Job Summary

The Advanced Medical Laboratory Technician, is a member of the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service (P&LMS) team, at the Beckley VA Medical Center. The technician performs nonprofessional technical work in one or more areas such as chemistry, blood banking, hematology, coagulation, urinalysis, or microbiology. The reports of findings of tests and examinations may be used by physicians in diagnosis, care, and treatment of patients.

Job Description

Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. English Language Proficiency: MLT candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Education. Candidates must meet the applicable educational requirements for certification. Certification. Candidates must currently possess one of the appropriate certifications as an MLT granted by the following organizations: American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP) ASCP, Board of Certification, OR, ASCP, Board of Registry. American Medical Technologists. American Association of Bioanalysts. Foreign Education. Graduates of foreign MLT programs are considered to meet the basic education requirements if they have a current certification. Grade Determinations Advanced Medical Laboratory Technician, GS-07:Experience. In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the GS-06 grade level. Experience at the GS-06 grade level includes, but is not limited to: Using independent judgment to perform the full range of duties in the laboratory, from sample collecting to evaluating and communicating test results; performing day-to-day operations in the laboratory with minimal technical supervision, while ensuring testing accuracy and quality of proper patient care; maintaining all instrumentation in assigned areas to deliver precise, using processing techniques such as centrifugation, aliquoting, storage and packaging, and they accurately label and sort patient specimens. timely and accurate laboratory results when analyzing body fluids such as blood, urine and tissue samples; analyzing laboratory findings and issue necessary reports. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the KSAs i. - iv. and the advanced KSA as identified by the corresponding asterisk(s) if MLTs are assigned advanced MLT duties: i. Knowledge of concepts, principles, methodology of medical laboratory technology, regulatory and accrediting agency requirements and medicolegal requirements sufficient to perform complex diagnostic tests. ii. Skill in applying new scientific/technical developments and theories to laboratory testing. iii. Ability to work independently on a broad range of complex laboratory processes. iv. Ability to troubleshoot and repair specific/advanced complex laboratory equipment. v. *Knowledge of laboratory information technology (IT) systems including troubleshooting systems issues, interface requirements between new instruments and existing IT infrastructure and laboratory IT test development. vii. *Ability to convey knowledge of safety regulations and guidelines such as College of American Pathologists (CAP), Joint Commission and Occupational Safety and Health Administration along with continuing education and employee orientation to ensure staff compliance with safety requirements. vii. *Ability to plan and administer an ongoing continuing education program for the laboratory to meet accreditation standards. viii. *Ability to assist with quality management activities in the laboratory, including monitoring and evaluating quality in accordance with CLIA and CAP, conducting quality improvement activities and communicating quality management results. Assignments. MLTs at this level have a higher level of responsibility for technical oversight and are expected to independently carry out assigned tasks of considerable difficulty. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity and range of variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. They are responsible for performing difficult specialized tasks including, but not limited to, advanced blood banking (antibody titers, elutions), advanced microbiology (Mycobacterium (Acid Fast Bacillus) Identification and Sensitivities, Mycology Identification, Virology, Anaerobic Culture, Polymerase Chain Reaction testing), molecular testing, high complexity testing, recording workload statistics, quality management projects and obtaining data for validation studies. Advanced MLTs may be expected to independently operate the full range of laboratory functions at remote sites. Their duties consist of advanced operation, training and comprehensive troubleshooting of laboratory instruments and resolving any problems. MLTs at this level may act as key operators for specific instrumentation. Advanced duties may also include one or more of the tasks identified below. When these duties are required, advanced MLTs must also demonstrate corresponding KSA(s) as identified by the asterisk(s) below. i. *Laboratory Information Management: Carry out day-to-day operations related to laboratory information systems/computer use and system maintenance. (KSA v) ii. *Safety Coordination: Oversee safe handling of specimens, chemicals and equipment by all staff and ensure compliance with safety regulations. (KSA vi) iii. *Laboratory Education: Plan and administer an ongoing continuing education program for laboratory staff to meet accreditation requirements. (KSA vii) iv. *Quality Management: Coordinate quality management activities within the laboratory and ensure compliance with required standards of quality. (KSA viii) 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-7. Physical Requirements: The work requires some physical exertion, such as regular and recurring light lifting, walking, bending, or standing. In many situations the duration of the activity (such as most of a workday) contributes to the arduous nature of the job. In other situations, such as in a laboratory, there may be special requirements for agility or dexterity, such as exceptional hand/eye coordination, or color differentiation.