Clinical Laboratory Scientist at National Institutes of Health in Montgomery County, MD

Summary

The Department of Laboratory Medicine and The Department of Transfusion Medicine seek to select multiple candidates for Clinical Laboratory Scientists. Selections will be made for various specialty areas including but not limited to Chemistry, Hematology, Microbiology, Immunology, Sterility, Blood Banking, Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA), and Quality.

Duties

As a GS-0644-09/11 Clinical Laboratory Scientist, your duties will include, but are not limited to the following:

Receives and evaluates adequacy of clinical specimens for testing, including specimen identification and integrity. Processes specimens for testing.
Performs specialized and technically demanding analytical procedures for diagnostic and research purposes. Identifies and addresses issues in testing that may affect results, such as interfering substances, disease conditions, limitations of the test procedure, or other problems in the test system.
Reports laboratory results using the laboratory and/or hospital information system. Communicates STAT and urgent results directly to the patient care team.
Participates in laboratory proficiency testing programs.
Develops procedures and establishes parameters for correlation of test results and determines troubleshooting protocols.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

U.S. Citizenship requirement or proof of being a U.S. National must be met by closing date.
Employment is subject to the successful completion of a background investigation, verification of qualifications, completion of onboarding forms, submission of required documents, and any other job-related requirement before or after appointment.
Applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
Males born after December 31, 1959 must be registered with the Selective Service.
Tier 1 Emergency Essential Personnel.
Position requires Education, transcripts required.
May be required to work weekends, evenings, nights, or holidays as indicated by specific duties.
The pay range for each grade is as follows: The pay range for the GS-9 is $68,405 - $88,926 The pay range for the GS-11 is $82,764 - $107,590
If selected, you must pass a pre-employment medical examination, provide evidence of immunization, and be free from communicable diseases.
Physical Requirement: Requires regular and recurring physical exertion such as long periods of standing and walking, bending over instruments and microscopes, and lifting light to moderately heavy items such as reagent packs and various supplies.
The work environment involves regular and recurring exposure to infectious agents such as hepatitis, HIV and to noxious and flammable liquids such as xylene and formalin.
Clinical Laboratory Scientist are required to use protective clothing such as lab coats, goggles, gloves, and must follow all Universal Safety precautions. Technologists work in a Biohazard Level 2 facility.
Incumbents working with radioactive sources such as those found in blood irradiators will be required to complete a background security check to be certified as trustworthy and reliable by Division of Radiation Safety and DPSAC.

Qualifications

You qualify if you meet the following qualification requirements:

Basic Requirements

Education

A Bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree from a regionally accredited college/university including courses in biological science, chemistry and mathematics, AND successful completion of a Medical Laboratory Scientist/Clinical Laboratory Scientist program accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) or an accrediting body recognized by the at the time the degree was obtained.

OR
A full 4-year course of study that included 12 months in a college or hospital-based medical technology program or medical technology school approved by a recognized accrediting organization. The professional medical technology curriculum may have consisted of a 1-year post- bachelor's certificate program or the last 1 or 2 years of a 4-year program of study culminating in a bachelor's in medical technology.

OR
A Bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree from an accredited college/university, including 16 semester hours (24 quarter hours) of biological science (with one semester in microbiology), 16 semester hours (24 quarter hours) of chemistry (with one semester in organic or biochemistry), one semester (one quarter) of mathematics, AND five years of full time acceptable clinical laboratory experience in Blood Banking, Chemistry, Hematology, microbiology, Immunology and Urinalysis/Body Fluids. This combination of education and experience must have provided knowledge of the theories, principles, and practices of medical technology equivalent to that provided by the full 4-year course of study described in 1 or 2 above. All science and mathematics courses must have been acceptable for credit toward meeting the requirements for a science major at an accredited college or university. Acceptable experience is responsible professional or technician experience in a hospital laboratory, health agency, industrial medical laboratory, or pharmaceutical house; or teaching, test development, or medical research program experience that provided an understanding of the methods and techniques applied in performing professional clinical laboratory work. Certification/licensure as a medical technologist (generalist) obtained through written examination by a nationally recognized credentialing agency or State licensing body is a good indication that the quality of experience is acceptable.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

To qualify for the GS-09 position: You must have completed two (2) years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree that is directly related to the duties of this position.

OR

You must demonstrate in your resume at least one (1) year of qualifying experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector performing the following tasks: Reviewing and evaluating clinical laboratory procedures; recognizing problems such as interfering substances and new organisms; performing specialized and technically demanding analytical procedures for diagnostic and research purposes; performing Quality Assurance functions in support of laboratory supervisor; recognizing deficiencies and proposing solutions; participating in laboratory proficiency testing programs; evaluating, modifying or adapting new methods or revising standard techniques to improve quantitativeness, accuracy, precision, specificity or proficiency of analyses.

OR

You must have a combination of post-baccalaureate education and experience that meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position.

To qualify for the GS-11 position: You must have completed three (3) years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or equivalent doctorate degree that is directly related to the duties of this position.

