Clinical Laboratory Scientist

About the role

Join the Indian Health Service as a Clinical Laboratory Scientist providing vital, life-saving diagnostics to American Indian communities. Advance your career, enjoy competitive benefits, and be part of a mission that transforms lives every day.

Responsibilities

• Conduct standardized clinical laboratory testing in areas such as chemistry, hematology, microbiology, urinalysis, serology, and immunology using established procedures.
• Collect and prepare patient specimens for routine analysis.
• Operate, calibrate, and maintain laboratory instruments and equipment.
• Prepare reagents and quality control materials.
• Recognize abnormal findings or testing discrepancies and report issues to supervisory or professional staff.
• Perform quality control, maintain laboratory records, and follow biosafety, infection control, and accreditation requirements.
• Evaluate specimen suitability and prepare specimens for analysis.
• Calibrate, standardize, troubleshoot, and maintain laboratory instrumentation.
• Resolve specimen handling issues and prepare specimens for specialized testing.
• Interpret test data, evaluate abnormal or unexpected findings, independently troubleshoot testing discrepancies, and implement corrective actions to ensure accurate laboratory results.
• Resolve specimen handling issues and prepare specimens for specialized testing.
• Perform quality control activities while maintaining compliance with biosafety, infection control, accreditation, and laboratory regulatory requirements.

Requirements

To qualify for this position, your resume must state sufficient experience and/or education, to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are applying.

Qualifications

• 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.
• 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.
• 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 (5) years of full time acceptable clinical laboratory experience in Blood Banking, Chemistry, Hematology, microbiology, Immunology and Urinalysis/Body Fluids.
• Completion of one (1) year of graduate-level education from an accredited college or university in clinical laboratory science/medical technology, a discipline or specialized area of medical technology, or a field directly related and applicable to medical technology or the position to be filled.
• A combination of graduate education and specialized experience that, when combined, meet the minimum qualifications as described above for the GS-07 grade level.
• A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in clinical laboratory science/medical technology, a discipline or specialized area of medical technology, or a directly related field applicable to the position. Applicants must also meet one of the following Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) requirements: (1) a cumulative GPA of 2.95 or higher on a 4.0 scale; (2) a GPA of 3.45 or higher in the major field of study or during the last two years of undergraduate study; (3) graduation in the top third of the graduating class; or (4) membership in a national scholastic honor society recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies.
• Completion of 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree, or a master's or equivalent graduate degree, from an accredited college or university in clinical laboratory science/medical technology, a discipline or specialized area of medical technology, or a field directly related and applicable to medical technology or the position to be filled.
• A combination of graduate education and specialized experience that, when combined, meet the minimum qualifications as described above for the GS-09 grade level. Only graduate education in excess of the first 18 semester hours may be used in combination with specialized experience.
• Completion of 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree, or a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, from an accredited college or university in clinical laboratory science/medical technology, a discipline or specialized area of medical technology, or a field directly related and applicable to medical technology or the position to be filled.
• A combination of graduate education and specialized experience that, when combined, meet the minimum qualifications as described above for the GS-11 grade level. Only graduate education in excess of the first 36 semester hours may be used in combination with specialized experience.

Pay

The pay range for this position is determined by the Federal Government's General Schedule (GS) pay scale. Please refer to the USASpending.gov for current pay ranges.

Schedule

The schedule for this position is typically full-time, but may vary based on the specific needs of the department. Please refer to the USASpending.gov for more information on schedules.

Benefits

The Indian Health Service offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes health insurance, retirement plans, and other perks. For more details, please refer to the Indian Health Service Benefits Page.