Therapeutic Radiologic Technologist

Summary

Employees at this level serve as staff Therapeutic Radiologic Technologist (TRT) independently carrying out all areas of Radiation Therapy with additional assignments, requiring TRT competencies which substantially exceed the full performance level.

Note: This is an Open Continuous Announcement and will be open approximately 6-months or until positions are filled.

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Duties

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Under the direction of the Radiation Therapy Supervisor, the Therapeutic Radiologic Technologist works with Radiation Oncologists, clinical Physicists, Medical Dosimetrists, and other staff Therapists as part of a comprehensive treatment team. Staff Therapists are proficient in many departmental functions, primarily the accurate and safe delivery of daily ionizing radiation treatments.

Functions or Scopes of Practice include and not limited to the following:

• Perform a wide variety of complex duties of a strategically critical nature. Must be able to calculate the needed monitor units according to the Radiation Oncologist's prescription applying extensive knowledge of critical structures and their tolerances to accurately deliver the prescribed dose while on-call.
• Must be able to apply in depth knowledge of anatomy, physiology, and numerous types of tumors and their routes of spread to establish and immobilize patient position for Radiation Oncologist approval and isocenter selection at the time of CT Simulation.
• An ability to work independently at an advanced level of complex treatment and patient care situations.
• Incumbent demonstrates full knowledge of a range of treatment procedures and modalities within the radiation therapy department.
• Ability to troubleshoot and resolve patient set-up problems.
• Receive patients and briefly explain methods of procedure to the patient.
• Must be able to operate and understand Varian Linear Accelerator, CT- Simulator, and any other treatment and/ or imaging machine warm up and shut down procedures for quality assurance purposes
• Responsible for safe operating procedures of all therapy equipment throughout the service. Performs routine daily warm up and morning checks of linear accelerators and simulators.
• The incumbent works in a highly technical environment with patients and members of many other professions to provide a high standard of clinical care.
• Maintain knowledge of changes to systems and organs caused by a wide-variety of medical and surgical diseases.
• To assure adequate safeguards are maintained for safety of the patient and the operator, a thorough knowledge of radiation protection standards, including concepts of cumulative dosage, genetic changes, and effects of radiation in living organisms is required

Work Schedule : Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm

Telework : Not Authorized

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : 642-05299-F

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives : Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this 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.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• 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 dentification 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).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 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 trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements :

• 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 candidates in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).
• Education . Individuals must have successfully completed a program in therapeutic radiologic technology, evidenced by a certificate or an associate's or higher degree accredited by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology or other accrediting bodies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the subsequent completion of a 12-month ED accrediting body-approved program in therapeutic radiologic technology. Public Law 97-35 requires that persons who administer radiologic procedures meet the credentialing standards in 42 C.F.R. Part 75. They must have successfully completed an educational program meeting or exceeding the standards described in that regulation and is accredited by an organization recognized by the ED, and be radiation therapists certified by the ARRT in Radiation Therapy (T).
• Certification . All applicants must be certified in therapeutic radiologic technology by the ARRT in Radiation Therapy (ARRT (T)).
  • (1) All applicants must be certified in therapeutic radiologic technology by the ARRT in Radiation Therapy (ARRT (T)).
  • (2) Exception .
    
    
    • (a) Non-certified applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements for TRT certification may be given a temporary appointment under 38 U.S.C. § 7405 (a)(1)(B) for up to one year at the entry level only as a graduate TRT under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405 (c)(2)(B).
    • (b) Graduate TRTs may only be appointed at the entry grade level and may not be promoted/converted until certification is obtained.
    • (c) Temporary graduate TRT appointments may not be extended beyond one year or converted to a new temporary appointment.
    • (d) Failure to Obtain Certification. In all cases, TRTs must actively pursue meeting the requirements for certification starting from the date of their appointment. Failure to become certified within one year from the date of appointment will result in removal from the GS-0648 TRT series and may result in termination of employment.
• Physical Requirements : See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service
• English Language Proficiency. TRTs must be proficient in spoken and written English. See 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).

Grade Determinations :

Therapeutic Radiologic Technologist, GS-9

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate all the KSAs below :

• (a) Skill in independently setting up the patient in preparation for basic and complex radiation treatments on a linear accelerator, as prescribed by the radiation oncologist.
• (b) Skill in independently performing machine warm-up procedures to interpret output levels compared with established thresholds adhering to the principles of radiation safety and all aspects of quality assurance.
• (c) Skill to independently perform patient chart reviews and effectively document records utilizing an electronic medical records system and the Record and Verify System or other similar treatment delivery systems.

Therapeutic Radiologic Technologist, GS-10

Experience . At least one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level directly related to the position being filled.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate all the KSAs below:

• (a) Skill in independently performing machine warm up procedures and interpreting output levels compared with established thresholds adhering to the principles of radiation safety and all aspects of quality assurance.
• (b) Ability to independently perform patient chart reviews using an electronic medical record and the Record and Verify System or other similar treatment delivery systems.
• (c) Ability to independently perform all basic and complex CT simulations, including independently operating the CT equipment, following directives, designing custom immobilization for reproducible set-ups, obtaining optimal imaging, completing accurate data transfer for treatment planning and providing accurate and precise patient documentation.
• (d) Ability to utilize a Linac's On Board Imaging system to interpret complex images.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit

The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is of GS-10.

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

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

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.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.