Nuclear Medicine Technologist

Qualifications Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. 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 Certification: All applicants must be certified in nuclear medicine technology by the Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board (NMTCB) or the American Registry of Radiologic Technology (ARRT) (N) NMTCB or ARRT (N) certification eligibility requirements are normally satisfied by one of the following: Completion of a NMTCB-recognized nuclear medicine technology program, OR Completion of a nuclear medicine technology program accredited by the Joint Review Committee on Educational Programs in Nuclear Medicine Technology (JRCNMT), or other accrediting agencies as recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), culminating in a certificate, associate, baccalaureate, or master's degree Educational programs must have structured clinical training sufficient to provide clinical competency in radiation safety, instrumentation, clinical procedures, and radio-pharmacy, as deemed acceptable by the NMTCB Exceptions: Non-certified applicants, who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements for NMTCB or ARRT (N) certification, may be given a temporary appointment as a graduate NMT under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405 (a)(1)(D) Failure to obtain certification within 1 year from the date of appointment is justification for termination of the temporary appointment This may result in termination of employment Failure to Obtain Credential: In all cases, NMTs must actively pursue meeting certification requirements starting from the date of their appointment Failure to become certified within 1 year from date of appointment will result in removal from the GS-0601 NMT occupation and may result in termination of employment Loss of Credential: Once certified, NMTs must maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted certification Loss of credential will result in removal from the GS-0601 NMT occupation and may result in termination of employment For occupations which require an active certification at all grade levels, at the discretion of the appointing official, an employee may be reassigned to another occupation for which he/she qualifies if a placement opportunity exists For occupations which require an active credential (licensure/certification/registration) in assignments above the journey level only, at the discretion of the appointing official, an employee may remain at an appropriate lower grade level in the occupation when both of the following apply: the credential is not a requirement and a placement opportunity exists 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) Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: NMT, GS-09: Experience: Completion of 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level directly related to the position to be filled (i.e., experience that demonstrates possession of the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics needed to provide nuclear medicine technology services at that level) is required Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities In addition, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: i Ability to document excessive radiation exposure in the working environment ii Knowledge of medical events requiring documentation and the ability to properly document them and make recommendations to the radiation safety officer (RSO) iii Ability to communicate orally and in writing post iodine-131 therapy radiation safety precautions iv Ability to troubleshoot gamma camera and auxiliary equipment problems v Ability to analyze computer generated data for technical quality and artifacts and initiate corrective measures KSAs must be demonstrated on your resume or submitted as a supporting document as part or your application package to receive credit If submitting KSA responses as a supporting document, these responses should clearly demonstrate your ability to perform the work, referencing your current and/or past employment history Creditable Experience To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs), and other characteristics, also referred to as core competencies, associated with the scope of NMT practice Quality of Experience Experience is only creditable if it is earned after passing the Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board (NMTCB) or American Registry of Radiologic Technology (ARRT) (N) certification exams Experience as a graduate NMT is creditable provided the candidate worked as a NMT and subsequently passed the certification examination Part-Time Experience Part-time experience as a NMT is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time workweek For example, a NMT would receive 1 week of full-time credit for each 2 weeks of half-time work Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-9. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-9. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. ]]]]>