Clinical Laboratory Scientist (Microbiology)

This position is located at the Kayenta Service Unit, Division of Clinical Services, Laboratory Department, Kayenta, AZ. This position serves as section Clinical Laboratory Scientist (CLS) Department Head and the technical supervisor (as described by CLIA) of the Microbiology, Molecular Diagnostics, and Urinalysis sections of the Core Laboratory. The incumbent reports to Supervisory Clinical Laboratory Scientist.

Qualifications:

To qualify for this position, your resume must state sufficient experience and/or education, to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are applying.

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; religious; spiritual; community; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer and part time experience. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week.


BASIC REQUIREMENT(S):
In order to qualify for this position, you must meet one of the Basic Requirements for a Clinical Laboratory Scientist, GS-0644 position listed below.

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 U.S. Department of Education 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 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.

In addition to the Basic Requirements, you must also meet the Minimum Qualifications stated below.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Your resume must demonstrate at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector performing the following type of work and/or tasks:

GS-11 Specialized Experience: Plans and leads a diagnostic testing program providing Bacteriology, Molecular, and Urinalysis services in a clinical laboratory setting: providing diagnostic testing for bacterial ID and sensitivity, Molecular Diagnostic testing, and other urgent care testing; oversees high- complexity testing in all phases of testing in these sections (e.g., pre-analytic, analytic, and post-analytic stages); manages automated testing of bacterial ID and Sensitivity assays, Blood culture monitoring, infectious disease testing, and urinalysis and other manual benchtop methods

OR

Completed at least 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or Equivalent doctoral degree. (Graduate education must have been in (1) the general field of medical technology; (2) one of the disciplines or specialized areas of medical technology; or (3) a field directly related and applicable to medical technology or the position to be filled.

OR

Possess a combination of graduate education and specialized experience that when combined fully meet the minimum qualifications for this position. The total percentage equals at least 100 percent to qualify for this GS-11 grade level. (Only graduate level education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be combined with experience).

Time In Grade
Federal employees in the competitive service are also subject to the Time-In-Grade Requirements: Merit Promotion (status) candidates must have completed one year of service at the next lower grade level. Time-In-Grade provisions do not apply under the Excepted Service Examining Plan (ESEP).

You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.

Responsibilities:

Please ensure you answer all questions and follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may impact your rating or result in you losing consideration for the job. The incumbent:

• Performs a wide range clinical laboratory tests/exams including difficult and infrequent tests requiring special knowledge, for use in clinical diagnosis, patient screening and other authorized purposes. Communicates imperative information to subordinates, such as troubleshooting, and govems quality services.
• Assure optimal performance of all instrument and determines procedures for microbiology tests to be performed. lnforms the Supervisor of deficiencies in manual and automated test performance and identifies hardware problems to the appropriate Biomedical or facility maintenance team. Develops and implements the use of protocols for performance of tests, evaluation of results and monitors conformity to accepted practices.
• Demonstrates a superior level of technical proficiency and problem-solving ability in medical laboratory science principles, concepts and methodology sufficient to carry out a variety of diagnostic tests and verify results. This knowledge must be sufficient to develop and establish procedures for testing in the Microbiology, Molecular Diagnostics, and Urinalysis sections of the Core Lab, and to provide corrective actions on testing problems and to confirm diagnosis.
• The incumbent serves as the subject matter expert and Consulting Microbiologist for advising physicians, Laboratory, and other related health professionals, on the theories and principles of Clinical Microbiology, Molecular Diagnostics, and Urinalysis testing principles and provides guidance to Technologists, Technicians, and other support personnel.
• Ensures the scheduling, performance, and documentation of the preventative maintenance for laboratory equipment (including pipette calibrations, tachometer calibrations on centrifuges, annual timers & thermometer checks, and annual PMs on analyzers).

This position is being announced concurrently under Merit Promotion/Excepted Services procedures. Please review vacancy announcement umber IHS-24-KA-12555818-DH for eligibility requirements. NOTE: Applicants must apply separately to char announcement in order to be considered.

Salary : $104,961