Summary The Nuclear Medicine Technologist (Fusion Imaging Technologist) performs technical work in support of the Diagnostic and Therapeutic Care Line, Nuclear Medicine section under the direction of a Nuclear Medicine Physician or Radiologist. The Nuclear Medicine Technologist (Fusion Imaging Technologist) will be scheduled and assigned to all areas of the Service and must possess the required professional knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the following functions: Responsibilities Nuclear Medicine Technologists have responsibility for providing a wide range of specialized nuclear medicine procedures, including diagnostic imaging, therapy with unsealed radioactive materials, radioassay, in-vivo or in-vitro cell labeling; evaluating abnormal results; using and maintaining equipment; setting up and monitoring quality control; working within guidelines from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Department of Transportation (DOT), National Health Physics Program, Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA) among others Major Duties: Patient Care Organizes and plans for the efficient flow of patient care work for optimal utilization of technical staff. Assigns work ensuring a cooperative and professional work environment. Adjusts and revises assignments on a day-to-day basis as required to meet examination schedules, responds to emergencies during peak workloads and fluctuating staff presence. Verifies patient identity to comply with medical center and service policy, physician order for the procedure, and pregnancy status of females, when appropriate. Checks for appropriateness of study to assure that the proper study is being performed. Additional duties. Radio Pharmacy Receives radioactive material (RAM) packages and responds appropriately if the package is damaged or wet. Monitors RAM package for external exposure and removable contamination. Analyzes the survey results and takes appropriate notification action if the results exceed regulatory limits. Reviews daily work schedule and prepares appropriate Tc-99m labeled radiopharmaceuticals to accomplish the workload, such as MDP, Mebrofenin, Macroaggregated Albumin, MAG3, and DTPA. Radiolabels meal for gastric emptying studies. Maintains records of by-product material for review/inspection and more. Equipment Quality Control Responsible for the equipment quality assurance program. Responsible for the technical aspect of equipment operation and safety and for carrying out the recommendations of the radiology safety committee. Oversees the calibration of instruments. Evaluates instrument malfunction and initiates repairs. Monitors quality assurance on instrumentation, equipment, procedures and patient care and more additional duties. Diagnostic Procedures Reviews the work schedule to determine radiopharmaceutical and supply needs. Responsible for ordering radiopharmaceuticals and supplies and ensuring that adequate volumes of each are available for patient procedures. Receives ordered items and reconciles orders. Evaluates the procedure and adult and older adult patient. Identifies variances that may affect the patient or outcome of the study. Additional duties Radiopharmaceutical Therapy Assists the Nuclear Medicine Physician in performing a wide variety of radiopharmaceutical therapies with I-131, Sm-153, Ra-223, Y-90, and SR-89. Ensures that the authorized user has completed the written directive. Instructs patient, family, and nursing staff in radiation safety precautions, as needed. Radiation Safety Implements and follows the Radiation Safety Program. Follows the procedures for the safe use of unsealed and sealed sources to reduce occupational radiation exposure and exposure to the public. Secures and stores radioactive material and sealed sources to prevent unauthorized access or removal. Takes appropriate measures to maintain radiation exposures As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) in restricted and non-restricted areas. Calculates exposure rates and posts appropriate radiation caution signs in areas, as needed. Uses personnel monitoring devices to measure external radiation exposure and bioassay to detect internal contamination. Analyzes monitoring results and takes corrective action. Additional duties Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:00am - 3:30pm Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position Functional Statement #: Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. You may be required to serve a trial period. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Qualifications 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: US Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. English Proficiency: NMTs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, VA Handbook 5005, Part II. Certification: All applicants must be certified in nuclear medicine technology by the Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board (NMTCB) or the American Registry of Radiologic Technology (ARRT) (N). NMTCB or ARRT (N) certification eligibility requirements are normally satisfied by one of the following: (1) Completion of a NMTCB-recognized nuclear medicine technology program, OR (2) Completion of a nuclear medicine technology program accredited by the Joint Review Committee on Educational Programs in Nuclear Medicine Technology (JRCNMT), or other accrediting agencies as recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), culminating in a certificate, associate, baccalaureate, or master's degree. Educational programs must have structured clinical training sufficient to provide clinical competency in radiation safety, instrumentation, clinical procedures, and radio-pharmacy, as deemed acceptable by the NMTCB. 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: GS-11 Experience: You must have at least one year of creditable experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level directly related to the position to be filled, and must fully meet the KSAs at that level. In addition to the basic requirements, the candidate must demonstrate the following knowledge, skills, and abilities: Ability to produce and assess high quality fusion and quality control images using independent judgement to recognize abnormal or unacceptable results. Practical knowledge and skill in the use of ancillary equipment with an understanding of how the results will affect the study outcome. Knowledge of physiologic processes as they relate to altered radiopharmaceutical uptake and/or artefactual findings. Knowledge of CT and/or MR radiographic techniques utilized in quality control and acquisition parameters. Ability to recognize and correct fusion imaging system errors. Preferred Experience: PET/ CT Experience Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: The Nuclear Medicine PET/CT Technologist's work requires long periods of standing, sitting and walking up to 8 hours. There is repeated bending, pushing / pulling, reaching above shoulders, use of both hands (hands and fingers), twisting and carrying of moderately heavy articles weighing from 15-44 pounds such as shipping containers that contain shielded patient doses, phantoms, flood source, lead lined items that included but not limited to sharps container, syringe shields, L-Shield, and radioactive waste barrels. Positioning of patients who are disabled may require considerable effort and working in awkward positions. Heavy lifting of incapacitated patients is done only with help of the overhead patient lift. If the lift is out of service and a sliding board must be used, then several staff members are required to safely move a patient. Near vision correctable at 13 inches to 16 inches to Jaeger 1 - 4 and far vision correctable in one eye to 20/50 and to 20/100 in the other is acceptable. Hearing aids are permitted. Nuclear Medicine Technologists must display emotional and mental stability Education IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.
