Health Technician

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/06/2024. 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-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. 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 and/or education as described below: Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR) GS-06: All applicants must meet IOR for this position. Specialized experience that includes support duties to medical or health personnel such as audiologists, speech pathologists, medical officers, and optometrists. This includes technician experience that required the application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of the Health Technician – Pathology and Laboratory; OR, Graduate education or an internship that are directly related to the work of the Health Technician – Pathology and Laboratory. NOTE: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing your qualifications on education; AND Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the Federal service in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of a Health Technician – Pathology and Laboratory. Specialized experience includes but is not limited to: determining technical factors, setting controls, calibrating, and operating equipment and insturments such as an occult blood analyzer; proper cleaning of laboratory equipment; performing minor maintenance of laboratory equipment; accepting patient orders; printing labels; selecting proper tubes and containers; determining correct handling environment for each specimen submitted for referral laboratory testing; ensuring fire, safety, disaster and infection control procedures are implemented; instructing patients on proper specimen collection procedures; preparing specimens to be sent to outside laboratories; answering telephone calls; coordinating information and actions relating to patient care and services; using courtesy and sound business etiquette in all interactions; OR, Education: Applicants may substitute graduate education or an internship for the required experience provided the education or internship is directly related to the work of the position. NOTE: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing your qualifications on education; You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Customer Service (Clerical/Technical) Diagnostic Medical Testing Patient Care Specimen Collection Technical Competence 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. Physical Requirements and Work Environment: The work requires much walking through the clinic, with occasional requirements to lift objects, computer work and operating office equipment. The positions require the ability to process written and electronic information. The work requires the ability to physically control or defend against emotionally distressed patients. The work requires above average agility and dexterity due to the fine skills of some of the point of care lab testing. The work may require heavy lifting of equipment or patients. The incumbent may be required to commute between two outpatient clinics within the workweek, depending on the clinic workload. The work environment involves risks typically associated with performance of laboratory work. Work involves regular and recurring exposure to moderate risks or discomforts that require special safety precautions. Environment may involve infectious diseases, contact with or disposal of body secretions, verbal and physical abuse from emotionally distraught individuals and/or working around equipment 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/.
The position is in the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Eastern Oklahoma Health Care System in the Pathology and Laboratory Medical Service. The multi-skilled Health Technician performs a wide range of funtions which include compliance to CLIA and The Joint Commission regulations for laboratory testing, clerical, and health technician functions. The Health Technician uses knowledge of technical methods and procedures to cary out a varitye of essential duties.