Medical Laboratory Technician

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; South Lebanon Township (PA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

US Department of Veterans Affairs at the Lebanon VA Medical Center is seeking a Medical Laboratory Technician. The role requires meeting basic education and certification requirements for MLT, with eligibility for continuation if pending licensure. Applicants must be U.S.

citizens and hold a recognized MLT certification; exceptional cases exist for temporary graduate appointments as allowed by VA policy. Grade level ranges from GS-05 to GS-06 based on experience and KSAs.

Qualifications

• U.S. citizenship is required; non-citizens only when VA policy allows.
• Education must meet certification requirements for MLT.
• Certification as MLT from ASCP, AMTS, or AA-B analysts is required.

Skills

English proficiency

Education

Education/certification prerequisites

Job description

The Medical Laboratory Technician is in Clinical Support, Pathology and Laboratory service line at the Lebanon VA Medical Center.

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

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.
• Education: Candidates must meet the applicable educational requirements for certification.
• Certification: Candidates must currently possess one of the appropriate certifications as an MLT granted by the following organizations.
  • American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP), Board of Certification or Board of Registry,
  • American Medical Technologists OR,
  • American Association of Bioanalysts.

Exception

Non-certified applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements for certification may receive a temporary appointment up to the full performance level not to exceed two years as a graduate MLT under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2) without the option to extend. For grade levels above full performance level, the candidate must be certified in accordance with paragraph above.

Grandfathering Provision

All individuals employed in VHA in this occupational series or in another occupational series performing the duties described in this qualification standard on the effective date of the qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held, including positive education and licensure/trademark/registration/certification. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements of this standard but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:

• Employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and include the full performance (journey) level, or changed to a lower grade within the occupation but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.
• Employees in an occupation requiring a licensure/certification/registration only at higher grade levels must meet the licensure/certification/registration requirement before being promoted to those higher grade levels.
• Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of this qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of this standard.
• Employees who are converted to title 38 hybrid status under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation.
• Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meets all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credential as a condition of employment.

English Language Proficiency

MLT candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

Grade Determinations

In addition to the basic requirements for Medical Laboratory Technician, the following criteria are used to determine the appropriate grade assignment of candidates.

Medical Laboratory Technician, GS-05

• Experience: None beyond the basic requirements.
• Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: None

Medical Laboratory Technician, GS-06

• Experience: In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level.
• Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all the following KSAs:
  • Knowledge of MLT principles, practices, concepts and theories for sound independent work.
  • Knowledge of laboratory quality control and quality assurance procedures to manage reagents and supply inventories using document control systems.
  • Ability to maintain, troubleshoot and repair instrumentation.
  • Ability to work as a team member in a laboratory setting to effectively complete assignments.
  • Ability to use technical judgment to interpret laboratory results.
  • Ability to apply complex written laboratory instructions.
  • Ability to consult with other members of the health care team, patients and external customers.

Preferred Experience

None

Reference

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

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-06. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-05 to GS-06.

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.