Health Technician - Phlebotomist

This position is located in the Pathology and Laboratory Medical Service within the Eastern Oklahoma VA Health Care System and Community Based Outpatient Clinic, performing support work in a wide range of administrative functions. This includes compliance with Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) and The Joint Commission regulations for laboratory testing, clerical duties, and health technician functions.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/30/2026.

Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): The Health Aid and Technician Series, 0640, has a minimum qualification entry requirement:

Specialized Experience (GS-04 grade level and above): Positions in this series range widely in type and include support duties to medical or health personnel such as audiologists, speech pathologists, medical officers, and optometrists. Technician experience is experience that required application of the knowledge, methods, and techniques of the position to be filled.

GS-05 Grade Level

You may qualify for the GS-05 grade level based on your experience and/or education as described below:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-04. Examples include:
  • Basic knowledge of anatomy sufficient to assure accurate and appropriate phlebotomy procedures.
  • Implementation and monitoring of phlebotomy guidelines and policies.
  • Skill in laboratory test requests and medical terminology to ensure appropriate specimen tube selection and proper blood procurement.
  • Skill in processing specimens for routine laboratory test procedures and operating laboratory centrifuges.
  • Basic clerical procedures to assist with laboratory record keeping and processing of reports.
  • Understanding of regulatory agencies' requirements, including the College of American Pathologists and The Joint Commission.
• Education: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor’s degree, with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position.
• Combination: An equivalent combination of specialized experience and education as stated above to meet total experience requirements.

GS-06 Grade Level

You may qualify for the GS-06 grade level based on your experience and/or education as described below:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05. Examples include:
  • Basic knowledge of anatomy sufficient to assure accurate and appropriate phlebotomy procedures.
  • Implementation and monitoring of phlebotomy guidelines and policies.
  • Skill in laboratory test requests and medical terminology to ensure appropriate specimen tube selection and proper blood procurement.
  • Skill in processing specimens for routine laboratory test procedures and operating laboratory centrifuges.
  • Basic clerical procedures to assist with laboratory record keeping and processing of reports.
  • Understanding of regulatory agencies' requirements, including the College of American Pathologists and The Joint Commission.
• Education: Graduate education or an internship with courses directly related to the work of the position.
• Combination: An equivalent combination of specialized experience and education as stated above to meet total experience requirements.

English Language Proficiency: Applicants must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d).

Responsibilities

The Health Technician uses knowledge of technical methods and procedures to independently carry out a variety of essential duties common to the lab, maintaining continuity of functions and providing full medical administrative support and nursing assistant functions within the laboratory and administrative VA staff.

• Working with clients and customers to assess their needs, provide information or assistance, resolve their problems, or satisfy their expectations.
• Operating guidelines to determine technical factors, setting controls, calibrating, and operating equipment and instruments such as occult blood analyzers.
• Ensuring proper cleaning and performing minor maintenance/adjustments of laboratory equipment.
• Maintaining records for point-of-care testing and maintenance of laboratory machines.
• Performing patient care procedures such as collection of lab specimens, applying dressings, adjusting simple supportive equipment, and handling various specimens including venous blood.
• Preparing patients for blood collection according to College of American Pathologists (CAP) and The Joint Commission (TJC) guidelines, following proper patient preparation, venipuncture, sterile collection techniques, and bandaging patients appropriately post-collection.
• Accepting patient orders, printing labels, selecting proper tubes and containers, using PPE, and labeling specimens with all required information.
• Determining the correct handling environment for each specimen submitted for referral laboratory testing and performing processing procedures.
• Ensuring fire, safety, disaster, and infection control procedures are implemented by staff, utilizing protective and supportive devices that comply with Personal Protective Equipment Infection Control Standards.
• Processing tissue cultures and specimen samples related to pathology testing.
• Preparing specimens to be sent to outside laboratories, including reference and sharing laboratories, by:
  • Assuring the proper specimen was collected.
  • Recording in the send-out book and putting the specimen in the proper receptacle.
  • Packaging specimens to maintain the correct temperature during shipping.
  • Completing and checking paperwork, and sending specimens to the correct laboratory.

Promotion Potential

The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.

Schedule

Monday–Thursday or Tuesday–Friday, Midnight to 10:00 AM (with rotating holidays and ad hoc weekends).