Health Technician

Description:

This position will provide support in a wide variety of basic clinical and intermediate level administrative activities. The incumbent must ensure compliance with VA regulations, JCAHO standards and other regulatory agencies. The purpose of the position is to improve the quality and timeliness by which basic services are delivered to the patients.

Requirements:

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/26/2024.



You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-4 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: technical medical laboratory support work such as performing laboratory tests and examinations (chemical, microbiologic, hematologic and blood banking) and preparing reports of findings; technical support work in a closely related field (e.g. biological laboratory technician work) that required application of the methods of techniques for the position being filled; and experience performing phlebotomy/blood draw procedures on human patients. OR,
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to a Health Technician position. OR,
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of experience and education that is qualifying for this vacancy. For GS-5 level positions, only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. Two full academic years of study, or 60 semester hours, beyond the second year is equivalent to l year of specialized experience. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
  
• Computer Skills

Customer Service Patient Care Specimen Collection Teamwork

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; religions; 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.

Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. 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.

Preferred Experience: Experience in Phlebotomy, Point of Care Testing (Glucose checks), and EKGs.

Physical Requirements: The work is performed in a Primary Care Service Line Clinical area. This includes a variety of potential extended periods of sitting, walking, standing, carrying of items weighing up to 20 pounds. In general the work does not require special physical demands.

Work Environment: The work is performed in outpatient/lab care settings of the Medical Center. The environment involves risks which require normal safety precautions. The employee works in a health care facility where exposure to contagious disease and carcinogenic materials exists. Additionally, this involves the risk of assault by patients who may be mentally impaired. Features of this environment include varying patient populations that range from minimal acuity to critically ill.

Recruitment/Relocation Incentive: A recruitment or relocation incentive may be paid to a Highly Qualified candidate. Note: Definition of Highly Qualified Candidates: Candidates who possess unique skills and competencies needed to perform critical mission-essential functions. Per OPM.gov, to be Highly Qualified, the candidates are considered by the Human Resources Office and the subject matter expert (selecting official) as being highly proficient in all the requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position almost immediately or with a minimum amount of training and/or orientation.

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/.