Veterans Health Administration Logo
Position Title
Clinical Laboratory Scientist - Core Laboratory
Agency
Veterans Health Administration
Announcement Number
CBSY-12715921-25-KAH Opens in new window
Open Period
Friday, March 21, 2025 to Monday, March 31, 2025
For preview purposes only. To apply, please return to the USAJOBS announcement and click the Apply button.
Eligibilities
1. Are you an employee of the facility indicated for this position?
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.

To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50).  Your SF-50 must include enough information to be able to determine that time-in-grade requirements have been met (if applicable) and include your position title, pay plan/series/grade, tenure and the type of appointment (i.e. Competitive or Excepted).  Please be aware that award SF-50's do not always include this pertinent information.
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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.
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By submitting your application, you are certifying, to the best of your knowledge and belief, all the information submitted by you with your application for employment is true, complete, and made in good faith, and that you have truthfully and accurately represented your work experience, knowledge, skills, abilities and education (degrees, accomplishments, etc.). The information you provide as part of your application may be investigated. You are also certifying, and acknowledging, that misrepresenting your experience or education, or providing false or fraudulent information in, or with your application, may affect your eligibility for appointment and/or continued employment. False or fraudulent statements may be punishable by fine or imprisonment (18 U.S.C. 1001). (limit characters)
2. Applicants are required to undergo and successfully pass a pre-employment drug screening test and must submit to random drug testing after employment. Will you comply with this requirement? (limit characters)
3. 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. Are you proficient in basic written and spoken English? (limit characters)
If you are basing your qualifications on education (or a combination of education and experience) or if the position requires a college education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your transcripts with your application. (limit characters)
4. Resume Reminder - Your resume must include the following information for each job listed:
  • Name and Contact Information
  • Job title
  • Duties (be as detailed as possible)
  • Month & year start/end dates (e.g. June 2019 to April 2021)
  • Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week if part-time)
  • Series and Grade, if applicable, for all Federal positions you have held.
Please be aware that your answers will be verified against information provided on your resume. Be sure that your resume clearly supports your responses to all of the questions by addressing your work experience in detail.

Recommended: Even though we do not require a specific resume format, your resume must be clear so that we are able to fully evaluate your qualifications. To ensure you receive appropriate consideration, please list the duties you performed under each individual job title. If we are unable to match your experiences with the positions held, you may lose consideration for this vacancy. We cannot make assumptions regarding your qualifications.

Do you confirm that the above information is clearly stated for each work entry you are claiming experience for, and that each entry is full time unless otherwise annotated with part-time hours?
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5. I understand that this position is not remote; if selected, I understand I am required to be on-site at a VISN 23 facility and I am able to physically report to a VISN 23 facility. This is not negotiable.
Please select 'no' if you are not interested in a position on-site within VISN 23.
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If applying as an internal or status candidate with current or former Federal Service, you must provide a copy of your most recent non-award SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action", showing the highest grade or promotion potential held, dated within the last year.
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All qualifying experience you possess must be clearly described in your application package. We will not make assumptions when reviewing applications. Failure to demonstrate your experience and knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) in your application may result in disqualification. It is strongly recommended that you write to each KSA to demonstrate how you have gained each one in your application package or on a supplemental document. Please see the announcement for KSA requirements.
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6. Please select the shift(s) you would accept. (limit characters)
Assessment 1
BASIC REQUIREMENTS (limit characters)
Select “Yes” or “No” to the following question(s). (limit characters)
1. English Language Proficiency:

Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. ? 7403 (f).

Are you proficient in spoken and written English?
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2. Education:

A bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university.

Do you meet any of the above requirements (TRANSCRIPTS MUST BE ATTACHED)?
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3. Certification:

Candidates must meet one of the certification options below.
  • Generalist certification as an MLS given by ASCP BOC or AMT.
  • Generalist certification as an MT given by ASCP BOR or AMT.
  • Categorical certification or Specialist certification by ASCP or AMT.
NOTE: Categorical and specialist certifications are not acceptable for CLS Generalist positions or lab sections unrelated to the categorical or specialist certification held. Categorical or specialist certifications are acceptable for higher-graded positions within the relevant lab section or one of the non-section specific assignments (including, Ancillary Testing Coordinator, Education Coordinator, Laboratory Information Manager, Quality Manager, Laboratory Manager, Regional Technical Specialist, National Quality and Compliance Agent, Regional Program Manager, Regional Director, Laboratory Director, or National Quality and Compliance Officer).

Exception for Non-Certified:
  • Applicants who do not currently hold valid certification may be hired by VA and actively work toward their certification if they meet one of the routes identified in Appendix A that makes them eligible to take the MLS certification exam through the ASCP BOC or the MLS certification exam through AMT Certification Agency.
  • Non-Certified applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements for licensure may be given a temporary appointment CLS under the authority of 38 U.S.C. ? 7405(c)(2).
  • Non-Certified individuals may only provide care under the supervision of a certified CLS at or above the FPL.
  • Non-certified individuals may only be appointed at the entry level and may not be promoted/converted until certification is obtained.
  • Temporary appointments of non-certified CLS may not be extended beyond 2 years or be converted to a new temporary appointment.

Do you meet the above certification or exception requirement above? (CERTIFICATION MUST BE ATTACHED)
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GRADE REQUIREMENTS (limit characters)
Select “Yes” or “No” to the following question(s). (limit characters)
4. GS-7:

Experience: None beyond the basic requirements which include.

Do you meet any of the above requirements?
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5. GS-9:

Experience: 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade. -OR-

Education: Master's degree or 2 academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education in medical technology or a directly related science.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
  1. Knowledge of policies and procedures of clinical laboratory testing.
  2. Knowledge of laboratory quality control and quality assurance principles.
  3. Knowledge of laboratory equipment and routine maintenance.
  4. Ability to work as a team member and effectively complete assignments.
  5. Ability to read and interpret written instructions.
  6. Ability to accurately perform pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical phases of testing.

Do you meet the requirements outlined above?
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6. GS-11 (Full Performance Level):

Experience or Education - Candidates at this level must meet one of the criteria below:

Experience: 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. -OR-

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 science.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
  1. Knowledge of professional clinical laboratory science principles, practices, concepts, and theories that support sound, independent work.
  2. Knowledge of laboratory quality control and quality assurance procedures and principles of performance improvement.
  3. Skill in informatics, laboratory data flow, and laboratory processes.
  4. Ability to maintain, troubleshoot, and repair instrumentation.
  5. Ability to use independent technical judgment to analyze and interpret laboratory results.
  6. Ability to read, interpret, and apply complex written instructions.
  7. Ability to communicate, consult, and interact with other members of the health care team, external relations, customer service, and patient education.

Do you meet all of the requirements outlined above?
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