Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration Logo
Position Title
Lead Medical Technologist
Agency
Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration
Announcement Number
CBSX-10937774-21-ETD Opens in new window
Open Period
Saturday, October 31, 2020 to Saturday, November 14, 2020
For preview purposes only. To apply, please return to the USAJOBS announcement and click the Apply button.
Eligibilities
1. Do you claim Veterans’ Preference? (limit characters)
2. Are you a current permanent Federal employee from an agency other than Department of Veterans Affairs?

To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your latest Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50) or equivalent personnel action form.
(limit characters)
3. Are you a Veterans Health Administration employee?
This includes: Career/Career Conditional or Excepted Service (i.e. Canteen, Hybrid, Title 38, etc. and meets interchange agreement requirements). This does not include temporary, term or temporary intermittent.
(limit characters)
Preferences
1. Which of the following items describes your current or recent (within the last five years) political appointee service?

If you responded yes to any of the items below, you will need to include a SF-50 specifying your prior service.
(limit characters)
Assessment 1
Select “Yes” or “No” to the following question(s). (limit characters)
1. Select item: English Language Proficiency. Candidates will not be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C. chapters 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English. See Chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part.

Are you proficient in written and spoken English?
(limit characters)
2. Education and/or Experience Combination (1) A bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university in medical laboratory science, medical technology, clinical laboratory science or in a related science (e.g., laboratory sciences such as chemistry, biochemistry, biology, microbiology, immunology, etc.).
AND
completion of a medical technology clinical practice program. Clinical practice programs completed after 1974 must have been accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS), Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP, formerly CAHEA), or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). The professional curriculum may have consisted of a post-baccalaureate certificate program or be integrated into a four-year program of study that culminated in a baccalaureate degree.
OR,
(2) A bachelor's degree from an accredited college/university, including 16 semester hours of biological science (with one course in microbiology), 16 semester hours of chemistry (with one course in organic or biochemistry) and one course in mathematics,
AND
two years of post-certification clinical laboratory experience (e.g., blood banking, chemistry, hematology, microbiology, immunology, clinical microscopy, etc.) within the last ten years as a certified Medical Laboratory Technician by the American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Certification (ASCP-BOC), American Society of Clinical Pathology Board of Registry (ASCP-BOR) or American Medical Technologists (AMT). This experience must include performing moderate and/or high complexity testing in blood banking, chemistry, hematology, microbiology immunology and clinical microscopy (or categorical experience which matches categorical certification) in a clinical laboratory.
OR,
(3) A bachelor's degree from an accredited college/university, including 16 semester hours of biological science (with one course in microbiology), 16 semester hours of chemistry (with one course in organic or biochemistry) and one course in mathematics,
AND
five years of clinical laboratory experience within the last ten years performing moderate and/or high complexity testing in blood banking, chemistry, hematology, microbiology, immunology and clinical microscopy (or categorical experience which matches categorical certification) in a clinical laboratory.

Do you meet ANY of the above requirements?
(limit characters)
3. Certification. Candidates must have either (1) or (2) below:
(1) Candidates must currently possess the appropriate certification as a MT, MLS, or CLS given by the ASCP-BOC, ASCP-BOR, or AMT.
(2) For positions up to the full performance level, candidates must currently possess the categorical or specialist technologist level certification from the certification agencies listed above, such as, but not limited to, chemistry (C/SC), hematology (H/SH), microbiology (M/SM), molecular biology (MB/SMB) and blood bank (BB/SBB). Technologists with categorical or specialist certifications may only perform duties within the area of the laboratory specific to their categorical certification (e. g., an individual with a chemistry (C) certification can only perform duties in chemistry).
(3) Exception. Non-certified applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements for certification may be given a temporary appointment up to the full performance level not to exceed one year as a graduate medical technologist under the authority of 38 U.S.C. ? 7405(c)(2)(B). This appointment may not be extended. For grade levels above the full performance level, the candidate must be certified in accordance with paragraph 2d(1) above. Failure to obtain certification during that period is justification for termination of the temporary appointment.
(4) Failure to Obtain Certification. In all cases, MTs must actively pursue meeting prerequisites for certification from the date of their appointment. At the time of appointment, the supervisor will provide the MT with the written requirement to obtain certification, the date by which the certification must be acquired, and the consequences for not becoming certified by the deadline. Failure to become certified within one year from date of appointment will result in removal from the GS-0644 MT series.
(5) Loss of Credential. Once certified, MTs must maintain their certification. Loss of certification will result in removal from the occupation and may result in termination of employment.

OR,
Grandfathering Provision. All MTs employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to the position, the following provisions apply:(1) MTs that do not meet the basic requirements for education and certification may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.(2) MTs who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.(3) MTs initially grandfathered into this occupation who subsequently obtain certification that meets all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.(4) If MTs who were retained in this occupation under this provision leave the occupation, the MT loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.

Do you meet the above requirements
OR,
meet the Grandfathering Provision?
(limit characters)
4. GS-11 (above full performance level) (a) Experience. Must have 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the full performance level (GS-9), which is directly related to the position to be filled.
OR,
(b) Education. Must have 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education or a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in medical technology or a directly related field.

Do you meet either of the above qualifications?
(limit characters)
5. Are you a current Federal Employee not working for the Veterans Health Administration (VHA)? (limit characters)
6. Are you a current Veterans Health Administration (VHA) employee? (limit characters)
7. Are you a Disabled Veteran with a compensated disability rating of 30% or more? (limit characters)
8. Are you a current Federal Employee currently working at the TUCSON VA MEDICAL CENTER? (limit characters)
Resume Reminder - As a reminder, your resume must include month/year - month/year as well as whether the work was full or part time (with number of hours per week worked) for each block of experience. The amount of specialized experience will be calculated based upon this information. If excluded from your resume a proper determination will be unable to be made therefore resulting in disqualification. (limit characters)
Select “Yes” or “No” to the following question(s). (limit characters)
9. Your rating is subject to verification based on the resume, and other relevant documents you submit, and through verification of references as appropriate. If you make an intentional false statement, or commit deception or fraud in this application and its supporting materials, or in any document or interview associated with the examination process, you may be fined or imprisoned (18 U.S.C. 1001); your eligibilities may be cancelled; you may be denied an appointment; or you may be removed and debarred from Federal service (5 C.F.R. part 731).

Do you certify that your answers are accurate and complete?
(limit characters)