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Summary The Clinical Laboratory Scientist - Ancillary Testing Coordinator develops and recommends policies and procedures for the procurement and servicerequirements for ancillary testing (testing outside the physical confines of the main laboratory as mandated by VHA). Must have knowledge of accrediting agencies and regulatory requirements and procedures to accommodate resource allocation decisions made at the executive level. Responsibilities Duties Include: Serves as an assistant to perform ancillary testing oversight duties that comply with the policies, procedures, and accreditation documentation and monitoring requirements of the Ancillary Testing Quality Management Program. Assists the ATC with the maintenance of quality control documentation, records control, proficiency testing, linearity testing, entering patient results, operator identification, training, and competency monitoring. Assists with preparation for CAP inspection and accreditation for ancillary testing on a hospital and CBOC testing to ensure safe and accurate laboratory testing of patients is maintained. Works with the ATC in assuring that all the ancillary testing sites meet the standards for accreditation of the College of American Pathologists (CAP) and The Joint Commission. Assesses data and data collection procedures, identifies quality monitors and indicators, and reviews all data analyzed with the ATC. Performs statistical analysis (variations, standard deviation, and trend analysis) on quality control and test data collected to identify and document problems with instruments or methodology. Initiates corrective action to resolve quality control or testing problems and documents all steps resulting in the resolution of the problem. Performs verification of methods and test procedures and the establishment of the test performance characteristics, including precision and accuracy. Incumbent verifies correct instrument operation using established procedures and quality control checks. Identifies the cause of common problems and makes simple repairs to ancillary testing site instruments. Performs required maintenance from the established program of preventive maintenance on each instrument. Assists the ATC in evaluating and recommending new tests to be incorporated into the ancillary testing program. Keeps abreast of current literature and state of the art technology in the field of laboratory medicine and ancillary testing. When implementing new tests, incumbent assists the ATC in the performance of the initial research to validate new methods with respect to precision, accuracy, and linearity. Performs correlation studies to verify the performance of a new test with established laboratory methodology and studies to establish reference values and verify reportable ranges. Provides guidance to the ancillary testing sites in the preparation of written procedure manual that in compliance with the VHADirective and accrediting agencies' guidelines. With minimal oversight by the ATC, incumbent prepares step by step procedures that are placed in the ancillary sites to assist healthcare personnel performing the testing. Using word processing, Word, Excel, and other statistical, and instrument data management PC based programs, the Clinical Laboratory Scientist Specialist enters data, performs statistical analysis. The Clinical Laboratory Scientist Specialist uploads data from point of care instruments. With instructions from the ATC, the Clinical Laboratory Scientist Specialist performs Vista, CPRS data searches. Under the direction of the ATC, the Clinical Laboratory Scientist Specialist accessions and arranges transport of CAP Proficiency samples to the respective ancillary testing sites in the hospital and CBOC ATC testing sites. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM. Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #:31982F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: None Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this 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. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. 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 dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial 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 trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications Basic Requirements: Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g, this part.) Education and/or Experience Combination(1) A bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university in medical laboratory science, medical technology, clinical laboratory science or in a related science (e.g., laboratory science such as chemistry, biochemistry, biology, microbiology, immunology, etc.). AND completion of a medical technology clinical practice program. Clinical practice programs completed after 1974 must have been accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS), Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP, formerly CAHEA), or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). The professional curriculum may have consisted of a post-baccalaureate certificate program or be integrated into a four year program of study that culminated in a baccalaureate degree. OR (2) A bachelor's degree from an accredited college/university, including 16 semester hours of biological science (with one course in microbiology), 16 semester hours of chemistry (with one course inorganic or biochemistry) and one course in mathematics, AND two years of post-certification clinical laboratory experience (e.g., blood banking, chemistry, hematology, microbiology, immunology, clinical