Lead Medical Technologist - Microbiology/ Molecular Microbiology
Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration
Application
Details
Posted: 18-Sep-23
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana, Louisiana
Salary: Open
Internal Number: 727108800
The Lead Medical Technologist facilitates team or unit processes by working in collaboration with team members to ensure that tasks, priorities, goals, and achievements are coordinated with management. Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. BASIC REQUIREMENTS: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3.g. Education and/or Experience Combination: (a) 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 sciences 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 (b) 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 in organic 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 (c) 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 in organic 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 or 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 currently possess the appropriate certification as a MT, MLS, or CLS given by the ASCP-BOC, ASCP-BOR, or AMT. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). GRADE DETERMINATION: Lead Medical Technologist, GS-11 Assignment. Facilitates team or unit processes by working in collaboration with team members to ensure that tasks, priorities, goals and achievements are coordinated with management. Responsible for all aspects of operation in their area of specialty including preparation and maintenance of records and reports, analysis of testing methodologies, training, instrumentation and compliance. Acts as a liaison to other departments of the medical center for the appropriate laboratory specialty. (a) Experience. Must have one (1) year of creditable experience equivalent to the full performance level (GS-9), which is directly related to the position to be filled. OR, (b) Education. Must have three (3) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education or a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in medical technology or a directly related field. (c) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Knowledge of medical technology applicable to a wide range of duties to solve complex problems involving diverse aspects of clinical laboratory practice. Knowledge of regulatory, licensing and accrediting agency requirements and statutes governing clinical laboratory operations in order to plan, implement or monitor laboratory programs and services. Ability to manage and coordinate daily work activities and assignments in a section. Skill to maintain, troubleshoot and repair laboratory instrumentation. Ability to provide technical oversight in order to manage personnel and work assignments in a manner that assures completion of the laboratory workload. Preferred Qualifications: The ideal candidate would have a MT/MLS(ASCP) with 5 years' experience in a diagnostic general medical Microbiology laboratory and experience with COVID-19, PCR, and viral load testing. The ideal candidate would have 2 years of Leadership experience in a laboratory setting. The candidate must be proficient in Microsoft Office Suite. Must demonstrate ability to utilize Excel to manipulate data and generate graphs and reports. References: VA Handbook 5005/72, Part II Appendix G24, Medical Technologist Qualification Standard dated May 12, 2014. The vacancy is above the full performance level. Physical Requirements: The work requires regular and recurring physical exertion such as prolonged standing, bending over microscopes, reaching for supplies or materials, and lifting moderately heavy items such as centrifuges and record boxes (or occasionally lifting heavier items such as reagent packs). The work may require specific physical characteristics and abilities such as dexterity (to perform intricate collection or analysis procedures) and color vision. ["Responsibilities include all functions that are within the training and scope of duties generally performed by a Medical Technologist / Clinical Laboratory Scientist, and include, but are not limited to, any of the following: Performs a broad range of laboratory procedures including all testing, reporting, documentation, troubleshooting, maintenance, and other tasks of the medical laboratory technology occupation. Coordinates all training of new employees, students, Pathology residents, and clinicians on all aspects of the laboratory relevant to their educational needs. Coordinates instrument/test validation/verification, IQCP, specimen assessment, specimen testing, quality control, review of validity of result data, and correlates information to report results or perform additional testing to confirm abnormality of results. Manages Hospital / Section Performance Improvement projects as assigned. Facilitates team / section processes by working in collaboration with team members or employees to ensure that tasks are completed and team priorities, goals, needs and achievements are coordinated with management. Prepares reports, maintains records and administrative information, and maintains procedure manuals by writing new procedures and/or updating existing procedures as necessary. Researches qualitative and quantitative methods in the appropriate laboratory specialty area; reviews quality control data and statistical analysis as required for quality assurance monitors. Independently recognizes discrepancies in media, reagents, test procedures, unusual organisms/results and recommends reflex testing. Reviews the Incomplete Status Report daily and initiates corrective action as necessary; reviews section reports daily for accuracy and completeness and documents review per SOP. Ensures compliance with rules and regulations of regulatory agencies such as CAP, TJC, OVA, CLSI, OSHA and DHHS. Coordinates Quality Control activities with the Supervisor and maintains continual readiness for accreditation inspections. Updates the section SOP Manual and ensures the Microbiology lab staff follows standard lab techniques in the safe handling and disposal of hazardous specimens, chemicals and other materials through training and monitoring. Acts as a liaison to other departments of the medical center for the Microbiology department and attends meetings as assigned. Provides professional and technical advice to providers, technologists and allied healthcare professionals and identifies options available to support or confirm the diagnosis or risk assessment of a patient. Consults with the supervisor, clinicians and Infection Control Department when a trend of antibiotic susceptibilities/resistance is noted in multiple patients or facility location. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 4:30pm (with rotating weekends and holidays) Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 00000- Lead Medical Technologist Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]
The Veterans Health Administration is America’s largest integrated health care system, providing care at 1,298 health care facilities, including 171 medical centers and 1,113 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics), serving 9 million enrolled Veterans each year.