Health Technician (Laboratory Assistant)

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Fort Worth (TX); On-site; USD 38,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Fort Worth, TX seeks a Health Technician to receive and process specimens, accession them, perform centrifugation and aliquoting, and ensure proper storage or delivery to the point of analysis. The role includes phlebotomy and checking in patients for specimen collection.

The position requires one year of specialized phlebotomy experience or education as described, with a bachelor’s degree in a related field. Closing date is 09/18/2026.

Qualifications

• Specialized experience: 1 year at GS-04 level or equivalent.
• Education: 4-year bachelor’s degree with related coursework.
• Combination: education plus experience beyond first 60 semester hours.

Responsibilities

• Receive and process specimens including accessioning, centrifugation, aliquoting, determining acceptability, and delivery to analysis or proper storage to preserve specimen integrity.
• Check-in/accession patients and collect specimens via phlebotomy.

Skills

Phlebotomy

Patient interaction

Infection control

Education

Bachelor's degree with related coursework

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.

AMERICA'S VETERANS NEED YOU! To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/18/2026.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

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/