Lead Clinical Laboratory Scientist-within Transfusion Services and Urinalysis Department

Veterans Health Administration; Fargo (ND); On-site; USD 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

EDRP program

Job summary

The Veterans Health Administration is seeking a Lead Clinical Laboratory Scientist (GS-12) in Fargo, ND. The role requires leadership in a clinical laboratory setting and expertise across a wide range of medical technology disciplines.

Eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP); you must meet program criteria and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Veterans Health Administration offers competitive benefits and federal pay scales.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of medical technology applicable to a wide range of duties.
• Skill to maintain, troubleshoot, and repair laboratory instrumentation.
• Ability to develop procedures for new tests and modify existing procedures.
• Ability to manage and coordinate daily work activities in a section.
• Ability to provide or coordinate staff development and training.
• Ability to provide guidance and technical direction to staff and physicians.

Responsibilities

• Apply knowledge of medical technology to complex clinical lab tasks.
• Maintain and troubleshoot laboratory instrumentation.
• Develop or modify testing procedures for new tests.
• Coordinate daily work activities within a lab section.
• Lead staff development and training initiatives.
• Provide technical guidance to healthcare professionals on testing requirements.

Skills

Medical technology knowledge

Instrumentation maintenance

Test procedure development

Work coordination

Staff development

Technical guidance

Education

Bachelor's degree

MLS ASCP BOC

MT ASCP BOR

Categorical/Specialist ASCP/AMT

Job description

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

Basic Requirements

• United States Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).
• Education. A bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university.
• Certification. Candidates must meet one of the certification options below.
  • Generalist certification as an MLS given by ASCP BOC or AMT.
  • Generalist certification as an MT given by ASCP BOR or AMT.
  • Categorical certification or Specialist certification by ASCP or AMT.NOTE: Categorical and specialist certifications are not acceptable for CLS Generalist positions or lab sections unrelated to the categorical or specialist certification held. Categorical or specialist certifications are acceptable for higher-graded positions within the relevant lab section or one of the non-section specific assignments (including, Ancillary Testing Coordinator, Education Coordinator, Laboratory Information Manager, Quality Manager, Laboratory Manager, Regional Technical Specialist, National Quality and Compliance Agent, Regional Program Manager, Regional Director, Laboratory Director, or National Quality and Compliance Officer)
• 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
  • (2) The applicant submits a letter from ASCP BOC or AMT stating the individual is eligible to take the certification examination.
  • NOTE: Possession of a certification identified in 4c above automatically determines the foreign education as creditable and no further documentation or proof of equivalency is needed.
• English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403 (f).

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).

Grade Determinations

Lead Clinical Laboratory Scientist, GS-12.

Experience

1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level is required for all GS-12 assignments.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• (A) Knowledge of medical technology applicable to a wide range of duties to solve complex problems involving diverse aspects of clinical laboratory practice.
• (B) Skill to maintain, troubleshoot, and repair laboratory instrumentation.
• (C) Ability to develop procedures for new tests, and modify existing procedures and methods to resolve problems relative to complex and difficult situations.
• (D) Ability to manage and coordinate daily work activities and assignments in a section.
• (E) Ability to provide or coordinate staff development and training.
• (F) Ability to provide guidance and technical direction to a wide variety of individuals including physicians, nurses, and other clinical staff regarding technical aspects of testing, specimen requirements and results.

Reference

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

Physical Requirements

You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.