Job Summary

This developmental Health Technician position is located within the Pathology and Laboratory Medical Service (P&LMS). The incumbent performs a wide range of administrative functions which include compliance to CLIA and The Joint Commission regulations for laboratory testing, clerical and health technician functions, maintains continuity of functions, provides full medical administrative support and type of nursing assistant functions within the laboratory and administrative VA staff.

Job Description

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/24/2025. Individual Occupational Requirements Specialized Experience (for positions at GS-4 and above): Positions in this series range widely in type and include support duties to medical or health personnel such as audiologists, speech pathologists, medical officers, and optometrists. Therefore, technician experience is experience that required application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of the position to be filled. OR Education and Training For GS-3: Successful completion of l year of study that included study in medical, health, or related fields. For GS-4: Successful completion of 2 years of study that included at least 12 semester hours in subjects related to the position. For GS-5: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position. In additions to meeting the IOR applicants you may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-05 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-04 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: medical terminology, safe patient handling techniques, gathering information in patient care/family conferences and communicating effectively with a healthcare team, working knowledge of diagnostic signs, ability to communicate in verbal/written form with people at all levels in the agency, sufficient skill to identify and use equipment, drug terminology and supplies properly, isolation techniques and universal precautions, ability to apply theory and principles to perform tasks (i.e. abnormal blood pressure, skin breakdown, elevated temperature, etc.). OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. To qualify based on a combination of specialized experience and education as described above, the percentage of required experience plus the percentage of required education equals 100%. If education is used to meet specialized experience requirements, then such education must include courses directly related to the work of the position. (When crediting education, prorate the number of hours of related courses required as a proportion of the total education to be used.) Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. Two full academic years of study, or 60 semester hours, beyond the second year is equivalent to 1 year of specialized experience. GS-06 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: patient specimen collection and processing, accreditation compliance and record keeping, laboratory specimen testing and processing, knowledge of phlebotomy such as experience in phlebotomy techniques, drawing blood, ordering, receiving and accessing specimens (blood, urine, feces, assorted body fluids, etc.), experience in interviewing patients, recording histories, scheduling patients, counseling patients on preventive and independently performing phlebotomist duties and specimen collection, communication and customer service for patients and family members, administrative and professional staff. 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/.