Medical Technician - Phlebotomy

Full Job Description

This position is located in the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service (P&LMS) at the Sioux Falls Veterans Administration Health Care System in Sioux Falls, SD.

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 This position includes a Selective Placement Factor (skill, knowledge, ability or other worker characteristics 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.

NOTE: In addition to meeting the above, to qualify for this position at the GS-04 level, you must meet one of the following: EXPERIENCE: Possess at least six (6) months of general experience, and six (6) months of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.

General Experience is: (1) Any type of work that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work of the position, or (2) experience that provided a familiarity with the subject matter or processes of the broad subject area of the occupation.

Specialized experience is: (a) Technical medical laboratory support work such as performing laboratory tests and examinations (chemical, microbiologic, hematologic and blood banking) and preparing reports of findings or (b) 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.

Note: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hour worked per week.

OR EDUCATION SUBSTITUTION: Successful completion of (a) an associate-degree course of study of which the 2nd 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) 1 year of study that included 6 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 2 years of study that included at least 12 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.

(Transcripts must be submitted at time of application) OR COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: Equivalent combinations of post-high school education and experience, as described above.

(Transcripts must be submitted at time of application) Physical Requirements: The work requires manual dexterity and exceptional hand/eye coordination, some physical exertion, such as regular and recurring walking, bending, and standing for several consecutive hours during the collection of specimens.

Work is performed at a fast pace. In many situations the duration of the activity (such as most of a workday) contributes to the arduous nature of the job.

Position requires lifting of reagent containers weighing up to 20 pounds.

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:

***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 include but are not limited to the following: 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 physiological 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.

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: Intermittent Work Schedule NOTE: Intermittent employment is defined as non-fulltime employment in which employees serve under an excepted or competitive service appointment without a regularly scheduled tour of duty.

A position with an intermittent work schedule is sporadic and unpredictable so that a tour of duty cannot be regularly scheduled in advance.

Intermittent positions offer health insurance only if the employee is expected to work at least 130 hours per month for at least 90 days.

Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved