Summary This Lead Medical Technician position is under the Pathology and Pathology and Laboratory Service of the VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System and is located at the Rocky Mountains Regional Hospital in Aurora, CO. This position works in a clinical laboratory setting providing diagnostic functions to include administrative, blood drawing procedures, assisting patients, and specimen processing. This position oversees phlebotomy support for the wards and the outpatient laboratory area. Responsibilities Major duties include but are not limited to: Collects blood samples and labels all collection containers. Instructs patients on proper specimen collection procedures. Receives, validates, processes, and distributes specimens to the proper laboratory section for testing. Collects @type and crossmatch specimens; verifies the patient's identity and completes the required forms. Prepares specimens to be sent to outside laboratories, including reference and sharing laboratories. Administers and collects specimens for employee drug screening program. Assists patients, visitors, and others requesting information, guidance or referral for special assistance. Provides customer service. Communicates with the Ancillary Testing Coordinator(s) concerning all relevant point of care laboratory issues. Ensures all data entered into our automated data processing (ADP) system is accurate Follows proper infectious disease controls by following Standard Precautions and using correct Personnel Protective Equipment (PPE). Delivers STAT request promptly to all sections of the laboratory ensuring patient results met required deadlines for timely patient treatment. Maintains a clean work environment: including defrosting and cleaning freezers and refrigerators, cleaning the biological hood, emptying biohazard trash, and cleaning bench tops and centrifuges daily. Assists in validations throughout the laboratory including validation of ancillary testing analyzers. Assigns staff to achieve optimum patient care and timely delivery of specimens. Ensures the work assignment of employees in the team are carried out. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 6:00am - 2:30pm (Negotiable Tour of Duty Hours) Virtual: This is not a virtual position Position Description/PD#: Lead Medical Technician/PD11929A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Note 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 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) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/04/2026. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR) Specialized Experience For positions at the GS-07: (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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience at the GS 07 grade: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Collects blood samples and labels all collection containers. Receives, validates, processes, and distributes specimens to the proper laboratory section for testing. Prepares specimens to be sent to outside laboratories, including reference and sharing laboratories. Maintains a clean work environment: including defrosting and cleaning freezers and refrigerators, cleaning the biological hood, emptying biohazard trash, and cleaning bench tops and centrifuges daily. Ensures the work assignment of employees in the team are carried out. OR, Education (Transcript Required): Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have one full year of graduate education. OR, Combination Transcript Required): Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond the bachelor's degree, as described above, to meet the total requirements. Preferred Experience: Experience in Phlebotomy, Leadership, and Scheduling is preferred. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Conscientiousness Interpersonal Skills Manages Human Resources Specimen Collection Technical Competence 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. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: The position primarily involves work performed in both sitting and standing positions. Standing and bending for a prolonged period of time, walking, lifting up to 20 pounds, kneeling, and some climbing of stairs is required. The work requires manual dexterity, a large degree of concentration, and working at top speed for several hours at a time. The ability to distinguish colors and color intensity is required. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. Education 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 for 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. 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.
