Clinical Laboratory Scientist - EDRP Approved

Summary

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.

Health Profession Trainees (HPTs) pending completion of education and certification requirements may be referred pending completion. All applicants pending the completion of certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected at the GS-7 level. These requirements must be met within 2 years of appointment.

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:
  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 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
• Exception for Non-Certified
• (a) Applicants who do not currently hold valid certification may be hired by VA and actively work toward their certification if they meet one of 4 the routes below that makes them eligible to take the MLS certification exam through the ASCP BOC or the MLS certification exam through AMT Certification Agency
• #1:
  
  Education and Experience
  
  Education:
  
  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 (for example - chemistry - biochemistry - biology - microbiology - immunology - etc.) AND Clinical Practice and
  
  Experience:
  
  Completion of a medical technology clinical practice program within the last 5 years
• Clinical practice programs completed after 1974 must be accredited by the 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 4-year program of study that culminated in a baccalaureate degree
• #2:
  Education - Certification - and Experience
  
  Education:
  
  A bachelor's degree from an accredited college/university including 16 semester hours (24 quarter hours) of biological science (with one course in microbiology) - 16 semester hours (24 quarter hours) of chemistry (with one course in organic or biochemistry*) - and one course in mathematics AND Certification:
  Valid Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT) certification by the ASCP BOC - ASCP BOR - or AMT - AND
  
  Experience:
  
  1 year of post-MLT certification clinical laboratory experience within the last 3 years
• This experience must include performing moderate and/or high complexity testing (as categorized by the FDA) in a clinical laboratory
• Research laboratory experience does not fulfill this requirement #3:
  
  Education and Experience
  
  Education:
  
  A bachelor's degree from an accredited college/university including 16 semester hours (24 quarter hours) of biological science (with one course in microbiology) - 16 semester hours (24 quarter hours) of chemistry (with one…