The Charles George VA Medical Center, Asheville, NC has an immediate opening for a LEAD MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIST (Microbiology) to work within the Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Service. 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. English Language Proficiency: MT's must be proficient in spoken and written English, Education/Experience: You must meet the following education and/or experience requirement to qualify for this position: (1) A bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university in medical laboratory science, medical technology, clinical laboratory science or in a related science (e.g., laboratory sciences such as chemistry, biochemistry, biology, microbiology, immunology, etc.) AND Completion of a medical technology clinical practice program. Clinical practice programs completed after 1974 must have been accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS), Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP, formerly CAHEA), or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). The professional curriculum may have consisted of a post-baccalaureate certificate program or be integrated into a four-year program of study that culminated in a baccalaureate degree. OR (2) A bachelor's degree from an accredited college/university, including 16 semester hours of biological science (with one course in microbiology), 16 semester hours of chemistry (with one course in organic or biochemistry) and one course in mathematics, AND Two years of post-certification clinical laboratory experience (e.g., blood banking, chemistry, hematology, microbiology, immunology, clinical microscopy, etc.) within the last ten years as a certified Medical Laboratory Technician by the American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Certification (ASCP-BOC), American Society of Clinical Pathology Board of Registry (ASCP-BOR) or American Medical Technologists (AMT). This experience must include performing moderate and/or high complexity testing in blood banking, chemistry, hematology, microbiology immunology and clinical microscopy (or categorical experience which matches categorical certification) in a clinical laboratory. OR, (3) A bachelor's degree from an accredited college/university, including 16 semester hours of biological science (with one course in microbiology), 16 semester hours of chemistry (with one course in organic or biochemistry) and one course in mathematics, AND Five years of clinical laboratory experience within the last ten years performing moderate and/or high complexity testing in blood banking, chemistry, hematology, microbiology, immunology and clinical microscopy (or categorical experience which matches categorical certification) in a clinical laboratory. Foreign Graduates. Graduates of foreign baccalaureate degree programs meet the educational and/or experience requirements if the degree is found to be equivalent to degree programs recognized by the NAACLS or clinical laboratory experience as described in paragraph 2b(2) or (3) above. This finding may be based on either of the following: (1) A letter from a college or university with a baccalaureate program recognized by the NAACLS stating that the individual's foreign degree has been evaluated and been found to be equivalent to its bachelor of medical technology degree. (2) A letter from ASCP-BOC or AMT stating that the individual is eligible for the certification examination. Certification: Candidates must have either (1) or (2) below: (1) Candidates must currently possess the appropriate certification as a MT, MLS, or CLS given by the ASCP-BOC, ASCP-BOR, or AMT. (2) For positions up to the full performance level, candidates must currently possess the categorical or specialist technologist level certification from the certification agencies listed above, such as, but not limited to, chemistry (C/SC), hematology (H/SH), microbiology (M/SM), molecular biology (MB/SMB) and blood bank (BB/SBB). Technologists with categorical or specialist certifications may only perform duties within the area of the laboratory specific to their categorical certification (e. g., an individual with a chemistry (C) certification can only perform duties in chemistry). 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: Experience. Must have 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the full performance level (GS-9), which is directly related to the position to be filled. OR ,Education. Must have 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education or a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in medical technology or a directly related field. In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: a. Knowledge of medical technology applicable to a wide range of duties to solve complex problems involving diverse aspects of clinical laboratory practice. b. Knowledge of regulatory, licensing and accrediting agency requirements and statutes governing clinical laboratory operations in order to plan, implement or monitor laboratory programs and services .c. Ability to manage and coordinate daily work activities and assignments in a section. d. Skill to maintain, troubleshoot and repair laboratory instrumentation. e. Ability to provide technical oversight in order to manage personnel and work assignments in a manner that assures completion of the laboratory workload. References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G24The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-11. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-11. Physical Requirements: The incumbent must be able to perform moderate lifting up to 45 lbs. Straight pulling. pushing, reaching above the shoulder, use of fingers and both hands (grasping). Walking, frequent standing (i.e. up to 4 hours). Kneeling repeated bending and use of both arms and legs and repetitive motion. Specific visual requirements include use of both eyes and depth perception. Ability to distinguish colors anti shades of colors, hearing (aids permitted). Clear high cognitive function and emotional stability. Ability to read ordinary type without strain. ["The incumbent serves in one of the following sections of a clinical laboratory, lmmunohematology\n(Blood Bank), Chemistry, Hematology, Microbiology, or Off-Tours and is assigned specialized and\ncomplex laboratory tasks beyond providing patient test results. Assignments may include laboratory test\ndevelopment or modification, method validation/performance evaluation, and/or providing\nconsultation services to health care providers. Duties/Tasks - Serves as an expert providing authoritative advice and consultation for more markedly difficult,\ncomplex, unique, and/or emerging tests requiring special knowledge. - Conducts studies and recommends changes to correct deficiencies and improve the specialty area.\nRecommends new/replacement instrumentation. - Designs work flow to accomplish objectives in the clinical specialty area. - Advises all organizational levels on various aspects of the specialized testing, including the\nappropriateness of specific tests and takes into consideration the clinical context and usefulness of the\ntest information. Advises on alternate testing to overcome ambiguities in the clinical diagnoses. - Identifies training needs appropriate for the type and complexity of the laboratory services performed. - Identifies, defines, and resolves issues associated with complex aspects of data or unique or\ncontroversial aspects of the testing where no direct precedent exists. - Analyzes emerging trends and technology and adopts appropriate methods and testing. - Applies laws, policies, and precedents, regulatory, licensing, and accrediting requirements to establish,\nmonitor, and maintain the specialized testing. - Maintains process control in a specialty area through a multifaceted quality assurance program. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; Hours 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.\nFinancial Disclosure Report: Not required"]