To qualify for this position, you must meet the following:
Basic Requirement: The following are basic requirements for appointment as a Health Science Specialist in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), which all applicants must met.
- Basic Education: Bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree - major study in an academic field related to the medical field, health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the work of the position. This degree must be from an educational program from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.
PLUS
Minimum Requirement: In addition to meeting the basic requirements one of the following minimum requirement criteria must be met to be qualified for this position.
Specialized Experience (GS-12: You must have one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (i.e., GS-11) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes experience serving as a non-voting member of the IACUC, reviews all animal research protocols before they are forwarded for review by the veterinary medical officer, provides technical assistance and support to Principal Investigators on the development and submission of animal research protocols, assisting Principal Investigators in translating complex scientific concepts and experimental designs into lay language, provide a monthly report to the IACUC covering any compliance issues, maintain a spreadsheet of controlled substance orders and assist the IACUC coordinator in presenting the on-line meeting and works on maintaining/updating the IACUC SOP Library.
CLEAR DETAILS OF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: Your resume must show complete information for each job entry, such as beginning and ending dates of employment, duties performed, and/or total hours worked per week.
OR
EDUCATION GS-12: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree (i.e., in an academic field related to the medical field, health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the work of the position). This education must have provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position. NOTE: One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended. (
UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.)
OR
COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION FOR GS 12: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond graduate level education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level (i.e., master's or equivalent graduate or 36 semester hours) and it may be combined with experience. (
UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT AND/OR CLEAR DETAILS OF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: If you do not submit the required document, your application may not be reviewed.
You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position:
- Database Administration
- Risk Management
- Technical Competence
IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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.
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; religious; 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.
Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. However, there is periodic walking, standing, bending, carrying of light items such as records, instructional materials, books, and manuals. Some walking and movement are needed to meet with staff and review animal space concerns. No special physical demands are required to perform the work.
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/.