Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. Open to U.S. Citizen

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

This position is assigned to the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service at the Carl Vinson VA Medical Center in Dublin, Georgia. The Clinical Laboratory Scientist (CLS) at this level independently carries out the day-to-day operations in the laboratory. The CLS develops, performs, evaluates, interprets, correlates, and validates the accuracy of laboratory procedures and results in line with current laboratory regulatory requirements.

• Evaluates the suitability of the specimen for analysis, requesting new specimen if determined to be unusable.
• Prepare specimens for analysis, ensuring physiologic state of the specimen properties is maintained.
• Recognize and react to indicators of malfunction; implement corrections.
• Conduct quality control procedures on equipment, reagents, and products and maintain proper records for quality control reports.
• Calibrate, standardize, adjust, and maintain instruments.
• Evaluate the validity of data in relation to the test system and accepted assay procedures.
• Perform additional tests to clarify or confirm abnormal patient results.
• Recognize critical tests and results that require immediate attention by the physician and report them timely and accordingly to established procedures.
• Recognize critical tests and results that require immediate attention by the physician and report them timely and accordingly to established procedures.
• Generates laboratory results from the work area into the laboratory computer system and for the editing and verification of the results recorded into the computer.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 7:00 am until 3:30 pm; Holidays, Weekends, & On-Call may be required as needed.
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 VISN7EDRPFacilityCoordinators2@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) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.
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 #: 59348F
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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.
• 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.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403 (f).
• Education: A bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university.
  • NOTE: The Supervisory CLS (Laboratory Director), GS-15, requires unique education requirements.
• Certification: Candidates must meet one of the certification options below.
  • Generalist certification as an MLS given by ASCP BOC or AMT, OR,
  • Generalist certification as an MT given by ASCP BOR or AMT

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:

Clinical Laboratory Scientist, GS-11.

Experience or Education. Candidates at this level must meet one of the criteria below:
Experience. 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.
OR,
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 science.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• Knowledge of professional clinical laboratory science principles, practices, concepts, and theories that support sound, independent work.
• Knowledge of laboratory quality control and quality assurance procedures and principles of performance improvement.
• Skill in informatics, laboratory data flow, and laboratory processes.
• Ability to maintain, troubleshoot, and repair instrumentation.
• Ability to use independent technical judgment to analyze and interpret laboratory results.
• Ability to read, interpret, and apply complex written instructions.
• Ability to communicate, consult, and interact with other members of the health care team, external relations, customer service, and patient education.

Preferred Experience: None

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant will be selected for this vacancy is GS-11

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for 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; 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.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

Special Note for Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume Document. This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted 'Resume' document upload field.

Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field.

1. Resume - must include the following information for each job listed: Job Title and Duties (be as detailed as possible), Month & year start/end dates (e.g. June2007 to April 2008), full-time or part-time (include hours worked per week) and Education (location, degree earned and date awarded), Supervisor's name and telephone number, Please indicate whether your supervisor(s) can be contacted.
2. Transcript - Copy of transcripts showing the date the degree was conferred.
Applicants will be rated ineligible if not submitted and/or if degree conferred date is not provided.
3. Copy of current certification. Applicants will be rated ineligible if not submitted.

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