Health Technician

Summary

The position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) - Veterans Health Administration (VHA) - Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6) - Fayetteville NC VA Coastal Healthcare System within the Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Service.

About the Role

The incumbent will perform duties in the receiving - accessioning and specimen processing area including collecting chain of custody drug screens - reference laboratory specimen processing - clerical functions - patient testing - and phlebotomy.

Responsibilities

• Identifies patients utilizing the full name and social security number before collecting - processing and /or hospital computer entry of requests
• Compares orders from multiple physicians and requests the medical technologist to combine the orders
• Identifies - labels and collection blood bank specimens for STAT and routine testing while next to the patient bedside or chair side
• Performs phlebotomy using specialized techniques for cleansing the blood collection site to prevent bacterial contamination that's critical to patient care - to ensure the contamination rate of blood cultures remains with in guidelines with blood culture contamination
• Draws blood tests ordered by providers for inpatients - outpatients - CBOC patients and for requested drug screens
• Selects proper vacutainer tubes for testing using various sized needles - and/or butterfly collection devices to collect appropriate specimens
• Establishes proper identity of all patients - ensures accountability of specimens by proper and complete labeling with patient's name and identification and initials all tubes drawn
• Performs other related duties as assigned

Requirements

To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement - 07/29/2026. Selective Placement Factor: Experience performing phlebotomy/blood draws on human patients.

Qualifications

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-04 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include - but are not limited to: Knowledge of DHHS standards for chain of custody drug screen collection and is certified to collect the specimens; specimen collection and specimen handling requirements for a wide array of analytical tests. Knowledge of human anatomy - aseptic and sterile techniques and phlebotomy equipment to select phlebotomy site and skill in using collection systems - syringes - butterfly needle devices and capillary puncture techniques. Knowledge of the laboratory regulatory and legal requirements involved in processing and testing various laboratory specimens and the Code of Federal Regulations requirements to certify/transport infectious or bio-hazardous material. Using various software systems including laboratory information system (LIS) - VISTA - Microsoft Word - Excel - and Outlook to input/retrieve medical information.
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed 4 years above high school leading to a bachelor's degree - with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED).
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond post high school education as described above that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of this position. For the GS-05 - only education in excess of 60 semester hours (2 years) is creditable. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED).

Physical Requirements

Work is performed in a laboratory atmosphere and requires regular and physical exertion such as walking - bending - recurrent standing and moderate lifting. The work requires specific physical characteristics and abilities and dexterity needed to perform intricate analytical and technical procedures. The position may also require assisting geriatric and/or disabled patients. The incumbent must have normal color vision - pass mask fit testing - and complete Heartsavers/BLS training.