Summary

This position is located in the Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Service (P&MLS) at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) - Veterans Health Administration (VHA) - VA Medical Center Fargo VA Health Care System - Fargo - ND. The primary purpose of this position is performing phlebotomy in the emergency room - impatient - outpatient - and extended care areas of the hospital and associated clinics - as well as performance of a variety of computer - customer service - instruction - and communication tasks.

Qualifications

To apply for this position - you must have the following qualifications: 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~ 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 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~ To qualify for this position at the GS-4 level - you must meet one of the following: EXPERIENCE: At least one (1) full year of specialized experience - equivalent to at least the GS-3 grade level - 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. Specialized experience is: (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. ~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 the training course as described in (a) above for GS-3; 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. ~OR~ COMBINATION: Equivalent combinations of post-high school education and specialized experience - as described above. Note: only education in excess of the first 30 semester hours of a course of study leading to an associate's degree creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. One full academic year of study - or 30 semester hours - beyond the first year is equivalent to 6 months of specialized experience. (Transcripts must be submitted at time of application) 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*** Major duties and responsibilities will include: Follows procedures for patient identification - sample procurement - and specimen labeling Performs routine venipuncture specimen collections from patients Follows laboratory procedures for collecting specimens in the appropriate container Controls the physical condition of samples and responds to time factors to ensure that the physiologic state of the specimen is maintained Provides education to patients for proper collection techniques Prepares samples for testing to include labeling - centrifugation - decanting and aliquoting - etc
• Maintains adequate supplies for all phlebotomy and specimen procurement procedures Answers incoming calls for the laboratory service - finding and relaying accurate information or referring the caller to technical personnel Performs standard diagnostic tests/procedures such as bleeding time - occult blood - urine dipstick - pregnancy test - fingerstick glucose Performs sterilization on the autoclave - and cleans glassware and other reusable items Identifies and appropriately responds to adverse reactions such as fainting - nausea - vomiting - convulsions - and arrests Perform other related duties as assigned Work Schedule: Monday - Friday
• Full - Time - 10:30am to 7:00pm with rotating weekends and holidays Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved 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.