Health Technician (Laboratory Assistant)
Veterans Health Administration
Posted: February 5, 2026 (16 days ago)
Added to FreshGovJobs: February 7, 2026 (13 days ago)
This job has been posted for 2-4 weeks. Consider applying soon if interested.
Veterans Health Administration
Department of Veterans Affairs
Location
Asheville, North Carolina
Salary
$46,251 - $60,127
per year
Type
Full-Time
More Maintenance & Trades jobs →Closes
Base salary range: $33,878 - $44,042
Typical requirements: 1 year specialized experience. Bachelor's degree.
Note: Actual salary includes locality pay (15-40%+ depending on location).
This job involves drawing blood from patients, preparing samples for lab testing, and handling urgent collections in a hospital setting for veterans.
It's a hands-on role in a medical lab environment where accuracy and patient care are key.
A good fit would be someone with healthcare experience who is detail-oriented, comfortable with direct patient interaction, and reliable in fast-paced situations.
The Medical Technician Phlebotomist performs venipunctures by correctly identifying patients as to name and full social security number, selecting appropriate collection devices (i.e., proper collection tube, appropriate anticoagulant, etc.) and taking any necessary precautions in specimen preparation (i.e., protect carotenes from light, place ammonias in ice slurry, etc.).
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 02/17/2026.
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-5 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-4. 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.
You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.
Examples of specialized experience include, but are not limited to: Collects stat specimens and therapeutic drugs from outpatients, critical care units or Emergency Department as required.
Delivers specimens from collection areas to the main laboratory for analysis, preparing specimens and assigns P&LMS accession numbers to specimens for analysis in the clinical laboratory, performing special collection procedures for example, administration of oral products such as glucose drink for the glucose tolerance test..
OR, Education: To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 4-year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation, if required..
OR, Combination: You must have an combination of specialized experience and education for GS-5 level positions, only 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.
Determine the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the year of specialized experience required at the GS-5 level.
Then determine the applicant's education as a percentage of the education that meets the requirements for GS-5. Add the two percentages.
The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for GS-5.
Attention to Detail Customer Service (Clerical/Technical) Decision Making Specimen Collection 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; religions; 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week.
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.
Preferred Experience: One year of Phlebotomist experience.
Physical Requirements: The work requires finger dexterity and hand/eye coordination required to perform blood collection and to manipulate a variety of laboratory devices, such as computerized instruments and computer terminals.
May lift or otherwise assists other personnel in positioning patients.
For routine and emergency procedures, position under/on top of laboratory counters or in instrument cabinets the reagent and supply items, some of which can weigh more than 45 pounds also, prolonged periods of standing, walking, pushing, and reaching.
Ability to effectively communicate both verbally and in writing. Ability to operate laboratory equipment, computers, and other equipment.
Must wear personal protective equipment or film badges as required for the designated work area.
The work requires some physical exertion, such as walking or bending to collect samples in many situations for most of the workday.
Due to the meticulous nature of the job in the laboratory there may be special requirements for agility or dexterity such as exceptional hand/eye coordination.
For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.
Major Duties:
The Medical Technician (Phlebotomist) duties includes, but are not limited to the following: Collects stat specimens and therapeutic drugs from outpatients, critical care units or Emergency Department as required.
Delivers specimens from collection areas to the main laboratory for analysis. Prepares specimens and assigns P&LMS accession numbers to specimens for analysis in the clinical laboratory.
Performs special collection procedures for example, administration of oral products such as glucose drink for the glucose tolerance test. Prepares worklists/logs for inpatient collections.
Orients and trains new employees/students in all aspects of phlebotomy and specimen collection. Compiles with all Medical Center policies and procedures regarding safety practices.
Performs inventory of collection supplies and stocks designated areas, including wards. Evaluates suitability of specimens for analysis, requesting new specimens if determined to be unusable.
Controls sample physical conditions and responds to time factors to ensure that the physiologic state of the specimen is maintained.
Selects methods for obtaining high quality specimens and can instruct others on the proper selection of collection materials and techniques.
Ensures microbiology specimens are collected on proper media using standard biochemical procedures and are incubated at proper temperature/conditions to ensure optimal microbiological organism recovery and growth.
Work Schedule: Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Med Technician/PD04360A
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