Medical Technician - Phlebotomist

This position is located in the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service at the Portland VA Medical Center in Portland, OR. The Medical Technician is responsible for performing a variety of duties, including accessioning and entering specimens into the computer system; collecting, evaluating, and processing patient specimens; responding to specimen-related inquiries; instructing and assisting patients; and preparing and sending specimens to reference laboratories for testing.

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION***

DESIGNATED DRUG-TESTING POSITION: Applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Applicants will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test result is received.

Major duties and responsibilities include but not limited to:

• Reviewing patient records, identifying appropriate transplant protocols, and resolving missing test orders through patient interviews and provider coordination
• Collecting venipuncture and other medical and legal specimens using appropriate techniques, aseptic procedures, and age-specific criteria while maintaining patient safety and specimen integrity
• Determining appropriate tube types, quantities, testing media, panel selection, and specimen requirements for ordered laboratory tests
• Accessioning, verifying, labeling, sorting, and processing specimens in electronic health information system while resolving discrepancies and distributing samples to appropriate laboratory departments
• Performing computer downtime operations, manually entering patient information and orders, generating labels, processing specimens, and restoring orders when systems resume
• Explaining collection procedures, securing patient cooperation, positioning patients appropriately, monitoring conditions, and responding to adverse reactions and emergencies
• Monitoring and maintaining laboratory refrigerators, freezers, centrifuges, and serofuges; documenting temperatures, performing maintenance, and reporting equipment concerns
• Receiving and storing laboratory reagents and supplies, verifying storage requirements, rotating inventory, and monitoring expiration dates
• Identifying hazardous specimens and applying federal, state, DOT, and IATA requirements for appropriate packaging, storage, and shipping
• Processing and packaging reference laboratory specimens, preparing electronic orders and shipping documents, and coordinating courier and UPS pickups
• Identifying alternative reference laboratories for specialized testing, verifying shipping requirements, and coordinating funding and unusual testing requests
• Operating and troubleshooting automated chemistry instruments, processing specimens, performing maintenance, training personnel, and supporting independent off-shift laboratory operations

Work Schedule: Monday to Friday; 07:30 a.m. to 04:00 p.m. with rotating weekends and holidays
Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved.

Minimum Requirement: The following are minimum requirements for appointment as a Medical Technician in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). To qualify for this position, applicants must meet at least one of the following minimum requirements.

• Specialized Experience (GS-05): You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is: (a) Technical medical laboratory support work such as performing laboratory tests and examinations (chemical, microbiologic, hematologic and blood banking) and preparing reports of findings or (b) technical support work in a closely related field, e.g., biological laboratory technician work that required application of the methods and techniques for the position to be filled. At this level, specialized experience should include experience performing a variety of relatively standardized tests, examinations, and determinations. The procedures and techniques are well-established but involve many meticulous sequential steps to complete a test; and following written procedures which give carefully detailed instructions on each step of the assigned test and examinations. (CLEAR DETAILS OF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: Your resume must show complete information for each job entry, such as beginning and ending dates of employment, duties performed, and/or total hours worked per week.) OR,
• Education (GS-05): Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects appropriate to the position to be filled (i.e., Medical Technician). NOTE: One year of full-time undergraduate study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business or technical school. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.) OR,
• Combination (GS-05): Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education, as described above. For GS-05 level position, 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 l year of specialized experience. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT AND CLEAR DETAILS OF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: If you do not submit the required document, your application may not be reviewed.)

AND

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position.

AND

SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR: This position includes a Selective Placement Factor (skill, knowledge, ability, or other worker characteristic basic to - and essential for - satisfactory performance of the job). Selective Placement Factors are prerequisites for appointment and represent minimum requirement for a position. Applicants who do not meet the Selective Placement Factor are ineligible for further consideration.

• The Selective Placement Factor for this position is: Experience performing phlebotomy/blood draws on human patients.

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/.

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

NOTE: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Physical Requirements: The work requires extensive periods of standing and walking, regular and recurring bending, moderate lifting, stopping, and stretching.
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Required Documents" below for details.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.