OR

You must demonstrate in your resume at least one (1) year of qualifying experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector performing the following tasks: Performing specialized and technically demanding analytical procedures for diagnostic and research purposes; identifying and addressing issues in testing that may affect results, such as interfering substances, disease condition, limitations of the test procedure, or other problems in the test system; interacting directly with patient care physicians in discussing the interpretation of test results and suggesting follow up procedures which may help answer clinical questions; coordinating laboratory activities to minimize duplication of services; creating and updating written standard operating procedures and training laboratory personnel in laboratory procedures.

OR

You must have a combination of post-baccalaureate education and experience that meets 100% of the qualification requirements for this position.

Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

To determine your qualifications and referral status, we may review your resume and supporting documentation and compare it against your responses to the vacancy questionnaire. Ensure you support your self-ratings with the information you provide in your application. We may verify or assess your qualifications at any time. Inflated or unsupported qualifications may affect your rating. Any misrepresentation or material omission of facts may be sufficient cause to end further consideration of your candidacy. Persons listed as knowing your past accomplishments or experience in your application may be contacted for verification purposes at any time. Verification may, but need not, begin before receiving an offer.

Preview assessment questionnaire before you apply:

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

1. Knowledge of the principles, theories, and accepted practices of the clinical laboratory sciences as they relate to the conduct of tests on human blood, urine, and other body fluids and tissues.
2. Ability to perform laboratory testing (preanalytical, analytical and post-analytical phases) in accordance with regulatory and accrediting agency requirements.
3. Ability to perform quality assurance and lab safety functions.
4. Ability to develop, evaluate and implement new test methodologies.

If you meet the minimum qualifications for this position, your application and responses to the online questionnaire will be evaluated under Category Rating and selection procedures for placement in one of the following categories:

Best Qualified - for those who are superior in the evaluation criteria
Well Qualified - for those who excel in the evaluation criteria
Qualified - for those who only meet the minimum qualification requirements

The Category Rating Process does not add veterans' preference points but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. Applicants determined to be Best Qualified will be referred for further consideration. Preference eligibles in the Best Qualified category are referred before all other applicants.

To be considered well qualified for the purposes of the and the , you must be able to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position upon entry and substantively exceed the basic qualifications by scoring at least an 85 on the assessment and meet all eligibility, physical, medical, suitability, and all other requirements.

Required Documents

REQUIRED FOR ALL APPLICANTS
RESUME:
Your resume must thoroughly describe how your skills and experiences align to the criteria defined in the "Qualifications" section of this announcement and it must support your responses to the assessment questionnaire. We cannot assume you have performed the necessary experience required for this position regardless of your employment history or academic career.

To ensure all of the essential information is in your resume, we encourage you to use the . If you choose to use your own resume, you must ensure it contains all of the required information and you organize it so we can associate the following information for each experience/position:

Job title
Name of employer
Beginning and ending dates of employment (month/day/year format)
Hours worked per week. We will assume full-time unless otherwise stated. We will prorate part-time employment in crediting experience.
Detailed description of job duties, accomplishments, related skills, and responsibilities to include any supervisory/managerial responsibilities and number of staff supervised (if applicable)
Series and grade or equivalent (if a federal position)

If the position has an education requirement or you are qualifying on the basis of education, you must list your education history including the type of degree and your major of study. If the position requires a certain number of credit hours, you are strongly encouraged to list the relevant courses in your resume.

Do not include a photograph or video of yourself, or any sensitive information (age, date of birth, marital status, protected health information, religious affiliation, social security number, etc.) on your resume or cover letter. We will not access web pages linked on your resume or cover letter to determine your qualifications.

For resume writing guidance, please visit the following resources: , , and the .

ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE:
You must submit a completed assessment questionnaire.

Unless otherwise stated, we will only use the information above to determine your qualifications. Not providing the required information may result in a determination that you do not meet minimum requirements for the position (e.g., an ineligible rating) or a lower rating.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION FOR PREFERENCE OR ELIGIBILITY CLAIMS
To claim veterans' preference, career transition selection priority, Schedule A or military spouse eligibility, you must provide the documentation listed below AND respond accordingly to the associated question on the online questionnaire.

(DD-214, VA Disability Letter, etc.): Reference for required documentation for 10 point claims. Submission of SF-15 is not required, unless you are claiming derived preference (XP) as described in questions 7, 8, or 9 on the SF-15. In those cases, you must submit a completed SF-15 and the required documentation. For 5 point claims, you must submit your DD-214 (if separated) or any written documentation from the armed forces that certifies you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the is submitted with your application package.
Visit our sites on / for more information and required documentation.
Visit our site on the for more information and required documentation to verify eligibility.
Schedule A Eligibility (Applicants with Disabilities) Applicants who are eligible to be considered under must submit appropriate documentation to verify eligibility. Documentation must be obtained from a licensed medical professional (e.g., a physician or other medical professional certified by a state, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. territory to practice medicine); a licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist (i.e., state or private); or any Federal agency, state agency, or agency of the District of Columbia or a U.S. territory that issues or provides disability benefits. The letter must be printed on a medical professional's letterhead and signed. Veterans' preference takes precedence in these appointments.

The Schedule A and military spouse hiring authorities do not guarantee employment or give an individual preference in the hiring process.

If you do not provide the required information, we will assume you are not eligible, or you do not wish to be considered for any preference or eligibility.

Do not submit documentation that is not requested of you. To protect your personal information, we will only send your resume and cover letter to the selecting official or hiring manager.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.