Health Technician-Intermittent

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Richland (WA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

The US Department of Veterans Affairs in Richland, WA seeks a Health Technician to provide medical and administrative support in the primary care clinic Lab within P&LMS. This role includes phlebotomy, point-of-care testing and specimen processing.

Applicants must meet education and experience requirements by the closing date 09/30/2026, including IOR and GS-5/GS-6 qualifications, with strong communication within patient care teams.

Qualifications

• One year of specialized experience at GS-4 level or education/substitution as specified (transcripts required).
• For GS-5 level: education or combination credits toward specialized experience as described in the announcement.
• Experience scheduling patient appointments and understanding lab terminology is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide phlebotomy services and specimen collection.
• Perform point of care testing and specimen processing.
• Support medical staff with patient service requests and clinic operations.

Skills

Phlebotomy techniques

Patient service

Medical records review

Laboratory terminology

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in a related field

24 semester hours in related subjects

Tools

Electronic Medical Record systems

Job description

The Health Technician provides medical and adminstrative support in the primary care clinic Lab to support Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Serviice (P&LMS). The technician performs phlebotomy services, point of care testing, and specimen processing. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/30/2026.

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.

Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR)

ALL applicants must meet the IOR. An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for the 0640 occupational series. You may meet this by:

• Specialized Experience: Positions in this series range widely in type and include support duties to medical or health personnel such as audiologists, speech pathologists, medical officers, and optometrists. Therefore, technician experience is experience that required application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of the position to be filled. OR,
• Education and Training (For positions at the GS-5 level only): Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position.(Transcripts Required)

In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements you must also meet the Special Experience or Education requirement for the Health Technician Position.

GS-5 Qualifications

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-4 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: I have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-04 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Demonstrates the ability to manage patient service requests, review medical records, and schedule eligible clinic appointments efficiently, possesses a solid understanding of laboratory terminology, specimen requirements, and anatomical factors that influence safe and accurate blood collection; maintains professional, effective communication with patients, families, and team members to support positive care outcomes; observes patient responses and provides clear, understandable explanations of tests and procedures to patients and families. OR,
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position. (Transcripts Required). OR,
• Combination: 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. (Transcripts Required)

GS-6 Qualifications

• 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 would typically include, but are not limited to: Demonstrates the ability to manage patient service requests, review medical records, and schedule eligible clinic appointments; possesses a solid understanding of laboratory terminology, specimen requirements, and anatomical factors that influence safe and accurate blood collection; applies a broad range of phlebotomy techniques safely and correctly while ensuring high-quality specimen collection; effectively follows standard procedures, utilizes specialized laboratory equipment, and accurately manages lab orders within electronic medical record systems; maintains professional, effective communication with patients, families, and team members to support positive care outcomes; observes patient responses and provides clear, understandable explanations of tests and procedures to patients and families.

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/.