Clinical Lab Scientist

Summary

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

Duties

• The Clinical Laboratory Scientist serves as a generalist on Evening/Nights within the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service at the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center. This position is intended for evenings and nights but is also eligible for compressed shifts/tours. Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Duties and tasks include, but are not limited to the following: Maintains and demonstrates knowledge of professional clinical laboratory science principles, practices, concepts, and theories that support sound, independent work. Utilizes comprehensive knowledge of laboratory equipment and maintains, troubleshoots, and repairs instrumentation and demonstrates proper documentation of corrective action. Evaluates the suitability of each specimen for analysis, requesting a new specimen if determined to be unusable. Prepares specimen for analysis according to established procedures. Follows established procedure for handling of mislabeled, unlabeled, or unsuitable specimens. Selects, performs, evaluates, and monitors the performance of test procedures using manual and/or automated techniques in accordance with established protocols. Recognizes and reacts to indicators of malfunction; locates and implements corrective action. Performs initial testing on all reagents received in chemistry, blood bank, coagulation, and hematology before reagents are put into use. This includes lot-to-lot testing and/or parallel testing that is then presented to the supervisor or laboratory director to review/approve before reagents or supplies are put into use. Calibrates, standardizes, adjusts, and maintains instruments. This includes verifying correct instrument operation using established procedures and quality control checks and monitoring. Identifies the cause of common problems and makes simple repairs. Ensures maintenance, calibrations, and quality control are completed as scheduled and within the required timeframes. Reviews and investigates delta checks, flags, alerts, etc. and performs additional testing to clarify or confirm abnormal patient results. Recognizes abnormal results that require immediate attention by the physician and reports them directly and follows the proper laboratory and medical center policies. Performs checks to maintain compliance with regulatory bodies such as AABB, FDA, The Joint Commission (TJC), College of American Pathologists (CAP), and the Office of Inspector General (OIG) such as temperature checks, inventory control, blood utilization tracking, instrument maintenance and testing. Maintains accountability for inventory and ordering of all supplies, including blood products and reagents for all shifts and inventory of expendable supplies. Logs and stores reagents and supplies per standard operating procedures and maintains optimal inventory levels of reagents, supplies, and blood products to prevent workflow interruptions. Work Schedule: 4:00pm-12:30am, Monday - Friday, Rotating Weekends & Holidays. Compressed/Flexible: ***Compressed shifts/tours available*** Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact vhaedrpprogramsupport@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more 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). 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) 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 #: 92757-0; 92758-0; 92759-0 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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.

Education

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.