Clinical Laboratory Scientist GS- 0644-09

Defense Health Agency Civilian Corps, Falls Church, VA•Portsmouth, VA

5d•$62,020 - $80,624•Onsite

About The Position

This position is located at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth and performs professional clinical laboratory science work in Lab/Clinical Pathology to support the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of disease. The position requires certification as a Medical Technologist (MT) or Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS) from ASCP, AMT, or another board or registry deemed comparable by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs or its designee. Applicants must be U.S. citizens. This is a direct-hire solicitation. Applicants must meet the basic education and training requirement through one of the listed routes: a qualifying bachelor's or graduate degree plus completion of an accredited Medical Laboratory Scientist/Clinical Laboratory Scientist program; a qualifying four-year course of study including 12 months in an approved medical technology program; or a qualifying degree and specified science and mathematics coursework, together with five years of acceptable full-time clinical laboratory experience. Certain current federal employees in the 0644 series may be exempt from these basic requirements. In addition, applicants must meet the specialized experience, education, or combined education-and-experience qualification route stated in the posting and submit proof of the required certification. The Department of Defense describes its benefits as including competitive compensation, paid time off, medical benefits, student loan repayments, and retirement with a Thrift Savings Plan that includes matching employer contributions.

Requirements

U.S. citizenship.
Certification as a Medical Technologist (MT) or Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS) from ASCP, AMT, or another board or registry deemed comparable by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs or its designee; a copy must be submitted with the application.
Meet one of the stated basic education and training pathways: a qualifying bachelor's or graduate degree with an accredited MLS/CLS program; an approved four-year course of study including 12 months in a medical technology program; or a qualifying degree and specified science and mathematics coursework plus five years of acceptable full-time clinical laboratory experience.
Alternatively, current federal employees in the 0644 occupational series continuously employed in that series since September 27, 2017, or earlier, may be exempt from the basic requirements, subject to providing documentation.
Meet one of the additional qualification pathways: one year of specialized experience performing high-complexity patient testing in a Clinical Pathology Service/Microbiology Laboratory, setting up or monitoring quality controls, troubleshooting or maintaining testing instruments, and performing proficiency testing for national accreditation; or a Ph.D./equivalent doctoral degree or three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education in a relevant field; or a qualifying combination of education and experience.
Foreign education used to meet qualification requirements must be evaluated as equivalent to U.S. accredited education or receive full course credit from a U.S. accredited college or university.

Responsibilities

Perform, evaluate, and monitor routine and specialized test procedures using manual and/or instrumental techniques in accordance with established protocols.
Determine whether specimens are suitable for analysis and request a new specimen when one is unusable or insufficient for the laboratory studies.
Identify unusual or discrepant values and initiate appropriate follow-up procedures to verify results.
Operate instrumentation and perform preventive maintenance and minor troubleshooting.
Verify correct instrument operation using established procedures and quality-control checks.
Perform other duties as assigned.