Summary

Employee will be assigned to Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service - VA Healthcare System - Orlando - FL - performing a variety of functions - including reviewing provider orders - accessioning specimens into the hospital information system - collecting - evaluating - and processing patient specimens - answering questions related to specimens - educating/instructing patients - and sending out specimens for testing.

Qualifications

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d) - No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position. This position includes a Selective Placement Factor (skill - knowledge - ability or other worker characteristic basic to - and essential for - satisfactory performance of the job). Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration. The Selective Placement Factor for this position is: Must possess experience performing phlebotomy/blood draws on human patients. In addition to meeting the above requirements - applicants must also meet one of the following: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge - skills - and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position - and that is typically in or related to the work of this position. To be creditable - this experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-4 grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience includes: experience that may have been gained in (a) technical medical laboratory support work such as performing laboratory tests and examinations (chemical - microbiologic - hematologic and blood banking) and preparing reports of findings or (b) technical support work in a closely related field - e.g. - biological laboratory technician work - that required application of the methods and techniques for the position being filled. At this level - specialized experience should include experience performing a variety of laboratory tests - examinations - phlebotomy - specimen collection - processing - accessioning - and testing. OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) Successful completion of a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects appropriate to the position being filled. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business or technical school - junior college - college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. One year of full-time undergraduate study is defined as 30 semester hours - 45 quarter hours - or the equivalent in a college or university or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business or technical school. OR COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) Equivalent combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements for the GS-5. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Computer Skills Customer Service (Clerical/Technical) Patient Care Quality Assurance Specimen Collection IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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. 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; religious; 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. Physical Requirements: Work is performed in a laboratory atmosphere and requires regular and physical exertion such as walking - bending - recurrent standing and moderate lifting. The work requires specific physical characteristics and abilities and dexterity needed to perform intricate analytical and technical procedures. Data entry includes patient information - test orders - and other critical data in a computer that may result in physical problems from the effects of repetitive motion and eyestrain. Specific visual requirements include vision for both eyes - depth perception - the ability to distinguish colors and shades of colors - and the ability to read ordinary type without strain. The employee must have adequate hearing (aids permitted) - and the emotional stability and mental stability to deal with stressful situations. 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/.

Duties

• ***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION - YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Duties include - but may not be limited to the following: Follows procedures for patient identification - sample procurement - and specimen labeling
• Performs routine venipuncture specimen collections from patients
• Follows laboratory procedures for collecting specimens in the appropriate container
• Controls the physical condition of samples and responds to time factors to ensure that the physiologic state of the specimen is maintained
• Provides education to patients for proper collection techniques
• Prepares samples for testing to include labeling - centrifugation - decanting and aliquoting - etc
• Maintains adequate supplies for all phlebotomy and specimen procurement procedures
• Answers incoming calls for the laboratory service - finding and relaying accurate information or referring the caller to technical personnel
• Identifies and appropriately responds to adverse reactions such as fainting - nausea - vomiting - convulsions - and arrests
• Maintains the blood drawing room - including the replacement of supplies as needed
• Keeps appropriate staff informed of any needed supplies in a timely manner and is responsible for ensuring no outdated supplies are left on the shelves
• Supports the testing and examination procedures carried out in a medical laboratory by coordinating the general flow of specimens from the phlebotomy area to the individual sections to the laboratory
• Picks up and transports specimens from other blood drawing areas to the main laboratory for processing and distribution
• Ensures appropriate handling and timely delivery of specimens
• Provides assistance of a technical specialized or support nature to health and medical personnel in the diagnosis or treatment of patient illnesses or medical conditions
• Performs a range of diagnostic support duties such as taking and labeling specimens for the laboratory
• Adheres to safety - infection control and universal precautions at all times while drawing blood (such as site preparation - removing tourniquets - wearing gloves and protective gowns - and following all isolation procedures while drawing patients)
• Instructs patients in the proper midstream urine collection - 24-hour urine collection - and collection of specimens for culture and sensitivity
• Functions as a resource person for facility personnel on specimen collection requirements and patient preparation for any lab request
• Verifies the accuracy and completeness of requests through the use of computer systems
• Interacts with hospital/clinical personnel to correct discrepancies
• Receives samples for testing into the laboratory - labels specimens - centrifuges and processes samples and distributes them to the appropriate area
• Identifies unusual conditions and discrepancies which may cause erroneous test results
• Perform other related duties as assigned
• Work Schedule: Sunday - Thursday - 4:00am - 12:30pm
• Rotating 8 hour shifts including weekends and holidays and extended hours based on service needs
• Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized DESIGNATED DRUG-TESTING POSITION: 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
• Applicants will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test result is received.