microscopy, etc.) within the last ten years as a certified Medical Laboratory Technician by the American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Certification(ASCP-BOC), American Society of Clinical Pathology Board of Registry (ASCP-BOR) or American Medical Technologists (AMT). This experience must include performing moderate and/or high complexity testing in blood banking, chemistry, hematology, microbiology immunology and clinical microscopy (or categorical experience which matches categorical certification) in a clinical laboratory. OR (3) A bachelor's degree from an accredited college/university, including 16 semester hours of biological science (with one course in microbiology), 16 semester hours of chemistry (with one course inorganic or biochemistry) and one course in mathematics, AND five years of clinical laboratory experience within the last ten years performing moderate and/or high complexity testing in blood banking, chemistry, hematology, microbiology, immunology and clinical microscopy (or categorical experience which matches categorical certification) in a clinical laboratory. Foreign Graduates. Graduates of foreign baccalaureate degree programs meet the educational and/or experience requirements if the degree is found to be equivalent to degree programs recognized by the NAACLS or clinical laboratory experience as described in paragraph 2b(2) or (3) above. This finding may be based on either of the following:(1) A letter from a college or university with a baccalaureate program recognized by the NAACLS stating that the individual's foreign degree has been evaluated and been found to be equivalent to its bachelor of medical technology degree.(2) A letter from ASCP-BOC or AMT stating that the individual is eligible for the certification examination. Certification. Candidates must have either (1) or (2) below (MUST SUPPLY): (1) Candidates must currently possess the appropriate certification as a MT, MLS, or CLS given by the ASCP-BOC, ASCP-BOR, or AMT. (2) For positions up to the full performance level, candidates must currently possess the categorical or specialist technologist level certification from the certification agencies listed above, such as, but not limited to, chemistry (C/SC), hematology (H/SH), microbiology (M/SM), molecular biology (MB/SMB)and blood bank (BB/SBB). Technologists with categorical or specialist certifications may only perform duties within the area of the laboratory specific to their categorical certification (e. g., an individual with a chemistry certification can only perform duties in chemistry). Preferred Experience: Previous experience as a Clinical Laboratory Scientist, experience in Laboratory Testing, and Laboratory Information System. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. English Language Proficiency. MTs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part. Grade Determination: GS-12 Experience. Must have 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, which is directly related to the position to be filled. Assignment. The CLS serves as a Technical Specialist CLS, providing expert authoritative advice and consultation for more markedly difficult, complex, unique and/or emerging tests that require special knowledge. Examples include, but are not limited to, molecular pathology, gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy, and flow cytometry. The CLS advises all organizational levels on various aspects of specialized testing,including appropriateness that takes into consideration clinical context. The CLS advises on alternate testing to overcome ambiguities in the clinical diagnoses and analyzes emerging trends and technology to adopt appropriate methods and testing. The CLS develops policies, precedents, regulatory, licensing, and accrediting requirements to establish, monitor, and maintain the specialized testing. The CLS assumes responsibility for training and competency assessment of staff and students within the area assigned. The technical specialist often works independently and is given freedom of action under the general guidance of a pathologist or other laboratory practitioner. The Clinical Laboratory Scientist - Ancillary Testing Coordinator is a qualified, experienced Clinical laboratory scientist who serves as a Clinical Laboratory Scientist Specialist for the Ancillary Testing Coordinator (ATC) for the Pathology for the Miami VA Healthcare System Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service which is a large diversified clinical and anatomical pathology laboratory. In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: a. Knowledge and understanding of concepts, principles, methodology of medical laboratory technology, regulatory and accrediting agency requirements, medico-legal requirements, and pertinent statistics sufficient to perform complex diagnostic tests. b. Knowledge of instructional techniques to instruct newly hired clinical laboratory scientists and clinical pathology residents in proper performance of tests and applications of laboratory procedures c. Knowledge of one or more advanced clinical laboratory functions. d. Skill to apply new scientific/technical developments to develop procedures for new tests and modify existing procedures and methods to resolve problems relative to complex and difficult situations. e. Ability to provide guidance and technical direction to accomplish the work of a clinical laboratory. f. Ability to provide guidance and technical direction to accomplish the work of the specific laboratory section. 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/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.