Medical Technician - Phlebotomist

Major duties and responsibilities

• Processes a wide variety of complex specimens from hospitalized patients and patients from outpatient and community-based clinics.
• Receives, routes and stores specimens noting labeling, contamination, hemolysis, shortage or other errors in sampling, recognizing common environmental or other considerations that could affect the results.
• Draws blood from patients for requested laboratory tests. This includes special drawing techniques and assuring proper tubes are used and the correct amount of blood is drawn. Verifies patient as the individual denoted on the request and labels all tubes with the patient's name, social security number, date and time to insure proper identification.
• Performs glucose Tolerance Tests and other specialized blood collections as indicated. Incumbent has direct patient contact and must treat all patients with the utmost courtesy and respect.
• Performs all types of specimen collection in a courteous manner. Provides for patient comfort.
• Adheres to safety, infection control, and universal precautions at all times while drawing specimen samples. This includes such things as removing tourniquets and wearing gloves.
• Instructs patients in proper sterile midstream urine collections, 24-hour urine collection and the collection of specimens for culture and sensitivity, ova parasites and occult bloods.
• Responds to, reports and assists in emergency situations. Must know first aid procedures for the care of patients who become sick or faint while having blood drawn. Observes and reports any physical or mental changes while patients are being drawn.
• Uses the VA computer system when processing specimens. Samples are accepted into the computer for testing, or the order removed from the computer if samples are not collected. Protects the security of the computer system and maintains patient confidentiality.
• Maintains accurate and orderly operational and quality control logs, records and worksheets where required according to established department protocol.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule

Monday-Friday 12:00am-8:00am
Monday-Friday 4:00am-12:30pm
Monday-Friday 3:30pm-12:00am
Monday-Friday 7:00pm-3:30am

Qualifications

• To qualify for this position at the GS-4 level, you must meet one of the following:
• -EXPERIENCE: At least six (6) months of general experience, and six (6) months of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. General Experience is: (1) Any type of work that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work of the position, or (2) experience that provided a familiarity with the subject matter or processes of the broad subject area of the occupation. Specialized experience is: (a) Technical medical laboratory support work such as performing laboratory tests and examinations (chemical, microbiologic, hematologic and blood banking) and preparing reports of findings or (b) technical support work in a closely related field, e.g., biological laboratory technician work that required application of the methods and techniques for the position to be filled.
• -OR-
• -EDUCATION: Successful completion of (a) an associate-degree course of study of which the 2nd year of the 2-year program included successful completion of a training course of approximately a year's duration in a certified laboratory assistant school approved by a nationally recognized accrediting agency; (b) 1 year of study that included 6 semester hours in chemistry and/or the biological sciences, plus successful completion of a full-time training course of approximately a year's duration in a medical or clinical laboratory assistant (or technician) school that included instruction in chemistry, hematology, blood banking, and microbiology (including serology) and that, in addition, included supervised laboratory practice incident to the diagnostic process and the treatment of patients; or (c) 2 years of study that included at least 12 semester hours of chemistry and/or biological science course work that must have been directly related to the specialization of the position to be filled.
• -OR-
• COMBINATION: Equivalent combinations of post-high school educationand experience, as described above.
• This position includes a Selective Placement Factor (skill, knowledge, ability, or other worker characteristic basic to - and essential for - satisfactory performance of the job). Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration. The Selective Placement Factor for this position is: Experience performing phlebotomy/blood draws on human patients.