Clinical Laboratory Scientist

Company: Air Force Institute of Technology
Location: Bethesda
Posted on: April 30, 2021

Job Description:

An official website of the United States government Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Dir for Clinical Support, Dept of Pathology, Core Lab About the Position: This is a Senior Medical Technologist in the Clinical Pathology Service, a high volume, fast paced 24/7 operation.The tour of duty will be a specific shift, however, you will be required to be available for all shifts, weekends, and holidays to meet mission requirements.
This is a Direct Hire Authority (DHA) solicitation utilizing the DHA for 'Certain Personnel of the Department of Defense' to recruit and appoint qualified candidates to positions in the competitive service.

• You will oversee and/or perform high complexity testing in a core laboratory setting which may include clinical chemistry, clinical microscopy, flow cytometry, or serology, as covered by standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• Originate policy guidance and develop SOPs for new laboratory tests.
• Responsible for Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement oversight/support, assuring compliance with quality control and proficiency testing programs, safety requirements, and standards set by department, accrediting and regulatory agencies.
• Plan for and implement Laboratory improvement programs.
• Validate the adequacy and appropriateness of quality control programs and the completion of corrective actions and documentation for all identified problems.
• Review Section Performance Evaluation and Improvement reports, identify trends, and provide analytical assistance in recommending policy changes based on review findings.
• Plan, manage, and monitor the activities and resources in a clinical core laboratory setting and resolve daily problems in a timely manner to ensure uninterrupted quality service to customers and patients.
• Serve as the section technical expert on clinical core laboratory testing. As the technical expert, you will train and consult with personnel including leadership staff, department chiefs, physicians, and other medical center staff.
• Direct technical operations, working from a broad set of goals and policies, to ensure laboratory accreditation by the College of American Pathologists (CAP) in support of the Core Laboratory and the Department of Pathology.
• This position requires the incumbent be able to obtain and maintain a determination of eligibility for a Tier 3 security investigation or access for the duration of employment. A background investigation and credit check are required.
• This position requires the incumbent to have tuberculosis testing.
• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• This position has mandatory seasonal influenza vaccination requirements and is subject to annual seasonal influenza vaccinations unless otherwise exempted for medical or religious reasons (documentation or exemption must be provided upon hire).
• This position requires the completion of pre-employment Physical Examination and an annual examination thereafter to ensure the continued, required level of physical health and ability or fitness to perform the duties of the position.
• This position has been designated "Mission Essential". In the event of sever weather conditions or other such emergency type situations the incumbent is required to work or remain at work as scheduled to support mission operations.
• This position may require the incumbent to work on any day or shift, including PMs, nights, weekends, holidays, or on an "on call" basis, necessary to meet mission requirements. Qualifications Who May Apply: Only applicants who meet one of the employment authority categories below are eligible to apply for this job. You will be asked to identify which category or categories you meet, and to provide documents which prove you meet the category or categories you selected. See Proof of Eligibility for an extensive list of document requirements for all employment authorities.
  
  
  In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document .
  
  Basic Requirement for Clinical Laboratory Scientist:
  
  A. A Bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree from a regionally accredited college/university including courses in biological science, chemistry and mathematics, AND successful completion of a Medical Laboratory Scientist/Clinical Laboratory Scientist program accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) or an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained.
  
  OR
  
  B. A full 4-year course of study that included 12 months in a college or hospital-based medical technology program or medical technology school approved by a recognized accrediting organization. The professional medical technology curriculum may have consisted of a 1-year post- bachelor's certificate program or the last 1 or 2 years of a 4-year program of study culminating in a bachelor's in medical technology.
  
