SUMMARY

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

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.
English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403 (f).
Education. A bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university.

Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. Graduates of foreign baccalaureate degree programs meet the educational requirements if they meet either of the following:

• Foreign transcripts are evaluated by an acceptable evaluation agency, and the degree is found to be equivalent to a NAACLS-approved U.S. clinical laboratory science degree program. OR
• The applicant submits a letter from ASCP BOC or AMT stating the individual is eligible to take the certification examination.

Certification.

• Candidates must meet one of the certification options below.
• (a) Generalist certification as an MLS given by ASCP BOC or AMT.
• (b) Generalist certification as an MT given by ASCP BOR or AMT.
• (c) Categorical certification or Specialist certification by ASCP or AMT.
• Exception for Non-Certified
• Applicants who do not currently hold valid certification may be hired by VA and actively work toward their certification if they meet one of the routes identified in Appendix A that makes them eligible to take the MLS certification exam through the ASCP BOC or the MLS certification exam through AMT Certification Agency.
• Non-Certified applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements for licensure may be given a temporary appointment CLS under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2).
• Non-Certified individuals may only provide care under the supervision of a certified CLS at or above the FPL.
• Non-certified individuals may only be appointed at the entry level and may not be promoted/converted until certification is obtained.
• Temporary appointments of non-certified CLS may not be extended beyond 2 years or be converted to a new temporary appointment.

EDUCATION

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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. YOUR APPLICATION, RESUME, C.V., AND/OR SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION WILL BE VERIFIED. PLEASE FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY. ERRORS OR OMISSIONS MAY AFFECT CONSIDERATION FOR EMPLOYMENT.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate’s abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.
It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.
Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

IF YOU ARE RELYING ON YOUR EDUCATION TO MEET QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

• Maintains, troubleshoots, & repairs laboratory instrumentation.
• Develops procedures for new tests, & modify existing procedures & methods to resolve problems relative to complex & difficult situations.
• Manages & coordinates daily work activities & assignments in a section.
• Provides or coordinate staff development & training.
• Provides guidance & technical direction to a wide variety of individuals including physicians, nurses, & other clinical staff regarding technical aspects of testing, specimen requirements & results.
• Serves as an expert providing authoritative advice & consultation for more markedly difficult, complex, unique, &/or emerging tests requiring special knowledge.
• Prepares Correlations, Quality Control, Proficiency Testing, Lot to Lot comparisons, Calibrations, Linearities, & Peer group data.
• Conducts studies & recommends changes to correct deficiencies & improve the specialty area.
• Recommends & assists Lab Manager in selection & evaluation of new/replacement instrumentation.
• Designs workflow to accomplish objectives in the clinical specialty area.
• Advises all organizational levels on various aspects of the specialized testing, including the appropriateness of specific tests & takes into consideration the clinical context & usefulness of the test information.
• Advises on alternate testing to overcome ambiguities in the clinical diagnoses.
• Identifies training needs appropriate for the type & complexity of the laboratory services performed.
• Identifies, defines, & resolves issues associated with complex aspects of data or unique or controversial aspects of the testing where no direct precedent exists.
• Analyzes emerging trends & technology & adopts appropriate methods & testing.
• Applies laws, policies, & precedents, regulatory, licensing, & accrediting requirements to establish, monitor, & maintain the specialized testing.
• Maintains process control in a specialty area through a multifaceted quality assurance program.
• Completes all inventory duties & supply ordering to assure continued availability of all tests, making sure to allow for reagent problems that may develop.
• Works throughout the lab as a generalist & works weekends, holidays & the evening or night shift by themselves when priorities demonstrate a need.
• Performs testing procedures on a variety of biological specimens &/or environmental samples using manual & automated techniques.
• Collects venous blood samples from patients adhering to all safety & patient care requirements.
• Processes specimens & selects appropriate procedures based on knowledge of type of specimens, patient information, & resources available in the laboratory. Controls physical conditions & responds to time factors to ensure that the physiological state of the specimen is maintained.
• Resolves procedural, reagent, & equipment problems according to written procedures, verbal instructions, & previous experience.
• Serves the needs of other VA staff seeking advice on the proper ordering of tests, technical information about tests offered & interpretation of test results.
• Provides effective & professional training to new staff members on theoretical & practical aspects of procedures in use providing demonstration of laboratory practices.
• Ensures the adequacy of the scientific knowledge applied in the performance of required tests.
• Annually attends/completes the required hours of mandatory training required by VA Grand Junction

DUTIES

VA Careers - Microbiology/Molecular Medical Technologist: https://youtube.com/embed/eSDGhIwZKdw

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

• Maintains, troubleshoots, & repairs laboratory instrumentation.
• Develops procedures for new tests, & modify existing procedures & methods to resolve problems relative to complex & difficult situations.
• Manages & coordinates daily work activities & assignments in a section.
• Provides or coordinate staff development & training.
• Provides guidance & technical direction to a wide variety of individuals including physicians, nurses, & other clinical staff regarding technical aspects of testing, specimen requirements & results.
• Serves as an expert providing authoritative advice & consultation for more markedly difficult, complex, unique, &/or emerging tests requiring special knowledge.
• Prepares Correlations, Quality Control, Proficiency Testing, Lot to Lot comparisons, Calibrations, Linearities, & Peer group data.
• Conducts studies & recommends changes to correct deficiencies & improve the specialty area.
• Recommends & assists Lab Manager in selection & evaluation of new/replacement instrumentation.
• Designs workflow to accomplish objectives in the clinical specialty area.
• Advises all organizational levels on various aspects of the specialized testing, including the appropriateness of specific tests & takes into consideration the clinical context & usefulness of the test information.
• Advises on alternate testing to overcome ambiguities in the clinical diagnoses.
• Identifies training needs appropriate for the type & complexity of the laboratory services performed.
• Identifies, defines, & resolves issues associated with complex aspects of data or unique or controversial aspects of the testing where no direct precedent exists.
• Analyzes emerging trends & technology & adopts appropriate methods & testing.
• Applies laws, policies, & precedents, regulatory, licensing, & accrediting requirements to establish, monitor, & maintain the specialized testing.
• Maintains process control in a specialty area through a multifaceted quality assurance program.
• Completes all inventory duties & supply ordering to assure continued availability of all tests, making sure to allow for reagent problems that may develop.
• Works throughout the lab as a generalist & works weekends, holidays & the evening or night shift by themselves when priorities demonstrate a need.
• Performs testing procedures on a variety of biological specimens &/or environmental samples using manual & automated techniques.
• Collects venous blood samples from patients adhering to all safety & patient care requirements.
• Processes specimens & selects appropriate procedures based on knowledge of type of specimens, patient information, & resources available in the laboratory. Controls physical conditions & responds to time factors to ensure that the physiological state of the specimen is maintained.
• Resolves procedural, reagent, & equipment problems according to written procedures, verbal instructions, & previous experience.
• Serves the needs of other VA staff seeking advice on the proper ordering of tests, technical information about tests offered & interpretation of test results.
• Provides effective & professional training to new staff members on theoretical & practical aspects of procedures in use providing demonstration of laboratory practices.
• Ensures the adequacy of the scientific knowledge applied in the performance of required tests.
• Annually attends/completes the required hours of mandatory training required by VA Grand Junction.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm (to include weekends & holidays and support the lab as needed)
Compressed/Flexible:Not available.
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized.
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized.
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@va.gov, the EDRP Program Office for questions/assistance. Learn more
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) & federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Telework: Not available.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 60508-A

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50’s (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• License
• Other (1)
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcrip

All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 12/15/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12792000.

• To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
• Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package