Health Technician (Laboratory Assistant)

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Dallas (TX); On-site; USD 35,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

The Health Technician position at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Dallas involves medical specimen handling, including accessioning, centrifugation, aliquoting, and ensuring specimen integrity through proper storage. It also covers delivery to analysis and preparation for deferred testing as needed.

You will check-in patients, accession records, and perform phlebotomy collection, requiring strict adherence to universal precautions and compassionate patient care.

Qualifications

• One year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-04 in the standard progression for the occupation.
• Education may substitute for the required experience with transcripts.
• Combination of education and experience is creditable toward meeting requirements.

Responsibilities

• Receive and process specimens including accessioning, centrifugation, aliquoting, and determining acceptability.
• Deliver specimens to the point of analysis or arrange proper storage to maintain integrity.
• Check-in/accession patients and collect specimens via phlebotomy procedures.

Skills

Phlebotomy

Patient interaction

Infection control

Specimen processing

Education

Bachelor's degree in a related field

Job description

The Health Technician is responsible for receiving and processing specimens including computerized accessioning, centrifugation, aliquoting, determining specimen acceptability, and delivery to the point of analysis or, if analysis is to be delayed, ensuring proper storage conditions are utilized to preserve specimen integrity. Additionally, they check-in/accession patients and collect specimens through phlebotomy procedures.

Individual Occupational Requirement

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.

• Specialized Experience: You must 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: Performing blood collection using a variety of phlebotomy techniques including vacutainer systems, syringe, butterfly, and/or capillary finger sticks. Interacting with patients, visitors, staff, students and volunteers in a courteous, helpful, tactful, cooperative, respectful and compassionate manner. Assessing patient condition before, during, and after procedures. Adhering to all universal precautions, infection control, and safety regulations associated with phlebotomy. OR,
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successful completion of a four (4) year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED). OR,
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond 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.

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/.