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Summary The incumbent serves as a Supervisory Medical Technologist for the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service (P&LMS) at the Salisbury VA Medical Center. Responsibilities Performs the full range of supervisory duties and is responsible for the overall supervision of the section(s) specified Responsible for the day-to-day supervision of the section, sets short and long term goals, prepares work schedules and assigns duties and provides instruction to subordinates to assure efficient and timely performance of all tests and procedures Works as a technologist as needed and accomplishes duties specifically assigned to technologists in the section(s) supervised Assures that all employees under his/her supervision are aware of and abide by the appropriate hospital and laboratory safety regulations Assists employees in obtaining continuing education and determining their training needs Assures orientation, training, and competency assessment of staff upon initial test performance and annually thereafter Assures that all specimens are processed and tested in a timely and efficient manner with a minimum amount of errors Implements and monitors quality management activities and establishes quality assurance programs designed to measure the care, calibration, standardization, and use of equipment in the section Implements the performance of proficiency survey unknown specimens by technicians / technologists in the Section, and documents corrective action taken on out-of-range survey results In collaboration with the Laboratory Manager, establishes policies and procedures within the section that comply with the guidelines of appropriate regulatory and accrediting agencies Develops and maintains procedure manuals for all testing done in the section Calibrates, adjusts and performs manufacturer directed repairs on departmental instrumentation Serves as a point of contact for persons outside the service to inform, mediate, investigate or solve problems and complaints, and conduct business When assigned to the position of Blood Bank Supervisor: Prepares documents for the purchase of supplies, maintains proper inventory levels Responsible for the generation of the laboratory results from his/her area into the laboratory computer system and for the editing and verification of the results recorded into the computer system Ensures activities associated with process improvement, customer service, data driven decision making, or team driven change are accomplished Ensures a team approach to daily work and promotes problem solving among the staff Accepts and resolves technical problems that cannot be solved at lower level and rarely refers problems to higher authority Responsible for monitoring test analyses and specimen examinations to ensure acceptable levels of performance Designs, implements, oversees, reviews, and troubleshoots quality control procedures in accordance with laboratory accreditation requirements for each test that is performed to ensure performance and corrective action Provides input into laboratory quality monitors, provides data as required, and follows-up for compliance of the same Evaluates the necessity for methodology change or discontinuance Recommends and implements new procedures that will promote the most efficient and accurate operation of the laboratory services to best serve patient care, taking into account operational costs, utilization, staff time and competency Implements and maintains an inventory program to ensure adequate quantity, and proper quality of supplies are ordered and available within quality control and administrative guidelines Responsible for the interviewing and hiring of qualified candidates to work in the Core Laboratory, Blood Bank, Microbiology, ADPAC, Ancillary Testing and Phlebotomy sections Responsible for assuring position description content is current and applicable to the positions, preparing and communicating staff performance ratings, making recommendations for step promotions/incentive awards/demotions/dismissals, and resolving of section employee problems Serves as a leave-approving official with the responsibility of scheduling the staff and monitoring time and attendance Serves as an active member of laboratory management; working with the Service Chief, Laboratory Manager and other supervisors to assure limited cross-training to meet the needs of the entire laboratory staffing plan Work Schedule: Rotating Shifts; Day, Evening and Night Shift with Rotating Weekends/Holidays Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. You may be required to serve a probationary period. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications Basic Requirements Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. Education and/or Experience Combination (1) 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, (2) 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 inorganic 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, (3) 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 inorganic 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. Certification. Must currently possess the appropriate certification as a MT, MLS, or CLS given by the ASCP-BOC, ASCP-BOR, or AMT. Grade Determinations GS-12: Must possess 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-11, which is directly related to the position to be filled. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of Federal and state laws and regulations, laboratory accrediting and regulatory requirements in order to develop new policies and guidelines, formulate plans and the ability to judge effectiveness of the operation. (b) Knowledge of laboratory quality management procedures and principles sufficient to establish and monitor a laboratory quality management program and/or education and training of laboratory staff. (c) Knowledge of, and ability to, provide the full range of supervisory duties which would include responsibility for assignment of work to be performed; performance evaluations; selection of staff; recommendation of awards, advancements, and disciplinary actions. (d) Ability to analyze organizational, technical and administrative problems to develop and implement solutions that result in efficient overall laboratory operation. (e) Skill in interpersonal relations and conflict resolution to deal with employees, team leaders and managers. (f) Ability to manage fiscal matters, forecast resource and equipment needs and administer the allocated budget. (g) Ability to set short and/or long term goals for the section and conduct studies on technical and administrative problems, including personnel shortages, organizational structure, new technology, etc. This position is at the full performance level GS-12. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/72 PART II APPENDIX G24 Education IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.