Student Trainee (Biological Sciences)

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/29/2024. Internship Program: To be eligible, applicants must be accepted for enrollment or currently enrolled and seeking a degree (diploma, certificate, etc.) in a qualifying educational institution, on a full or half-time basis as defined by the institution in which you are enrolled. You may qualify based on your education/experience/combination as described below. A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. To qualify for a Pathways Internship as a GS-03, students must have completed one full academic year of post-high school study; or 6 months or 26 weeks of general experience. General experience is defined as experience in basic science and experimental techniques or a combination; of both experience and education. To qualify for a Pathways Internship as a GS-04, students must have completed two full academic years of post-high school study or have an associate’s degree; or 1 year or 52 weeks of general experience. General experience is defined as experience in basic science, experimental techniques, and problem solving; or a combination of both experience and education. To qualify for a Pathways Internship as a GS-05 students must have completed 4 years above high school (120 credit hours or a bachelor’s degree); or 1 year or 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-04 grade level. Specialized experience is defined as knowledge of science and an understanding of its procedures, methods of experimental techniques, and use of computers and automated data collection/analysis; or a combination of both experience and education. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Problem-Solving Network Technical Competency Animal Husbandry Attention to Detail Per Office of Personnel Management General Schedule Qualification Policies, federal employees are assumed to have gained experience by performing duties and responsibilities appropriate for their official series and grade level as described in their position description. Experience that would not normally be part of the employee’s position is creditable when documented by satisfactory evidence (e.g., a memorandum from the manager, human resources director, or official documentation such as SF-52, SF-50 documenting an official detail/assignments, or other comparable documentation). The documentation must indicate whether the employee performed the duties full time or, if part-time, the percentage of times the employee performed the additional duties. To receive credit for experience in your resume that is not within the official series and grade level of your position, you must provide official documentation of such experience as indicated above. 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. 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. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit OPM’s web site at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/alph-ndx.asp.
The Pathways Internship Program allows students to join VA in career positions that emphasize long-term training and development. This a a position designed to learn the working of a research laboratory and to gain knowledge in the sciences, The incumbent will work under the direction of a Principal Investigator (PI) as a Student Trainee in Research, conducting various research activities involving state of the art techniques.