Clinical laboratory scientist

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Minneapolis (MN); On-site; USD 50,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking Clinical Laboratory Scientists to perform and validate laboratory tests across various specialties. The position involves fulfilling educational and certification requirements while ensuring the highest standards of accuracy and compliance in results. This role offers eligibility for the Education Debt Reduction Program and contributes to critical health services for veterans.

Benefits

Eligibility for the Education Debt Reduction Program

Qualifications

• Degree from an accredited college or university required.
• Experience or education requirements vary based on position level.
• Must meet certification requirements and demonstrate KSAs.

Responsibilities

• Develop, perform, evaluate, interpret, and validate laboratory procedures.
• Ensure compliance with laboratory regulatory requirements.
• Work may involve specialties like chemistry, microbiology, and hematology.

Skills

Knowledge of policies and procedures of clinical laboratory testing

Knowledge of laboratory quality control and quality assurance principles

Ability to work as a team member

Ability to accurately perform phases of testing

Education

Bachelor's degree in a medical technology or related field

Job description

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval , award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.
Duties

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

A CLS develops, performs, evaluates, interprets, correlates, and validates the accuracy of laboratory procedures and results in line with current laboratory regulatory requirements. The work performed may be in a variety of laboratory specialties such as chemistry, microbiology, immunology, hematology, and immunohematology.

Major duties include, but are not limited to the following:

Requirements

Qualifications
All qualifying experience you possess must be clearly described in your application package. We will not make assumptions when reviewing applications. Failure to clearly demonstrate your experience in your application package may result in disqualification. All applicants are encouraged to submit responses to each Knowledge, Skill, and Ability (KSA) on a separate document.

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.
• Education: A bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university.
• Certification:
  • Candidates must meet one of the certification options below.
    • Generalist certification as an MLS given by ASCP BOC or AMT.
    • Generalist certification as an MT given by ASCP BOR or AMT.
    • Categorical certification or Specialist certification by ASCP or AMT.
  • NOTE: Categorical and specialist certifications are not acceptable for CLS Generalist positions or lab sections unrelated to the categorical or specialist certification held. Categorical or specialist certifications are acceptable for higher-graded positions within the relevant lab section or one of the non-section specific assignments (including, Ancillary Testing Coordinator, Education Coordinator, Laboratory Information Manager, Quality Manager, Laboratory Manager, Regional Technical Specialist, National Quality and Compliance Agent, Regional Program Manager, Regional Director, Laboratory Director, or National Quality and Compliance Officer).
  • Exception for Non-Certified:
    • Applicants who do not currently hold valid certification may be hired by VA and actively work toward their certification if they meet one of the routes identified in Appendix A that makes them eligible to take the MLS certification exam through the ASCP BOC or the MLS certification exam through AMT Certification Agency.
    • Non-Certified applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements for licensure may be given a temporary appointment CLS under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2).
    • Non-Certified individuals may only provide care under the supervision of a certified CLS at or above the FPL.
    • Non-certified individuals may only be appointed at the entry level and may not be promoted/converted until certification is obtained.
    • Temporary appointments of non-certified CLS may not be extended beyond 2 years or be converted to a new temporary appointment.
• Foreign Education: To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. Graduates of foreign baccalaureate degree programs meet the educational requirements if they meet either of the following:
  • Foreign transcripts are evaluated by an acceptable evaluation agency, and the degree is found to be equivalent to a NAACLS-approved U.S. clinical laboratory science degree program. - OR-
  • The applicant submits a letter from ASCP BOC or AMT stating the individual is eligible to take the certification examination.
    • NOTE: Possession of a certification identified in 4c above automatically determines the foreign education as creditable and no further documentation or proof of equivalency is needed.
• Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.
• English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403 (f).

Grade Determinations:

Clinical Laboratory Scientist, GS-07:

Experience: None beyond the basic requirements.

Clinical Laboratory Scientist, GS-09:

Experience or Education: Candidates at this level must meet one of the criteria below:

• Experience: 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade. - OR-
• Education: Master's degree or 2 academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education in medical technology or a directly related science.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

Knowledge of policies and procedures of clinical laboratory testing.

Knowledge of laboratory quality control and quality assurance principles.

Knowledge of laboratory equipment and routine maintenance.

Ability to work as a team member and effectively complete assignments.

Ability to read and interpret written instructions.

Ability to accurately perform pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical phases of testing.

Clinical Laboratory Scientist, GS-11:

Experience or Education Candidates at this level must meet one of the criteria below:

• Experience: 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. - 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 science.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

Knowledge of professional clinical laboratory science principles, practices, concepts, and theories that support sound, independent work.

Knowledge of laboratory quality control and quality assurance procedures and principles of performance improvement.

Skill in informatics, laboratory data flow, and laboratory processes.

Ability to maintain, troubleshoot, and repair instrumentation.

Ability to use independent technical judgment to analyze and interpret laboratory results.

Ability to read, interpret, and apply complex written instructions.

Ability to communicate, consult, and interact with other members of the health care team, external relations, customer service, and patient education.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS7 to GS11.

Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.