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
The following are the basic requirements for appointment as a Medical Technician in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).
Citizenship.
All applicants are required to be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified candidates in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g.)
Certification.
(1) Candidates must currently possess one of the appropriate certifications as an MLT granted by the following organizations.
(a) American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP)
i. ASCP, Board of Certification.
OR
ii. ASCP, Board of Registry.(b) American Medical Technologists.
OR
(c) American Association of Bioanalysts.
Education.
Candidates must meet the applicable educational requirements for certification.
Foreign Education.
Graduates of foreign MLT programs are considered to meet the basic education requirements if they have a current certification as described in subparagraph 4.c.
Loss of Certification.
Management officials, in collaboration with HR Office staff, must immediately relieve employees of the duties and responsibilities associated with the MLT occupation who fail to maintain the required certification, which may also result in separation from employment.
Physical Requirements.
The work requires some physical exertion, such as regular and recurring light lifting, walking, bending or standing. In many situations the duration of the activity (such as most of a workday) contributes to the arduous nature of the job. In other situations, such as in a laboratory, there may be special requirements for agility or dexterity, such as exceptional hand/eye coordination, or color differentiation.
English Language Proficiency.
All applicants must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d).
GRADE REQUIREMENTS.
Creditable Experience.
To be creditable, a candidate must possess the required knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) associated with the scope of Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT) practice. The candidate's experience must be evidenced by active professional practice. (Active professional practice means paid/non-paid employment as a professional MLT).
Part-Time Experience.
Part-time experience is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time work week. For example, one week of full-time credit equals two weeks of half-time work.
Quality of Experience.
Experience is creditable if it is directly related to MLT duties equal to or exceeding professional MLT experience at the next lower grade level. For all assignments above the full performance level, 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.
GRADE DETERMINATIONS.
a. Grade Determinations.
In addition to the basic requirements for appointment in paragraph 4, VA HR staff must use the following criteria to determine the appropriate grade assignment of candidates.
Medical Technician, GS-07
Experience.
In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the GS-06 grade level and demonstrate the KSAs below. Assignment-specific KSAs are designated with an asterisk (*) and are only required if that task is required of the position, as indicated in part (c) below.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities.
In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the KSAs i. - iv. and the advanced KSA as identified by the corresponding asterisk(s) if MLTs are assigned advanced MLT duties:
i Knowledge of concepts, principles, methodology of medical laboratory technology, regulatory and accrediting agency requirements and medicolegal requirements sufficient to perform complex diagnostic tests.
ii Skill in applying new scientific/technical developments and theories to laboratory testing.
iii Ability to work independently on a broad range of complex laboratory processes.
iv Ability to troubleshoot and repair specific/advanced complex laboratory equipment.
v *Knowledge of laboratory information technology (IT) systems including troubleshooting systems issues, interface requirements between new instruments and existing IT infrastructure and laboratory IT test development.
vi *Ability to convey knowledge of safety regulations and guidelines such as College of American Pathologists (CAP), Joint Commission and Occupational Safety and Health Administration along with continuing education and employee orientation to ensure staff compliance with safety requirements.
vii *Ability to plan and administer an ongoing continuing education program for the laboratory to meet accreditation standards.
viii *Ability to assist with quality management activities in the laboratory, including monitoring and evaluating quality in accordance with CLIA and CAP, conducting quality improvement activities and communicating quality management results.
Assignments.
MLTs at this level have a higher level of responsibility for technical oversight and are expected to independently carry out assigned tasks of considerable difficulty. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity and range of variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time.
They are responsible for performing difficult specialized tasks including, but not limited to, advanced blood banking (antibody titers, elutions), advanced microbiology (Mycobacterium (Acid Fast Bacillus) Identification and Sensitivities, Mycology Identification, Virology, Anaerobic Culture, Polymerase Chain Reaction testing), molecular testing, high complexity testing, recording workload statistics, quality management projects and obtaining data for validation studies.
Advanced MLTs may be expected to independently operate the full range of laboratory functions at remote sites. Their duties consist of advanced operation, training and comprehensive troubleshooting of laboratory instruments and resolving any problems. MLTs at this level may act as key operators for specific instrumentation.
Advanced duties may also include one or more of the tasks identified below. When these duties are required, advanced MLTs must also demonstrate corresponding KSA(s) as identified by the asterisk(s) below.
i *Laboratory Information Management: Carry out day-to-day operations related to laboratory information systems/computer use and system maintenance.
ii *Safety Coordination: Oversee safe handling of specimens, chemicals and equipment by all staff and ensure compliance with safety regulations.
iii *Laboratory Education: Plan and administer an ongoing continuing education program for laboratory staff to meet accreditation requirements.
iv *Quality Management: Coordinate quality management activities within the laboratory and ensure compliance with required standards of quality.
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).
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-07.