Job Summary

This position is located in the Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC) at VA Central Arkansas Healthcare System (CAVHA) in North Little Rock, AR. The Health Science Specialist is responsible for working closely with and providing a high level of support for GRECC clinicians and investigators in the conduct of human subjects' research and/or the development, implementation, and evaluation of innovative clinical models of care for older veterans.

Job Description

Basic Requirement: The following are basic requirements for appointment as a Health Science Specialist in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), which all applicants must met. Basic Education: Bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree - major study in an academic field related to the medical field, health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the work of the position. This degree must be from an educational program from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (external link) at the time the degree was obtained. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.) Minimum Requirement: In addition to meeting the basic requirements one of the following minimum requirement criteria must be met to be qualified for this position. Specialized Experience (GS-09): You must have one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (i.e., GS-07) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Qualifying examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: managing a single or multi-site human subject research or clinical program; experience with program and/or program coordination and managements; knowledge of policies, regulations, health care trends in the public and private sectors; preparing data analyses for special studies and reports; technical writing using proper English grammar; editing professional, technical manuscripts; interviewing subjects; and experience in project coordination and in providing support regarding advance care planning and end of life care.(CLEAR DETAILS OF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: Your resume must show complete information for each job entry, such as beginning and ending dates of employment, duties performed, and/or total hours worked per week.) OR Education (GS-09): Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree. This education must have provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work (i.e., major study in an academic field related to the medical field, health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the work of the position). NOTE: One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.) OR Combination (GS-09): Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education. Only graduate-level education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level (1 year of graduate-level education, i.e., 18 semester hours) may be combined with experience. For example, an applicant with 6 months of appropriate experience equivalent to GS-7 (50 percent of the experience requirement for GS-9) and 27 semester hours of appropriate graduate education (50 percent of the education requirement for GS-9, in excess of that required for GS-7) would be qualified for a GS-9 position (assuming that there is no evidence that the attended college or university requires more than 18 semester hours as equivalent to a year of graduate study). (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.) Physical Requirements: The physical demands of the job will include assisting the patients/subjects in and out of beds or chairs, walking with and providing standby assistance to the patients/subjects, assisting them on and off of weight scales, bending over them in order to perform limited arthrometric measurements, and otherwise walking, standing, bending and carrying of light items such as medical records, instructional materials, books and manuals through the hospital throughout his or her tour of duty. The incumbent must also be able to safely perform blood drawing procedures, drive an automobile, and see and hear clearly. 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/.