Health Physicist (Radiation Safety) Job in San Diego, CA

Vacancy No. CBSX-12651264-25-JL Department Veterans Health Administration
Salary $117,776.00 to $153,113.00 Grade 13 to 13
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 1/2/2025 Close Date 1/13/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
San Diego, CA


Summary

The position is a full performance level Health Physicist serving a the Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) and Laser Safety Officer (LSO) located in the Environmental Health and Safety Service, San Diego, CA VAHCS medical facility with complex uses of radioactive material and complex uses of machines that produce ionizing radiation lasers with a FDA class I, IIa, II, IIIB, and IV medical lasers.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

ALL US CITIZENS DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.201) for this occupation.

Duties

The incumbent serves as the RSO overseeing a comprehensive program in support of many dozens or even hundreds of individuals in the services or sections of Imaging, Nuclear Medicine, Radiation Oncology, and various medical and surgical specialties using radioactive material or ionizing radiation in clinical, academic, and research settings under a radioactive materials permit issued by the NHPP. The incumbent advises other health physicists, researchers, technical, and medical personnel regarding the use of radioactive material and devices producing ionizing radiation; reviews experimental procedures, clinical therapeutic dosimetry calculations, occupational dosimetry determinations for employees, and evaluative measurements of patient absorbed doses; and plays the lead role in policy development for the medical facility's radiation safety program. The incumbent provides technical and expert assistance and support to offsite senior technical experts and other groups and organizations outside the medical facility.

The RSO allocates resources and defines objectives, priorities, and deadlines with review of the end products. He or she directs, supervises and conducts emergency response procedures for radiological emergencies. He or she oversees and/or evaluates shielding requirements for radiographic imaging devices, linear accelerators, and radioactive materials and establishes a monitoring program to determine resulting exposure levels. He or she evaluates the training and experience of the medical staff and other professional personnel relative to regulatory compliance requirements for the use of radioactive materials in clinical and research settings.

As the executive agent of the facility's radiation safety program, the incumbent will act to manage radioactive material and ionizing radiation hazards under the authority delegated from the Radiation Safety Committee and medical facility Director. The incumbent is responsible for the daily operation of the radiation safety program and has a signed RSO Delegation of Authority memorandum from the medical facility Director. The incumbent advises medical center leadership and service chiefs on all aspects of health physics, including disaster planning for accidents involving radiation exposure or radioactive contamination. The incumbent advises on design criteria for both minor and major modifications to parts of the facility where radioactive material is used or stored, or where machines producing ionizing radiation are installed or operated.

The incumbent is an expert in radiation safety and health physics for a complex healthcare facility that has a large number of entities using radioactive material and radiation producing devices. The incumbent advises staff on unusual, complex and critical problems encountered and develops solutions when implementing new clinical programs, such as PET/CT or PET/MR and new radiopharmaceutical therapies, when designing new or remodeling existing clinical facilities such as PET/CT, PET/MR, or SPECT/CT imaging facilities and radiation oncology facilities, and when creating or revising facility policy and procedures, The incumbent advises staff regarding safety and regulatory compliance aspects of biomedical research programs and facilities involving radioactive material and equipment producing ionizing radiation. The incumbent advises staff regarding the response to adverse incidents and emergencies involving radiological activities.

The incumbent provides expertise in the overall development, implementation and management of the laser safety program. Provides oversight and technical expertise for medical center staff who work with FDA class I, Ila, IIIA, 111B, and IV medical lasers. Provides oversight and applicable training for any new lasers prior to activation.

The duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

  • Radiation Safety Program Management
  • Support of Clinical Patient Care and Research
  • Laser Safety Program Management
  • Medical and Radiological Physics Support
  • Education and Training
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm PST
Position Description Title/PD#: Health Physicist (Radiation Safety)/14660
Physical Requirements: The work requires some physical exertion, long periods of walking/standing during audits of clinical programs such as nuclear medicine and standing while giving presentations to groups of people. Bending and squatting is necessary when surveying floors and surfaces in use areas to assess radioactive contamination by collecting wipe samples and scanning with radiation survey meters. Much of the work is administrative in nature and requires sitting in an office and utilizing computers. In addition, periods of driving in traffic are required to visit outlying clinics and CBOCs. Lifting up to 50 pounds is occasionally required, such as when handing containers of radioactive waste.
Recruitment/Relocation Incentive: May be Authorized for Highly Qualified Applicants

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
  • Subject to a background/suitability investigation
  • Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
  • May serve a probationary period
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
  • A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc.
  • Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Qualifications

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

Basic Requirements:

  1. Degree: natural science or engineering that included at least 30 semester hours in health physics, engineering, radiological science, chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics, and/or calculus.

    or

  2. Combination of education and experience -- courses as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or other education; or certification as a health physicist by the American Board of Health Physics, plus appropriate experience and other education that provided an understanding of sciences applicable to health physics comparable to that described in paragraph A.

In addition to the Basic Requirements, applicants must also meet the following grade requirements:

GS-13 grade level: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: Managing safety or occupational health program elements; developing and recommending safety and occupational health policy to higher levels of management; applying safety and occupational health laws, regulations, principles, theories, practices, and procedures to advise on or resolve technical matters dealing with occupational safety and health requirements; developing safety and occupational health standards, regulations, practices, and procedures to eliminate or control potential hazards; developing or implementing programs to reduce the frequency, severity, and cost of accidents and occupational illnesses; analyzing or evaluating new and existing jobs, processes, products, or other systems to determine the existence, severity, probability, and outcome of hazards; designing or modifying workplaces, processes, products, or other systems to control or eliminate hazards; inspecting or surveying workplaces, processes, products, or other systems for compliance with established safety and occupational health policies or standards and to identify potential new hazards; training of workers, supervisors, managers, or other safety and occupational health personnel in safety or occupational health subjects; work in occupational fields such as industrial hygienist, safety engineer, fire prevention engineer, or health physicist.

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.

Highly Preferred Certification: Health Physicist certification from American Board of Medical Physics (ABMP), the American Board of Science in Nuclear Medicine (ABSNM), or the American Board of Health Physics (ABHP), or have similar qualifications.

Education

Transcripts are required to be submitted.

Additional information

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

The following will be communicated to applicants for VA employment in a testing designated position and will also be included in all VA vacancy announcements for such positions: All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drugs use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website which can be found at https://www.opm.gov/.

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

If you are unable to apply online and request information about the Alternate Application process, please contact the Agency Contact listed for this Job Opportunity Announcement (JOA).

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

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 WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Applicants will be referred in the order in which they were received.

Required Documents

Documents Accepted:

  • DD-214/ Statement of Service
  • Disability Letter (VA)
  • License
  • Resume
  • SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
  • Transcript

Documents Required:
  • Resume
  • Transcript

Please review the above list(s) to ensure you have included all necessary documents required for your application.Not every applicant will require the same documents, therefore it is the applicants responsibility to ensure that their application package includes all necessary documents to determine qualifications and eligibility for appointment, such as a copy of your SF-50, transcript, ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees).You will not be contacted for additional information. Applicants will be deemed ineligible if supporting documentation is not submitted.

Veterans' Preference: Since the Direct-Hire Recruitment Authority is being used, traditional Veterans' Preference rules do not apply. Qualified veterans will, however, be given full consideration for this position.

Applications are accepted online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

All applicants are encouraged to apply online.

To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 01/13/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12651264.

1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.

2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.

NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.

To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

Agency contact information

Jennifer Lord
Address
San Diego VA Medical Center
3350 La Jolla Village Drive
San Diego, CA 92161
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

After the vacancy announcement closes, applicants are evaluated 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.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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