Health Technician

Summary The Health Technician will perform within a team-oriented, customer-driven, professional medical environment to apply and expand new models of care that emphasize prevention of disease and further illness/injury, improved access and coordination of care within The Associate Chief Nursing Service, Lansing MI. The Health Technician will serve in a generalist role to support and manage clinic operations and will be stationed at the CBOC delivery site with duties that may require travel. Responsibilities MAJOR DUTIES Deliver patient care safely by following appropriate procedures for the cleaning of clinical equipment and the care environment while following all patient safety guidelines, protocols, and procedures Must have working knowledge of agency, Medical Center, and regulatory agency policies regarding application to specimen collection, patient identification, and specimen handling. Take universal precautions, infection control, and patient safety standards (possess knowledge of CPR/BCLS techniques). Stock and room turn-over to ensure the patient care environment is prepared to receive and care for patients and proper cleanup and disposal after contamination procedures. Have knowledge of patient identification methods and procedures established by regulatory and accrediting agencies, designed to prevent misidentification which could result in severe patient compromise or morbidity. Able to rigidly follow all established rules, regulations and practices designed to ensure continuity of patient and specimen identification and strict adherence to all patient privacy requirements. Technical skills to perform limited patient testing and quality control procedures. Skill necessary to use computer terminals relevant to a hospital information system to perform basic data input, retrieval, and basic accessioning. Understand the environmental risks involved when performing duties associated with a clinical setting and maintain current knowledge on accident prevention, safety practices, and infection control procedures. Able to report procedures involving safety issues relating to patients. Understand regulatory licensing, accrediting agency requirements and state and federal regulations sufficient to ensure compliance with regulations and standards. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health Technician/PD93532A, PD93533A, and PD93534A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required. Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/08/2026. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-05 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-04. Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. GS-05 Specialized Experience: Applicants 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: Clinical & Patient Support: Providing ongoing monitoring of vital signs and performing testing for blood glucose monitoring. Procedural Assistance: Arranging and passing medical instruments and materials to medical/nursing professional for a variety of tests and procedures. Patient Education: Teaching patients and family members the necessity to continue the procedures for proper health care. Logistics & Inventory: Ordering, maintaining, and stocking supplies in exam rooms, and transporting specimens and reusable medical equipment to specified location. Administrative & Program Support: Maintaining various unit logs and other related clerical duties associated with patient care and treatment, and providing and performing a variety of program support duties as assigned. OR Education: 4-year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with courses directly related to the occupation. OR 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 l year of specialized experience. NOTE: Graduate education or an internship meets the specialized experience required above GS-05 only in those instances where it is directly related to the work of the position. GS-06 Applicants 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: Ancillary & Diagnostic Support: Provide extensive support to primary care providers by completing vital signs, pain assessments, clinical reminders, and obtaining preliminary medical history. Clinical Documentation: Input electronic progress notes and encounter data at the time of care, provide order entry for provider's signature, complete exit interview input, and input consultation/completion status. Care Coordination: Manage appointment scheduling, arrange for hospital admissions, and assist with community/HBHC referrals. Communication & Education: Report test results to clinicians, provide educational instruction for patients/family, and perform other required administrative or clerical support as needed. OR Education: One full year of graduate education meets the requirements for GS-06. GS-07 Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Ancillary & Diagnostic Support: Completed vital signs, pain assessments, clinical reminders, preliminary medical histories, order entries for provider signatures, and electronic progress notes or encounter information into CPRS/VISTA at the time of care. Care Coordination & Scheduling: Arranged hospital admissions, assisted with community/HBHC referrals, scheduled appointments, and managed treatment plans to avoid conflicts. Handled patient telephone inquiries and processed clinician care requests based on eligibility determinations. Results Tracking & Communication: Tracked biopsy specimens and outside pathology results. Relayed normal test results to patients verbally or via correspondence. Contacted patients regarding abnormal laboratory testing to schedule repeat testing or return appointments, bringing recognized abnormalities to the attention of medical professionals. Clinic Operations & Logistics: Completed weekly inspections of wall-mounted biohazard sharps containers, performed inventories of expired instruments, and ordered adequate medical supplies through SPD. Disinfected exam tables, room surfaces, and wheelchairs. Administrative & Cross-Functional Support: Gathered and compiled statistics for supervisory reports. Identified documentation inconsistencies or discrepancies to report to appropriate staff. Performed medical clerk functions, medical record coding, and release of information duties in the absence of other staff. Quality Improvement: Participated in planning and developing recommendations for program policies to improve service delivery, performance measure ratings, customer service, and JCAHO compliance. OR Education: One full year of graduate education meets the requirements for GS-07. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at Education A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: Additional Information Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at