Job Summary

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

Job Description

Basic Requirements: To qualify for appointment to this position, all applicants must possess the following: United States Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a). Education. A bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university. Certification. Candidates must meet one of the certification options below. (a) Generalist certification as an MLS given by ASCP BOC or AMT. (b) Generalist certification as an MT given by ASCP BOR or AMT. (c) Categorical certification or Specialist certification by ASCP or AMT. Loss of Credential. If an employee fails to maintain the required certification, management officials, in collaboration with HR Office staff, must immediately remove the employee from duties and responsibilities associated with this occupation. This may also result in separation from employment. Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. Graduates of foreign baccalaureate degree programs meet the educational requirements if they meet either of the following: Foreign transcripts are evaluated by an acceptable evaluation agency, and the degree is found to be equivalent to a NAACLS-approved U.S. clinical laboratory science degree program. OR, The applicant submits a letter from ASCP BOC or AMT stating the individual is eligible to take the certification examination. NOTE: Possession of a certification identified in 4c above automatically determines the foreign education as creditable and no further documentation or proof of equivalency is needed. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403 (f). May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). Experience. (1) Creditable Experience. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with current CLS practices. The experience satisfying this requirement may be paid or non-paid employment as a CLS in the health care field. Research laboratory experience does not fulfill this requirement. (2) Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience is creditable according to its relationship to a full-time workweek. For example, an individual employed 20 hours per week, or on a half-time basis, would receive 1 full-time workweek of credit for each 2 weeks of service. (3) Quality of Experience. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to CLS experience at the next lower grade level of the position being filled. For all assignments above the full performance level (FPL), the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity, and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, candidates must meet the following grade-determining criteria for placement at grade levels specified. Clinical Laboratory Scientist, GS-13 Assignments. General. For all GS-13 assignments above the FPL, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty) and range of variety, and be performed by the CLS at least 25% of the time. Experience.1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level is required for all GS-13 assignments. Supervisory Clinical Laboratory Scientist (Laboratory Manager), GS-13. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (A) Knowledge of regulatory, licensing, accrediting agency requirements and statutes governing clinical laboratory operations used in planning, implementing, and monitoring laboratory programs and services. (B) Skill in problem solving and applying analytical and evaluative methods and techniques to measure and improve program effectiveness and/or organizational productivity. (C) Skill to develop new or modified work methods, organizational structures, records and files, management processes, and staffing patterns. (D) Skill in administrative management such as budgeting, contracting, procurement, and property management in accordance with VHA regulations. (E) Ability to balance administrative and clinical functions to coordinate and manage programs and resources. (F) Ability to plan and execute short-range and long-range programs and/or goals through project management and tactical/strategic planning. (G) Ability to effectively communicate, orally and in writing, technical information with a wide variety of individuals including senior managers in a medical center or health care setting or higher-level managers in regional or national offices (for example, VISN-level staff and VHA Central Office staff). Preferred Experience: At 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower level. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS 13. Physical Requirements: There are no physical requirements for this occupation per OCHCO Communications email to VA Handbook 5019, updated on 4/17/2026.