Summary The Lead Medical Technician for Inpatient/Outpatient Phlebotomy has the responsibility for leading the employees assigned to the Inpatient Phlebotomy and the Outpatient Reception Area. The duties include planning the work to be accomplished and setting priorities, making schedules for the completion of the work, and an overall review of the technical work of these employees. Responsibilities In consultation with the Communications Unit Supervisor, the Lead Medical Technician must also assume the responsibility for making changes in unit functions, priorities or policies, as necessary to accomplish the workload in a timely manner. Day-by-day planning of the operation of the Phlebotomy areas is required in order to provide the best service available for patient care. This includes making and adapting work schedules to attain maximum efficiency, adapting and modifying standard protocols or procedures, and resolving problems that may occur (e.g., ordering errors, mislabeling, specimen quality, etc. The Lead Medical Technician is responsible for coordinating the scheduled collection lists, assigning staff for performing STAT draws, and coordination of data processing/accessioning of outpatient orders. The individual provides backup to the Centralized Processing Lead Medical Technician in the Communications Unit. The Lead Medical Technician is the primary trainer for phlebotomy procedures and is responsible to monitor competency as specified by the Communications Unit Supervisor and in accordance with all Laboratory Accreditation agencies. The Lead Medical Technician performs a variety of quality assurance (QA) duties connected with patient care. Participates in inter- and intra- service staff meetings to exchange information regarding procedures, techniques, and quality assurance issues. The Lead Medical Technician is the primary trainer for phlebotomy procedures and is responsible to monitor competency as specified by the Communications Unit Supervisor and in accordance with all Laboratory Accreditation agencies. Utilizes trend analysis programs and problem-solving models to compile quality and timeliness data for review by the supervisor. The Lead Medical Technician extracts and compiles data from inspections audits, customer complaints and feedback, in-house personnel feedback, and corrective and prevention actions. The Lead Medical Technician assists the supervisor in identifying and correcting problematic issues within the service, develops quality evaluation reports in measuring work performance in completed work as well as work in progress to include results of inspections, analysis of the results and recommendations regarding corrective actions. The Lead Medical Technician develops detailed methods for identification and prevention of problems, institutes performance and customer feedback programs, establishes framework for documenting, evaluation , and determining the results and conclusions of quality inspections and recommending remedial measures and elimination of potential nonconformities. The Lead Medical Technician records all inspections, audits, customer complaints, feedback, and continuous improvement suggestions, in support of the Service Quality Assurance Program. The technical duties required of the Lead Medical Technician are equivalent to the duties of the staff GS-6 Medical Technicians in the section. Those duties include but are not limited to: Processing of specimens for analysis, ensuring the physiological state of the specimens maintained, biological fluids include blood, urine, cerebrospinal fluid, ascites fluids stool, sputum, thoracic fluid, bone marrow, etc. Performs phlebotomy by venipuncture. Prepares and advises patients for collection of timed blood urine, and stool specimens. Timed collection or special preparation is required for tests such as occult blood in colorectal cancer screening, 24-hour urine creatinine clearance, peak and trough levels of a variety of therapeutic drugs. Clerical duties include computer data entry of patient requisition data, retrieval of test data, test information and reference values. The individual must possess a professional knowledge and judgment to communicate effectively with medical center employees patients, families, physicians, and residents to provide the necessary professional advisory and consulting services regarding Inpatient and Outpatient Phlebotomy services as well as other medical laboratory practices. Other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 10:00am - 6:30pm Position Description/PD#: Lead Medical Technician/PD000000 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. You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Required Documents" below for details. Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/30/2024. 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-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. Individual Occupational Requirements Specialized Experience For positions at GS-4 and above: (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. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience: You 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: Knowledge of the technical methods, processes, and procedures associated with Lead Medical Technician for the Specimen Acquisition work area. Knowledge to employ them in carrying out (alone or as a fully functioning team or crewmember) a variety of technical and administrative duties common to the specialty area while practicing and teaching when and how to resolve exceptions and special problems or to make adaptations in the sequencing of the interrelated tasks associated with those Lead Medical Technician level duties. Knowledge of the basic principles of a biological science to assess readings and measurements taken, tests executed, observations made, work completed, samples collected, etc. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Applies Technology to Tasks Attention to Detail Customer Service Technical Competence 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. Physical Requirements: The work requires moderate physical exertion, such as regular and recurring running, walking, stooping, or bending to collect blood or record information. In many situations the duration of the activity contributes to the arduous nature of the job. There is a special requirement for agility and dexterity such as exceptional hand/eye coordination and sense of touch. 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/ Education There is no educational substitution at this grade level. 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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. 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." Receiving Service Credit or 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. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. 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. 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. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.