Clinical Lab Scientist

Clinical Laboratory Scientist

The Clinical Laboratory Scientist serves as a generalist on Evening/Nights within the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service at the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center. This position is intended for evenings and nights but is also eligible for compressed shifts/tours.

Duties and tasks include, but are not limited to the following:

• Maintains and demonstrates knowledge of professional clinical laboratory science principles, practices, concepts, and theories that support sound, independent work.
• Utilizes comprehensive knowledge of laboratory equipment and maintains, troubleshoots, and repairs instrumentation and demonstrates proper documentation of corrective action.
• Evaluates the suitability of each specimen for analysis, requesting a new specimen if determined to be unusable. Prepares specimen for analysis according to established procedures. Follows established procedure for handling of mislabeled, unlabeled, or unsuitable specimens.
• Selects, performs, evaluates, and monitors the performance of test procedures using manual and/or automated techniques in accordance with established protocols. Recognizes and reacts to indicators of malfunction; locates and implements corrective action.
• Performs initial testing on all reagents received in chemistry, blood bank, coagulation, and hematology before reagents are put into use. This includes lot-to-lot testing and/or parallel testing that is then presented to the supervisor or laboratory director to review/approve before reagents or supplies are put into use.
• Calibrates, standardizes, adjusts, and maintains instruments. This includes verifying correct instrument operation using established procedures and quality control checks and monitoring. Identifies the cause of common problems and makes simple repairs. Ensures maintenance, calibrations, and quality control are completed as scheduled and within the required time frames.
• Reviews and investigates delta checks, flags, alerts, etc. and performs additional testing to clarify or confirm abnormal patient results. Recognizes abnormal results that require immediate attention by the physician and reports them directly and follows the proper laboratory and medical center policies.
• Performs checks to maintain compliance with regulatory bodies such as AABB, FDA, The Joint Commission (TJC), College of American Pathologists (CAP), and the Office of Inspector General (OIG) such as temperature checks, inventory control, blood utilization tracking, instrument maintenance and testing.
• Maintains accountability for inventory and ordering of all supplies, including blood products and reagents for all shifts and inventory of expendable supplies. Logs and stores reagents and supplies per standard operating procedures and maintains optimal inventory levels of reagents, supplies, and blood products to prevent workflow interruptions.

Work Schedule:

4:00pm-12:30am, Monday - Friday, Rotating Weekends & Holidays.

Compressed/Flexible:
Compressed shifts/tours available

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus):
Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance):
Not Authorized

EDRP Authorized:
Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact vhaedrpprogramsupport, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more

Pay:
Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).

Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.

Parental Leave:
After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.

Child Care Subsidy:
After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66

Retirement:
Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA

Insurance:
Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)

Telework:
Not Available

Virtual:
This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 92757-0; 92758-0; 92759-0

Permanent Change of Station (PCS):
Not Authorized