Clarification from the agency

This vacancy is open to current permanent VA Nationwide employees, CTAP/ICTAP eligibles, and other Status Eligible Applicants-see Hiring Paths for more information.

Major Duties:

• Responsible direct management of blood drawing and accessioning/processing personnel.
• Promotes efficient delivery of laboratory specimens, services, and information.
• Reports statistics on specimen collection workload, to update phlebotomy policies and procedures.
• Oversee the performing of all inpatient specimen-logins, production and distribution of all work lists and specimens.
• Draw blood on patients using aseptic venipuncture techniques.
• Performs glucose tolerance tests following procedures, utilizing timing interval computations.
• Oversee the processing of a wide variety of complex specimens from hospitalized patients and patients from inpatient and community-based clinics.
• Reviews how the health techs receive, route and store specimens.
• Reconciles and verifies sample types and volumes with electronic orders and hard copy requisitions.
• Ensures samples have the correct UID accession number label as appropriate and that label is placed so bar codes are instrument ready.
• Ensures correct routing of clinical samples to laboratory sections, informing other staff of sample urgency as necessary.
• Ensure staff are familiar with tests performed throughout the laboratory, i.e. chemistry, hematology, urinalysis, coagulation, microbiology, and cytology.
• Utilizes computer system to acknowledge specimen receipt and orders and accessions all specimens correctly and ensures all specimens are recorded accurately in computer system as well as proper documentation performed by all staff involved.
• Ability to verify and evaluate a variety of physician generated test orders for these specimens in computer system generates bar coded patient identification labels with laboratory testing accession numbers, affixes the labels to the correct specimens.
• Trains health technicians and other employees as requested in phlebotomy techniques, equipment use, test requirements, etc.
• Controls personnel matters such as leave schedules, attendance certification, performance standards and evaluation of job performance.
• Assigns and adjusts work assignments providing specimen acquisition coverage.

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
• 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)
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation

• 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.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01/23/2026.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-6. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

You may qualify based on your experience as described below:

Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-6 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Management of day-to-day workload; Management of day-to-day operations; Management of disruptive behavior; Team Building; Outpatient specimen-logins, production, distribution of work lists and specimens; Processing for correctly identifying patient information according to regulatory agencies; Collecting and maintaining statistics on specimen collection workload; Greeting, receiving and checking in patients; Computerized Patient Records; Using aseptic venipuncture techniques and specimen labeling; Proper techniques for accessioning, processing and storage of specimens; Performing glucose tolerance testing following procedure and utilizing timing interval computations; and Techniques for successfully completing difficult and/or hard sticks. Note: This experience must be supported by your resume to be creditable.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Administration and Management
• Planning and Evaluating
• Specimen Collection
• Technical Competence

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.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

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.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the 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:

• Resume

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (Schedule A)
• Disability Letter (VA)
• Other (1)
• PCS Orders
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Proof of Marriage Status
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

• Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee
• An SF-50 showing your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade
• Award 50's do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade.
• Examples of appropriate SF-50's include:
  • Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
  • Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or
  • SF-50's at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old.

Next steps