MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIST LEAD

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• English Language Proficiency. MTs must be proficient in spoken and written English
• Education and/or Experience Combination
  • (1) A bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university in medical laboratory science, medical technology, clinical laboratory science or in a related science (e.g., laboratory sciences such as chemistry, biochemistry, biology, microbiology, immunology, etc.).
  • AND
  • Completion of a medical technology clinical practice program. Clinical practice programs completed after 1974 must have been accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS), Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP, formerly CAHEA), or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). The professional curriculum may have consisted of a post- baccalaureate certificate program or be integrated into a four- year program of study that culminated in a baccalaureate degree.
  • OR
  • (2) A bachelor's degree from an accredited college/university, including 16 semester hours of biological science (with one course in microbiology), 16 semester hours of chemistry (with one course in organic or biochemistry) and one course in mathematics
  • AND
  • Two years of post-certification clinical laboratory experience (e.g., blood banking, chemistry, hematology, microbiology, immunology, clinical microscopy, etc.) within the last ten years as a certified Medical Laboratory Technician by the American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Certification (ASCP-BOC), American Society of Clinical Pathology Board of Registry (ASCP- BOR) or American Medical Technologists (AMT). This experience must include performing moderate and/or high complexity testing in blood banking, chemistry, hematology, microbiology immunology and clinical microscopy (or categorical experience which matches categorical certification) in a clinical laboratory.
  • OR
  • (3) A bachelor's degree from an accredited college/university, including 16 semester hours of biological science (with one course in microbiology), 16 semester hours of chemistry (with one course in organic or biochemistry) and one course in mathematics
  • AND
  • Five years of clinical laboratory experience within the last ten years performing moderate and/or high complexity testing in blood banking, chemistry, hematology, microbiology, immunology and clinical microscopy (or categorical experience which matches categorical certification) in a clinical laboratory
• Foreign Graduates. Graduates of foreign baccalaureate degree programs meet the educational and/or experience requirements if the degree is found to be equivalent to degree programs recognized by the NAACLS or clinical laboratory experience as described in paragraph 2b(2) or (3) above. This finding may be based on either of the following:
  • (1) A letter from a college or university with a baccalaureate program recognized by the NAACLS stating that the individual's foreign degree has been evaluated and been found to be equivalent to its bachelor of medical technology degree.
  • (2) A letter from ASCP-BOC or AMT stating that the individual is eligible for the certification examination.
• Certification. Candidates must have either (1) or (2) below:
  • (1) Candidates must currently possess the appropriate certification as a MT, MLS, or CLS given by the ASCP-BOC, ASCP-BOR, or AMT.
  • (2) For positions up to the full performance level, candidates must currently possess the categorical or specialist technologist level certification from the certification agencies listed above, such as, but not limited to, chemistry (C/SC), hematology (H/SH), microbiology (M/SM), molecular biology (MB/SMB) and blood bank (BB/SBB). Technologists with categorical or specialist certifications may only perform duties within the area of the laboratory specific to their categorical certification (e. g., an individual with a chemistry (C) certification can only perform duties in chemistry).
• Loss of Credential. Once certified, MTs must maintain their certification. Loss of certification will result in removal from the occupation and may result in termination of employment.

Grade Determination: The following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates in addition to possessing all the basic requirements.

GS-11 Lead Medical Technologist Above the Full Performance Level

Experience. Must have 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the full performance level (GS-9), which is directly related to the position to be filled.
OR
Education. Must have 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education or a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in medical technology or a directly related field.
AND
The candidate must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities, KSAs, in addition to the experience or education above.

1) Knowledge of medical technology applicable to a wide range of duties to solve complex problems involving diverse aspects of clinical laboratory practice
2) Knowledge of regulatory, licensing and accrediting agency requirements and statutes governing clinical laboratory operations in order to plan, implement or monitor laboratory programs and services
3) Ability to manage and coordinate daily work activities and assignments in a section
4) Skill to maintain, troubleshoot and repair laboratory instrumentation
5) Ability to provide technical oversight in order to manage personnel and work assignments in a manner that assures completion of the laboratory workload

Preferred Experience: Previous blood bank experience preferred, especially in a hospital setting.

Reference: FormerVA Handbook Reference Part II APPENDIX G24The full performance level of this vacancy is a GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is a GS-11.

Physical Requirements:
Frequent & long periods of the following are common: sitting, walking, standing, climbing/descending stairs, and stooping
Regularly reaching above shoulders, using computer, mouse and keyboard
Carry light items: papers, books & medical supplies
Simultaneous perform rapid mental/muscular calculations & analysis
Mild physical labor to complete the tasks at hand
Exposure to blood, chemicals, and other bodily fluids
Other physical demands that coincide with the duties of a laboratory professional
Correctable near/far sighted vision/Hearing Aid allowed
Complete, pass & maintain Basic Life Support course