Health Science Specialist

Veterans Health Administration•North Little Rock, AR

1d•Onsite

About The Position

This position is located in the Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC) at VA Central Arkansas Healthcare System in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The Health Science Specialist works closely with and provides support to GRECC clinicians and investigators conducting human-subjects research and developing, implementing, and evaluating innovative clinical models of care for older veterans. The role coordinates research projects, supports regulatory compliance and participant activities, manages and monitors data quality, and assists with research, education, and publication materials. This is not a virtual position. The employee must live within or be willing to relocate within a commutable distance of the duty location. The schedule is Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., subject to change based on facility needs. Telework may be authorized and eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Recruitment, relocation, and critical skills incentives are not authorized or approved. The position requires a bachelor's or graduate degree in a field related to medicine, health sciences, or allied sciences. For the GS-09 level, applicants must also qualify through specialized experience, graduate education, or a combination of both. The work has physical demands, including assisting patients, walking and standing, bending, carrying light items, performing blood draws, and driving an automobile.

Requirements

U.S. citizenship.
A bachelor's or graduate/higher-level degree with a major related to medicine, health sciences, or allied sciences, from an appropriately accredited institution.
For GS-09 qualification through experience: at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-07, such as human-subject research or clinical program management, program coordination, knowledge of relevant policies and healthcare trends, data analysis and reporting, technical writing and editing, interviewing subjects, or project coordination and support for advance care planning or end-of-life care.
Alternatively, GS-09 qualification through education: two years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree, or a master's or equivalent graduate degree, in an appropriate field.
Alternatively, GS-09 qualification through a combination of qualifying specialized experience and graduate education beyond the amount required for the next lower grade.
Submit transcripts when relying on education to meet qualification requirements; foreign education requires a certificate of foreign equivalency.
Complete the application, questionnaire, and required online assessment.
Meet applicable background and security investigation requirements and complete online onboarding.
Register with Selective Service if applicable to males born after December 31, 1959.
Participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program as a Department of Veterans Affairs health care personnel requirement.
Serve a one-year probationary period.
Be able to assist patients in and out of beds or chairs, walk with and provide standby assistance to patients, assist them on and off scales, bend for limited measurements, and walk, stand, bend, and carry light items during the workday.
Be able to safely perform blood-drawing procedures, drive an automobile, and see and hear clearly.
Live within or be willing to relocate within a commutable distance of the duty location.

Responsibilities

Coordinate work-related activities required to complete single-site and multi-site projects.
Manage regulatory documents and submit required materials to the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Research and Development (R&D) Committee for project approval.
Monitor projects and meet deadlines for regulatory reports, including adverse-event and annual reports.
Assist with data collection, document retrieval, and preparation of reports for initial and ongoing protocol approval.
Help develop and maintain a Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) manual and follow it when administering and implementing project protocols.
Screen and recruit participants according to project protocols, ensuring participants meet inclusion criteria and no exclusion criteria.
Keep participants or their legal representatives informed about all aspects of their participation.
Use and maintain an electronic records management system for each project and record recruitment, procedure, and interview data.
Manage participant compensation records and prepare reimbursement invoices.
Complete assigned baseline and follow-up or interim participant assessments.
Prepare and review status reports and statistical data to verify compliance with reporting and administrative criteria.
Abstract medical records to obtain protocol-required project data.
Provide data summaries and other information for mandated project reports.
Promote team cohesion and effective communication among project participants and staff.
Train other Health Science Specialists and verify their understanding of and adherence to protocols and relevant policies, and their ability to perform procedures reliably and correctly.
Conduct Level 1 quality-assurance reviews by auditing research records for documentation required by R&D and IRB standards.
Monitor and evaluate data quality and use appropriate methods to correct identified errors.
Create daily data-monitoring reports for the project lead.
Help establish operational guidelines for project assessment instruments.
Enter data into designated electronic databases using appropriate software and accurately transcribe recorded interviews.
Conduct ongoing intra-rater and inter-rater reliability testing of project instruments.
Search library and online resources for literature relevant to research or clinical projects.
Prepare bibliographies for education materials, journal submissions, and grant applications.
Compile and produce education and training materials.
Assist project leads with research, literature abstraction, and manuscript preparation for peer-reviewed health or medical journals.
Perform other related duties as assigned.