  OR
  
  C. A Bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree from an accredited college/university, including 16 semester hours (24 quarter hours) of biological science (with one semester in microbiology), 16 semester hours (24 quarter hours) of chemistry (with one semester in organic or biochemistry), one semester (one quarter) of mathematics, AND five years of full time acceptable clinical laboratory experience in Blood Banking, Chemistry, Hematology, microbiology, Immunology and Urinalysis/Body Fluids. This combination of education and experience must have provided knowledge of the theories, principles, and practices of medical technology equivalent to that provided by the full 4-year course of study described in A or B above. All science and mathematics courses must have been acceptable for credit toward meeting the requirements for a science major at an accredited college or university. Acceptable experience is responsible professional or technician experience in a hospital laboratory, health agency, industrial medical laboratory, or pharmaceutical house; or teaching, test development, or medical research program experience that provided an understanding of the methods and techniques applied in performing professional clinical laboratory work. Certification/licensure as a medical technologist (generalist) obtained through written examination by a nationally recognized credentialing agency or State licensing body is a good indication that the quality of experience is acceptable.
  
  Exemption: You are exempt from the basic requirements above if you are a current federal employee occupying a position in the 0644 occupational series and have been continuously employed in this occupational series since September 27, 2017 or before. Note: You will be required to provide appropriate documentation to the respective Human Resources Office to validate your status.
  
  In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements below:
  
  Experience required: To qualify based on your work experience, your resume must describe at least one year of experience which prepared you to do the work in this job. Specialized experience includes performing high complexity patient testing in Clinical Pathology/Core Laboratory Services (which may include clinical chemistry, clinical microscopy, flow cytometry, or serology); monitoring quality control and/or following quality assurance programs; monitoring and/or implementing performance improvement procedures; and managing technical operations and/or ensuring compliance with accreditation agencies. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-11).
  
  Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted.
  
  Selective Placement Factor: Certification from the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), American Medical Technologist (AMT) or other board or registry deemed comparable by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (OASD(HA)) or their designee as a Medical Technologist (MT) or Medical/Clinical Laboratory Scientist (MLS/CLS) is required. Education FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html . Additional information
  • You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
  • Direct Deposit of Pay is required.
  • Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
  • If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.
  • Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
  • If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application .
  • Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized, based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Government interest You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above. Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If, after reviewing your r--sum-- and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.
    
    You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.
    
    Veterans and Military Spouses will be considered along with all other candidates.
    Background checks and security clearance The documents you are required to submit vary based on whether or not you are eligible for preference in federal employment. A complete description of preference categories and the associated required documents is in the Applicant Checklist (External).
    
    As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.
    
    1. Your resume:
    • Your resume may be submitted in any format and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement.
    • If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you may not be considered for this vacancy.
    • For qualifications determinations your resume must contain hours worked per week and the dates of employment (i.e., HRS per week and month/year to month/year or month/year to present). If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete and you may not receive consideration for this position.
    • For additional information see: What to include in your resume .2. Other supporting documents:
      • Cover Letter, optional
      • Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable
      • If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements: You MUST submit a copy of your transcript if you want to substitute your education for experience. If you claim qualifications based on education, and do not submit a transcript, your education will not be used in making a qualification determination and you may be found "not qualified." See: Transcripts and Licenses .
      • License/Certification: If the position has a license/certification requirement, you MUST submit a copy of your current, active, valid, unrestricted license/certification. See: Transcripts and Licenses .
        NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility. If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education . Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating. A career with the U.S. Government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new window Learn more about federal benefits . Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time, or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered. To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
        
        The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 04/27/2021 to receive consideration.
        • To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/11093272 ).
        • Follow the prompts to select your r--sum-- and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
        • After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
        • You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
        • It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan.
        • Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center .
          To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/ Address JT-APF-DDAAFF WR NATIONAL MILITARY MEDICAL CTR
          DO NOT MAIL
          Bethesda, MD 20889
          US If you provided an email address, you will receive an email message acknowledging receipt of your application. Your application package will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. If you are determined to be ineligible or not qualified, your application will receive no further consideration. The Federal hiring process is setup to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance. Equal Employment Opportunity Policy The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor. Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process should follow the instructions in the job opportunity announcement. For any part of the remaining hiring process, applicants should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. A reasonable accommodation is any change to a job, the work environment, or the way things are usually done that enables an individual with a disability to apply for a job, perform job duties or receive equal access to job benefits. Under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodatio

Keywords: Air Force Institute of Technology, Bethesda , Clinical Laboratory Scientist, Healthcare , Bethesda, Maryland