Clinical Laboratory Scientist Job in Cleveland, OH

Summary

This job is open to

• The public

  U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

• Internal to an agency

  Current federal employees of the hiring agency that posted the job announcement.

Duties

Duties and tasks include but are not limited to the following:

• Maintains and demonstrates knowledge of professional clinical laboratory science principles, practices, concepts, and theories that support sound, independent work.
• Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of laboratory quality control and quality assurance procedures and principles of performance improvement.
• Demonstrates skill in informatics, laboratory data flow, and laboratory processes.
• Utilizes comprehensive knowledge of laboratory equipment and maintains, troubleshoots, and repairs instrumentation and demonstrates proper documentation of corrective action.
• Uses independent technical judgement to analyze and interpret laboratory results.
• Reads, interprets, and applies complex written instructions.
• Communicates, consults, and interacts with other members of the healthcare team, external relations, customer service, and patient education.
• Evaluates the suitability of each specimen for analysis, requesting a new specimen
• if determined to be unusable.
• Prepares specimen for analysis according to established procedures.
• Ensures acceptable orders have been placed by a provider and accurately accessions and receives specimens, maintaining correct patient identification throughout each phase of processing, analysis, and resulting.
• Selects, performs, evaluates, and monitors the performance of test procedures using manual and/or automated techniques in accordance with established protocols.
• Recognizes and reacts to indicators of malfunction; locates and implements corrective action.
• Conducts quality control procedures on instrumentation, equipment, reagents, and products and maintains proper records for quality control reports.
• Performs initial quality control of all incoming reagents and supplies as required.
• Performs initial testing on all reagents received in chemistry, blood bank, coagulation, and hematology before reagents are put into use.
• Calibrates, standardizes, adjusts, and maintains instruments.
• Evaluates the validity of the data in relation to the test system and accepted assay procedures.
• Reviews and investigates delta checks, flags, alerts, etc. and performs additional testing to clarify or confirm abnormal patient results.
• Recognizes abnormal results that require immediate attention by the physician and reports them directly and follows the proper laboratory and medical center policies.
• Responsible for the generation of laboratory results from the work area into the laboratory computer system and for the editing and verification of results recorded into the computer system.
• Performs checks to maintain compliance with regulatory bodies such as AABB,
  FDA, The Joint Commission (TJC), College of American Pathologists (CAP), and
  the Office of Inspector General (OIG) such as temperature checks, inventory
  control, blood utilization tracking, instrument maintenance and testing.
• Maintains accountability for inventory and ordering of all supplies, including blood
  products and reagents for all shifts and inventory of expendable supplies.
• Follows all safety and infectious disease policies while conducting duties of the
  position.
• Performs routine and stat laboratory testing within the established time limits.

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 trial period.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• 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).

How You Will Be Evaluated

Required Documents

How to Apply

All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/19/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12795002.

1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.

Next steps

Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.

Areas of Consideration - Applicants will be considered based on the following 3 areas of consideration.

• First Area of Consideration (Facility Employees) - Current, permanent VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System employees (this includes Outpatient Clinics, permanent employees of the Veteran Canteen Service assigned to this facility, Office of Information & Technology employees assigned to this facility, CPAC bargaining unit employees located at the Cleveland VAMC, and Virtual CBOPC bargaining unit employees under station 741 located at the Cleveland VAMC.
• Second Area of Consideration (Other VA Employees) - Current, permanent Department of Veterans Affairs Employees (VA employees who are located somewhere other than the VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System).
• Third Area of Consideration (External Candidates) - All other United States Citizens