Medical Technician - Phlebotomist

Overview

These positions are located in the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service (P&LMS) at the VA St. Louis Health Care System. The employee serves as a Medical Technician-Phlebotomist with the responsibility of obtaining blood samples by venipuncture from patients, delivering samples correctly, and maintaining records of blood draws. 1 vacancy at Jefferson Barracks VA Medical Center in Saint Louis, MO; 2 vacancies at John Cochran VA Medical Center in Saint Louis, MO.

IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION AT THE GS-4 LEVEL YOU MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING:

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.

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

SPECIALIZED

EXPERIENCE:

At least six (6) months of general experience and six (6) months of specialized experience that equip you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the position. General Experience is: (1) Any type of work that demonstrates the ability to perform the work of the position, or (2) experience that provides familiarity with the subject matter. Specialized experience is: (a) Technical medical laboratory support work such as performing laboratory tests and examinations and preparing reports of findings, or (b) technical support work in a closely related field.

Note:

Experience must be fully documented on your resume and include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates, and hours per week.

EDUCATION SUBSTITUTION:
Complete of an associate-degree program with specific course requirements, or other combinations as described, with transcripts submitted at time of application.

COMBINATION:
Equivalent combinations of post-high school education and experience as described above. Transcripts must be submitted at time of application.

You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position:
Computer Skills;
Customer Service (Clerical/Technical);
Patient Care;
Quality Assurance;
Specimen Collection.

IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work; volunteer work helps build competencies and can translate to paid employment.

Physical Requirements:

The employee must utilize all safety practices and equipment and comply with local and accrediting agency requirements. This position requires visual acuity, keen hearing, clear speech, and manual dexterity. The work requires moderate physical exertion, including standing, walking, sitting, twisting, or bending. The job may involve lifting up to 20 lbs and transferring patients or objects. The employee may need to don protective clothing for infectious isolation situations.

For more information, visit the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's website.

• THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION - YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION. Major duties and responsibilities include:
  Follows procedures for patient identification, sample procurement, and specimen labeling
• Performs routine venipuncture specimen collections from patients
• Follows laboratory procedures for collecting specimens in the appropriate container
• Controls the physical condition of samples and responds to time factors to ensure that the physiologic state of the specimen is maintained
• Provides education to patients for proper collection techniques
• Prepares samples for testing to include labeling, centrifugation, decanting, and aliquoting
• Maintains adequate supplies for all phlebotomy and specimen procurement procedures
• Answers incoming calls for the laboratory service, finding and relaying accurate information or referring the caller to technical personnel
• Performs standard diagnostic tests/procedures such as bleeding time, occult blood, urine dipstick, pregnancy test, and fingerstick glucose
• Performs sterilization on the autoclave and cleans glassware and other reusable items
• Identifies and appropriately responds to adverse reactions such as fainting, nausea, vomiting, convulsions, and arrests
• Performs other related duties as assigned
• Work…