Lead Clinical Lab Scientist

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Amarillo (TX); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

The Lead Clinical Laboratory Scientist at the Thomas E. Creek Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Amarillo, Texas, serves within the Pathology & Laboratory Service and oversees advanced clinical laboratory operations.

Required qualifications include US citizenship, proficiency in English, a bachelor’s degree or higher, and certification options such as MLS/MT generalist or related specialty; foreign credential evaluation may be required for foreign education; one year of specialized

Qualifications

• US citizenship required.
• English proficiency required for written and spoken communication.

Skills

English language proficiency

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

Job description

The Lead Clinical Laboratory Scientist position is located at the Thomas E. Creek Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Amarillo, Texas and operates within the Pathology & Laboratory Service.

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.
• English Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Education

A bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university

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:

1. 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

1. Eligible to take the certification examination. You must submit a letter from ASCP BOC or AMT stating that you are eligible to take the certification examination.

NOTE: Possession of one of the following certifications automatically determines the foreign education as creditable and no further documentation or proof of equivalency is needed.

• (a) Generalist certification as an MLS given by ASCP BOC or AMT.
• (b) Generalist certification as an MT given by ASCP BOR or AMT.
• (c) Categorical certification or Specialist certification (related to this position) by ASCP or AMT.

Certification

Candidates must meet one of the certification options below.

• (a) Generalist certification as an MLS given by ASCP BOC or AMT.
• (b) Generalist certification as an MT given by ASCP BOR or AMT.
• (c) Categorical certification or Specialist certification (related to this position) by ASCP or AMT.

GS-12 GRADE DETERMINATION

LEAD CLINICAL LABORATORY SCIENTIST

Specialized Experience

Must have one year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, GS-11

Note

To be equivalent to the GS-11 level, experience also had to be gained while having an active:

• Generalist certification as an MLS given by ASCP BOC or AMT (or)
• Generalist certification as an MT given by ASCP BOR or AMT (or)
• Categorical certification or Specialist certification by ASCP or AMT related to the lab section for this position

Creditable Experience

To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with current CLS practices. The experience satisfying this requirement may be paid or non-paid employment as a CLS in the health care field. Research laboratory experience does not fulfill this requirement.

Quality of Experience

Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to CLS experience at the next lower grade level of the position being filled. For all assignments above the full performance level (FPL), the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity, and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time.

Reference - GS-11 Clinical Laboratory Specialist Experience is the following:

This is considered full performance level for a CLS. A CLS at this level independently carries out the day-to-day operations in the laboratory. The 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. Testing procedures are performed on a variety of biological specimens and/or environmental samples using manual or automated methods. In addition to routine testing, the CLS conducts quality control and routine maintenance of instrumentation and troubleshooting. The CLS correlates abnormal lab data with pathological states, determines the validity of test results, and the need for additional tests. Specific targeted laboratory responsibilities or projects may include laboratory safety officer, analyzer specialist, primary operator on new test systems, quality control specialist, supply control, and/or coordinator for the laboratory competency assessment or proficiency/survey program. This assignment may include limited duties in areas such as lab information management and ancillary testing. These tasks require a broad exercise of independent judgment and responsibility, including organizing and setting priorities with minimal technical supervision. The CLS assesses a situation, considers the options, and formulates an appropriate course of action. This assignment includes monitoring quality control systems and measures, collaborating in the diagnosis and treatment of patients, and providing education for laboratory health care professionals and the public in a professional, courteous, and effective manner.

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

This position is above the full-performance level (GS-11) for this occupation. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12.

Physical Requirements

• Physical aspects associated with work for this assignment are typical for the occupation and would generally not require a pre-placement examination.