Clinical Laboratory Scientist (Quality Manager)

Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to (Current & Permanent) Federal Employees and United States Citizens. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

The CLS (Quality Manager) serves as a consultant, facilitator, trainer, and technical advisor to staff at all levels to ensure facility compliance with clinical laboratory accreditation and regulatory standards that include, but are not limited to, Joint Commission (JC), College of American Pathologists (CAP), and the Office of the Inspector General (OIG). The CLS ensures the laboratory maintains continuous readiness and supports the organization's performance improvement and patient safety programs. The CLS maintains a laboratory performance improvement program, ensures monitoring of components and customer feedback, and interacts with management officials and organizations involved in inter- laboratory quality assurance and proficiency testing. This individual develops, implements, and performs quality management policy review. The CLS advises lab management on quality management concerns that could impact other services and assists with the necessary follow ups. The CLS identifies current lab functions needing improvement and develops a plan with associated individuals to implement change and monitor improvement. The CLS uses comprehensive knowledge for statistical evaluation and analysis and understands laboratory operations and the laboratory's relationship to the organization. The CLS follows laboratory quality control/assurance practices based on policies, procedures, and principles. The individual evaluates and implements new techniques and procedures to address laboratory quality including development of validation plans in terms of equipment, method comparison, and establishment of reference intervals using statistical methods and theoretical knowledge. The CLS provides oversight, guidance, and advice to develop required quality assurance monitors and focused reviews. This individual provides consultative services for laboratory-related root cause analysis, health care failure mode effect analysis, and sentinel events and develops action plans and outcome measures. The CLS establishes processes to monitor compliance with policies, identify patterns and/or trends, and ensure findings from quality management activities and performance improvement initiatives are used to redesign systems to improve quality. The CLS implements surveillance procedures to monitor variables that affect quality of services.
The CLS is skilled in evaluating, interpreting, and teaching others to use quality control procedures and implement corrective actions.
- Applies policies, precedents, regulatory, licensing, and accrediting requirements to establish and monitor appropriate reference laboratories utilized at WTVAHCS.
- Assists supervisor in ensuring compliance with rules and regulations of assorted regulatory agencies such as CAP, The Joint Commission, and OSHA. Coordinates quality control activities and proficiency testing program with the supervisor. - Researches qualitative and quantitative methods. Performs statistical analysis on quality control and quality assurance monitors.

Duties continued in Education Section

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8 AM - 4:30 PM
Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade). This will be considered on an individual basis and is at the discretion of the hiring manager to request. Medical Center Director approval is required before this can be offered.
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). This will be considered on an individual basis and is at the discretion of the hiring manager to request. Medical Center Director approval is required before this can be offered.
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 #:53947-F
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 identification 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

Education. A bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university

Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. Graduates of foreign baccalaureate degree programs meet the educational requirements if they meet either of the following:

1. Foreign transcripts are evaluated by an acceptable evaluation agency, and the degree is found to be equivalent to a NAACLS-approved U.S. clinical laboratory science degree program.

OR

2. Eligible to take the certification examination. You must submit a letter from ASCP BOC or AMT stating that you are eligible to take the certification examination.

NOTE: Possession of one of the following certifications automatically determines the foreign education as creditable and no further documentation or proof of equivalency is needed.
(a) Generalist certification as an MLS given by ASCP BOC or AMT.
(b) Generalist certification as an MT given by ASCP BOR or AMT.
(c) Categorical certification or Specialist certification (related to this position) by ASCP or AMT.

Certification. Candidates must meet one of the certification options below.
(a) Generalist certification as an MLS given by ASCP BOC or AMT.
(b) Generalist certification as an MT given by ASCP BOR or AMT.
(c) Categorical certification or Specialist certification (related to this position) by ASCP or AMT.

GS-12 GRADE DETERMINATION: CLINICAL LABORATORY SCIENTIST (QUALITY MANAGER)

Specialized Experience: Must have one year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, GS-11

Note: To be equivalent to the GS-11 level, experience also had to be gained while having an active:

• Generalist certification as an MLS given by ASCP BOC or AMT (or)
• Generalist certification as an MT given by ASCP BOR or AMT (or)
• Categorical certification or Specialist certification by ASCP or AMT related to the lab section for this position

Creditable Experience. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with current CLS practices. The experience satisfying this requirement may be paid or non-paid employment as a CLS in the health care field. Research laboratory experience does not fulfill this requirement.

Quality of Experience. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to CLS experience at the next lower grade level of the position being filled. For all assignments above the full performance level (FPL), the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity, and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time.

Reference - GS-11 Clinical Laboratory Specialist Experience is the following: This is considered full performance level for a CLS. A 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. The work performed may be in a variety of laboratory specialties such as chemistry, microbiology, immunology, hematology, and immunohematology. Testing procedures are performed on a variety of biological specimens and/or environmental samples using manual or automated methods. In addition to routine testing, the CLS conducts quality control and routine maintenance of instrumentation and troubleshooting. The CLS correlates abnormal lab data with pathological states, determines the validity of test results, and the need for additional tests. Specific targeted laboratory responsibilities or projects may include laboratory safety officer, analyzer specialist, primary operator on new test systems, quality control specialist, supply control, and/or coordinator for the laboratory competency assessment or proficiency/survey program. This assignment may include limited duties in areas such as lab information management and ancillary testing. These tasks require a broad exercise of independent judgment and responsibility, including organizing and setting priorities with minimal technical supervision. The CLS assesses a situation, considers the options, and formulates an appropriate course of action. This assignment includes monitoring quality control systems and measures, collaborating in the diagnosis and treatment of patients, and providing education for laboratory health care professionals and the public in a professional, courteous, and effective manner.



Clinical Laboratory Scientist (Quality Manager), GS-12.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• Knowledge of the concepts, principles, and practices of medical technology sufficient to perform the full range of duties involved in planning, coordinating, and evaluating laboratory services.
• Knowledge of accrediting agencies and regulatory requirements pertaining to laboratory operations.
• Knowledge of laboratory operations and relationships to the organization.
• Skill in applying laboratory quality control/assurance policies, procedures, and principles and safety practices and regulations.
• Ability to apply quality management performance improvement principles, methodology, and processes to develop and manage a clinical laboratory quality management program.
• Ability to apply statistical evaluation and analysis to quality assurance data and implement corrective actions when indicated.

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

This position is above the full-performance level (GS-11) for this occupation. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12.

Preferred Experience:

• 5 or more years of full-time experience as a medical technologist
• 1 year of full-time experience as a supervisor or a quality management professional
• Additional certification as a professional in healthcare quality (CPHQ)
• Familiarity and experience with CLSI Quality Management Systems standards

Physical Requirements:

• Physical aspects associated with work for this assignment are typical for the occupation and would generally not require a pre-placement examination.

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:

• Long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV)
• CLS MT or Categorical Certification from ASCP or AMT

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (Schedule A)
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• Long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV)
• CLS MT or Categorical Certification from ASCP or AMT
• PCS Orders
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

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