Clinical Lab Scientist (Technical Specialist)

This position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans health Administration (VHA), Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6), Hampton VA Medical Center, Pathology and Laboratory Medical Service, Hampton, VA and associated CBOCs. The position serves as the Clinical Technical Specialist, providing expert authoritative advice and consultation for more markedly difficult, complex, unique and/or emerging tests that require special knowledge.Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements :

• United States Citizenship : Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g this part)
• Education: A bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university. NOTE: The Supervisory CLS (Laboratory Director), GS-15, requires unique education requirements. Please reference the education requirements located in that assignment below.

Certification: Candidates must meet one of the certification options below.

• Generalist certification as an MLS given by ASCP BOC or AMT.
• Generalist certification as an MT given by ASCP BOR or AMT.
• Categorical certification or Specialist certification by ASCP or AMT.

NOTE: Categorical and specialist certifications are not acceptable for CLS Generalist positions or lab sections unrelated to the categorical or specialist certification held. Categorical or specialist certifications are acceptable for higher-graded positions within the relevant lab section or one of the non-section specific assignments (including, Ancillary Testing Coordinator, Education Coordinator, Laboratory Information Manager, Quality Manager, Laboratory Manager, Regional Technical Specialist, National Quality and Compliance Agent, Regional Program Manager, Regional Director, Laboratory Director, or National Quality and Compliance Officer).

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations :
Clinical Laboratory Scientist (Technical Specialist), GS-12
Experience: 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level is required for all GS-12 assignments.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• Knowledge and understanding of concepts, principles, methodology of medical laboratory technology, regulatory and accrediting agency requirements, medico-legal requirements, and pertinent statistics sufficient to perform complex diagnostic tests.
• Knowledge of instructional techniques to instruct newly hired clinical laboratory scientists and clinical pathology residents in proper performance of tests and applications of laboratory procedures.
• Knowledge of one or more advanced clinical laboratory functions.
• Skill to apply new scientific/technical developments to develop procedures for new tests and modify existing procedures and methods to resolve problems relative to complex and difficult situations.
• Ability to provide guidance and technical direction to accomplish the work of a clinical laboratory.
• Ability to provide guidance and technical direction to accomplish the work of the specific laboratory section.

Assignment. The CLS serves as a Technical Specialist CLS, providing expert authoritative advice and consultation for more markedly difficult, complex, unique and/or emerging tests that require special knowledge. Examples include, but are not limited to, molecular pathology, gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy, and flow cytometry. The CLS advises all organizational levels on various aspects of specialized testing, including appropriateness that takes into consideration clinical context. The CLS advises on alternate testing to overcome ambiguities in the clinical diagnoses and analyzes emerging trends and technology to adopt appropriate methods and testing. The CLS develops policies, precedents, regulatory, licensing, and accrediting requirements to establish, monitor, and maintain the specialized testing. The CLS assumes responsibility for training and competency assessment of staff and students within the area assigned. The technical specialist often works independently and is given freedom of action under the general guidance of a pathologist or other laboratory practitioner.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit .

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12.

Physical Requirements: The work requires regular and recurring physical exertion such as standing for long periods of time, bending, light to moderate lifting and can be extremely stressful. Some assignments require sitting at a computer workstation for moderate periods of time. Visual requirement must be met. 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: . 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: .