Health Technician (Phlebotomy)

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Wilmington (NC); On-site; USD 42,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs invites applications for a Health Technician (Phlebotomy) at the Wilmington VA Clinic in Wilmington, NC. The role is in the Pathology & Laboratory service, core laboratory, handling phlebotomy procedures and specimen processing.

Responsibilities include patient identification, proper collection techniques, labeling, and ensuring specimen integrity across inpatients and outpatients. Experience with LIS/Cerner and lab safety is preferred.

Qualifications

• Must have one year of specialized experience or education per GS-5 level.
• Knowledge of phlebotomy equipment, specimen handling, and safety procedures.
• Experience with labeling, accessioning, and specimen processing.

Responsibilities

• Identify patients by full name and SSN before collection and processing.
• Perform phlebotomy at bedside or chair side with proper technique.
• Label specimens correctly and ensure specimen integrity for testing.
• Assist with receiving, accessioning, and processing in the core laboratory.
• Maintain clean, stocked work areas and follow infection control practices.

Skills

Phlebotomy experience

Patient interaction

Blood collection procedures

Education

Bachelor's degree related to the occupation

Tools

LIS (Laboratory Information System)

Cerner

VISTA

CPRS

Microsoft Word

Excel

Outlook

Job description

SummaryThe position is located in the Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6) - Fayetteville NC VA Coastal Healthcare System - in the Pathology & Laboratory service - at the Wilmington VA Clinic - in Wilmington - NC. The position serves as a Health Technician (Phlebotomy) in the core laboratory section. The Health Technician (Phlebotomy) will perform duties in the receiving - accessioning and specimen processing area.

SummaryThe position is located in the Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6) - Fayetteville NC VA Coastal Healthcare System - in the Pathology & Laboratory service - at the Wilmington VA Clinic - in Wilmington - NC. The position serves as a Health Technician (Phlebotomy) in the core laboratory section. The Health Technician (Phlebotomy) will perform duties in the receiving - accessioning and specimen processing area.

QualificationsTo qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement - 09/22/2026. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-5 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-4. The grade may have been in any occupation - but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year - it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade - as required by the announcement. In this instance - you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE - PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. 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: Knowledge of DHHS standards for chain of custody drug screen collection and is certified to collect the specimens. Knowledge of specimen collection and specimen handling requirements for a wide array of analytical tests. Knowledge of human anatomy - aseptic and sterile techniques and phlebotomy equipment to select phlebotomy site and skill in using collection systems - syringes - butterfly needle devices and capillary puncture techniques. Knowledge of the laboratory regulatory and legal requirements involved in processing and testing various laboratory specimens and the Code of Federal Regulations requirements to certify/transport infectious or bio-hazardous material. Knowledge of various precautions to prevent the spread of infections. Knowledge of general safe work practices - physical security - and incident reporting. Knowledge of pre-analytic processing procedures - including the identification and resolution of specimen errors. Knowledge of federal and state laws and regulations - laboratory accrediting and regulatory requirements sufficient to understand procedures in the areas of safety - phlebotomy/specimen collection - and accessioning and processing. T Technical proficiency in the safe operation of specialized and common laboratory equipment and the established normal values of each test. Skill in oral communication in explaining testing procedures to patients and put them at ease and clarify test requests with hospital staff members. Knowledge of regulatory requirements for shipments - including infection control regulations - and the handling - storage - packaging - and disposal of biohazardous materials. Possess a thorough knowledge of and skill in using various software systems including LIS - Cerner - VISTA - CPRS - Microsoft Word - Excel - and Outlook for input/retrial of medical information. OR - Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have Four academic years above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation. OR - Combination of Experience and Education. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond 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 1 year of specialized experience. Preferred Experience: Must Have experience performing phlebotomy/blood draws on human patients. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience - including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g. - Peace Corps - AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g. - professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies - knowledge - and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience - including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. 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/. Duties

• Major duties of the Health Technician (Phlebotomy) include but are not limited to: Properly identifies patients utilizing the full name and social security number before collecting - processing and /or hospital computer entry of requests
• Compares orders from multiple physicians and request the medical technologist to combine the orders
• Properly identifies - labels and collection blood bank specimens for STAT and routine testing while next to the patient bedside or chair side
• Proficient in phlebotomizing patient in varying debilitation (i.e. - paralysis - stroke - mentally unstable - spinal cord injuries in fetal position and contractures)
• Performs phlebotomy using specialized techniques for cleansing the blood collection site to prevent bacterial contamination that's critical to patient care - to ensure the contamination rate of blood cultures remains with in guidelines with blood culture contamination
• Draws the blood tests ordered by providers for inpatients - outpatients - CBOC patients and for requested drug screens
• Applies knowledge of human anatomy - aseptic and sterile techniques and phlebotomy equipment in selection of the phlebotomy site - taking into consideration the condition of the patient - age group - and the type of test requested
• Selects proper vacutainer tubes for testing using various sized needles - and/or butterfly collection devices to collect appropriate specimens
• Establishes proper identity of all patients - ensures accountability of specimens by proper and complete labeling with patient's name and identification and initials all tubes drawn
• Follows standard precautions in the use of personal protection equipment and complies with other Medical Center infection control requirements and the handling and disposal of biohazardous materials
• Organizes work in the collection room to ensure optimal patient flow
• Keeps phlebotomy work areas - carts - and storages clean - well-stocked and organized with supplies
• Rotates supplies as needed
• Removes expired supplies
• Completes weekend duty list
• Answers telephone in the main laboratory assist with collection questions and refer other question to the medical technologist on duty
• May be occasionally assigned to perform Stat/On Demand blood draws
• Responsible for maintaining the integrity of the sample
• Sample integrity requires 1) appropriate sample submitted for testing - 2) adequate volume of same - 3) correct tube 2 type 4) correct storage and packing of sample - 5) sample is free of contaminants which may compromise the reporting of results - and 6) correct collection of the presence of an intravenous infusion site
• Performs blood drawing in a courteous manner and monitors the patient throughout the collection process - ensuring patient safety - observing blood flow - adequate mixing of specimen - and confirming blood flow stops at appropriate time
• Possesses proficiency in phlebotomy - being able to draw all but the most difficult patients and follows proper procedures for redrawing blood
• Completes the urine drug screen and blood draw quickly to produce quality specimens
• Administers first aid - if necessary - to counteract unfavorable patient reactions
• Provides care based on physical - psychosocial - safety - and related criteria - appropriate to the age of the patients served
• In patient emergencies - completes appropriate alert notifications - or initiates emergency patient treatment procedures - to include cardiopulmonary resuscitation or other basic patient support functions
• Monitors patients or directs monitoring of patients during and after procedures
• Provides training and guidance in phlebotomy techniques to intern students - volunteers - medical technologist and new hires when directed
• Records workload data is required for turnaround times and STAT's
• Notify the Team Leader or supervisor of all uncollected specimens immediately
• Documents each instance on the phlebotomy forms
• Other duties as assigned
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 8:00am - 4:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Position Description/PD#: Health Technician (Phlebotomy)/PD08432A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized