - hematologic and blood banking) and preparing reports of findings or (b) technical support work in a closely related field - e.g. - biological laboratory technician work that required application of the methods and techniques for the position to be filled. Qualifying experience: includes: Independently performs phlebotomy procedures - following a sequence of steps approve for sample collection. Selects the best venipuncture site - most suitable phlebotomy equipment - and proper collection vials. Assesses condition of patient before - during - and after procedure. Identifies unusual test results or conditions that can lead to erroneous results. Assesses sample integrity and suitability. Note: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title - duties - month and year start/end dates AND hour worked per week. ~OR~ EDUCATION: Successful completion of (a) an associate-degree course of study of which the 2nd year of the 2-year program included successful completion of a training course of approximately a year's duration in a certified laboratory assistant school approved by a nationally recognized accrediting agency; (b) 1 year of study that included 6 semester hours in chemistry and/or the biological sciences - plus successful completion of (a) a full-time training course of approximately a year's duration in a medical or clinical laboratory assistant (or technician) school that included instruction in chemistry - hematology - blood banking - and microbiology (including serology) and that - in addition - included supervised laboratory practice incident to the diagnostic process and the treatment of patients; or (c) 2 years of study that included at least 12 semester hours of chemistry and/or biological science course work that must have been directly related to the specialization of the position to be filled. (Transcripts must be submitted at time of application) ~OR~ COMBINATION: Equivalent combinations of post-high school education and experience - as described above. (Transcripts must be submitted at time of application) You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Computer Skills Customer Service (Clerical/Technical) Patient Care Quality Assurance Specimen Collection 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. Physical Requirements: The work requires manual dexterity and exceptional hand/eye coordination - some physical exertion - such as regular walking - reaching - bending - and to stand for several consecutive hours during the collection and specimens. Work is performed at a fast pace. In many situations the duration of the activity(such as most of the work day) contributes to the arduous nature of the job. Position requires occasional lifting of reagent/supply containers weighing up to 20 pounds. 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

• ***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION - YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Duties may incluude but not limited to Specimen collection is performed in the hospital rooms - extended care rooms and outpatient specimen collection area
• May also be performed under emergent situation such as cardiac arrest - Stroke - critically ill or non-cooperative patients
• Follow standard operating procedures for guidance in specimen collection however all situations will not be addressed in procedures and frequently must use professional knowledge when collecting specimens
• Work is frequently performed at a fast paced and must be able to independently make decisions on specimen procurement problems
• Identifies test that require special handling conditions and appropriately preform proper specimen collection
• Initiates emergency care procedures in the even a patient has a reaction to blood collection procedures including fainting - hematoma - and anxiety
• Adheres to laboratory safety policies and regulatory requirements including infection control policies such as hand hygiene - specimen transport - and patient isolation
• Has knowledge of using protective clothing and gear - such as gloves - gowns - and face masks - eye protection and biological safety hoods - as appropriate according to the hospital guidelines and for Standard Precautions
• Ensure specimens are maintained at the proper temperature and conditions to ensure integrity (on ice - protected from light) as required by the test required by the test ordered
• Must prioritize STAT - ASAP and routine specimen collection
• Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday - day time hours - no weekend or holidays
• Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Telework: Not Authorized