Medical Technician - Phlebotomist

Summary

This position is located at the Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center, in the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service. The Medical Technician performs phlebotomy and specimen processing duties. The majority of the Medical Technician's day will be spent performing venipunctures on inpatients and outpatients as well as specimen processing duties. The position performs duties primarily related to specimen collection, specimen receipt, preparation for testing and packaging and shipping.

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Duties

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***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION***

Major duties and responsibilities will include:

• Follows procedures for patient identification, sample procurement, and specimen labeling.
• Performs routine venipuncture specimen collections from patients.
• Follows laboratory procedures for collecting specimens in the appropriate container.
• Controls the physical condition of samples and responds to time factors to ensure that the physiologic state of the specimen is maintained.
• Provides education to patients for proper collection techniques.
• Prepares samples for testing to include labeling, centrifugation, decanting and aliquoting, etc.
• Maintains adequate supplies for all phlebotomy and specimen procurement procedures.
• Answers incoming calls for the laboratory service - finding and relaying accurate information or referring the caller to technical personnel.
• Performs standard diagnostic tests/procedures such as bleeding time, occult blood, urine dipstick, pregnancy test, fingerstick glucose.
• Performs sterilization on the autoclave, and cleans glassware and other reusable items.
• Identifies and appropriately responds to adverse reactions such as fainting, nausea, vomiting, convulsions, and arrests.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

DESIGNATED DRUG-TESTING POSITION: 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. Applicants will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test result is received.

Work Schedule: 5:00am-1:30pm, 6:00am-2:30pm, 8:00am- 4:30pm, 12:00pm-8:00pm, 3:00pm-11:00pm, rotating schedule based on the needs of the service, including weekends & holidays.

Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI) : Not approved

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
• 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 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

IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION YOU MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS:

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position.

~AND~

SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR: This position includes a Selective Placement Factor (skill, knowledge, ability or other worker characteristic basic to - and essential for - satisfactory performance of the job). Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration.

The Selective Placement Factor for this position is: Experience performing phlebotomy/blood draws on human patients.

~AND~

EXPERIENCE: Six months of general experience and six months of specialized experience that equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of this position. General Experience is any type of work that demonstrates your ability to perform the work of the position, or experience that provided a familiarity with the subject matter or processes of the broad subject area of the occupation. Specialized experience includes: technical medical laboratory support work such as performing laboratory tests and examinations (chemical, microbiologic, hematologic and blood banking) and preparing reports of findings; or technical support work in a closely related field, e.g., biological laboratory technician work that required application of the methods and techniques for the position to be filled. This experience must be documented in your resume to receive credit.

~OR~

EDUCATION SUBSTITUTION: (A) An associate's degree course of study in which the second year of the 2 year program included successful completion of a training course of approximately a year's duration in a certified laboratory assistant school approved by a nationally recognized accrediting agency; (b) one year of study that included six semester hours in chemistry and/or the biological sciences, plus successful completion of a full-time training course of approximately a year's duration in a medical or clinical laboratory assistant (or technician) school that included instruction in chemistry, hematology, blood banking, and microbiology (including serology) and that, in addition, included supervised laboratory practice incident to the diagnostic process and the treatment of patients; or (c) two years of study that included at least twelve semester hours of chemistry and/or biological science course work that must have been directly related to the specialization of the position to be filled. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business or technical school, junior college, college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. Transcripts required.

~OR~

COMBINATION: An equivalent combination of successfully completed general experience, specialized experience, and post-high school education as described that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of this position. Your experience must be documented, and transcripts are required.

You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position:

• Computer Skills
• Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)
• Patient Care
• Specimen Collection

IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Physical Requirements: Physical demands may involve minimal lifting, standing, foot travel, bending, or sitting. The employee must have the digital dexterity and adequate vision to perform safe venipuncture procedures. Lifting will not exceed a weight of 10 pounds. The employee must fully utilize all safety practices and safety equipment provided by the medical center and in compliance with local and accrediting agency requirements.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at

Education

IMPORTANT: 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: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov).

Additional information

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

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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