Health Technician (Outpatient Lab)

SummaryDIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.205) for this occupation. The Primary Purpose of the Position: The Health Care Technician is responsible for the collection and processing of specimens from patients admitted to the Unit. The Technician functions as a member of an interdisciplinary health care team. Provide direct care to patients as directed by the patient's needs - guidelines and Procedure Unit protocols.QualificationsTo qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement - 05/08/2026. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Health Technician requires the Individual Occupational Requirements be met Individual Occupational Requirement: Positions in this series range widely in type and include support duties to medical or health personnel such as audiologists - speech pathologists - medical officers - and optometrists. Therefore - technician experience is experience that required application of the knowledge - methods - and techniques of the position to be filled. Do you meet this requirement? Specialized Experience: : You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include - but are not limited to: Initiates patient care such as collection of laboratory specimens (blood - urine - and stool); documents in clinical record; promotes infection prevention control such as hand washing - wiping down exam tables or equipment in between patients; provides emergency care such as but not limited to: vital signs - patient condition - pain level and recognizes abnormal findings and reports to Charge Nurse. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Diagnostic Medical Testing Infection Control Specimen Collection Accountability Emergency Care Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. Some work may require movement between offices - hospitals - warehouses - and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work. Work may also require walking/standing - in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site. Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds. For more information on these qualification standards - please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.DutiesMajor Duties: Collection of laboratory specimens (blood - urine - and stool)Processing of specimens by centrifuge to separate plasma and serumSeparation of specimens into correct tubes for transportation to various labsPerforms D- Sticks for Metabolic studiesObtains timely and appropriate blood samples as ordered per unit policies and proceduresRecognize abnormal lab values and reports to Charge Nurse and PhysicianExercises sound judgment to identify patient care needs - implement treatment protocols and collect pertinent dataDirects and supports patients in the implementation of unit protocols - treatment goals and provides input into the treatment and discharge planInstructs patients on their role in various procedures and metabolic protocols covering information previously discussed with the patient by the Physician or RNReviews current treatment plan - CPRS records on assigned patients prior to initiation of any procedures or protocols - to ensure quality care- Documents in the clinical record the patient's progress toward protocols - medical treatment needs and interventionsdischarge planning and referral dataCollects objective & subjective data pre- - intra- - and post-procedure and protocol - including vital signs - patient condition - pain level and recognizes abnormal findings and reports to Charge NurseAssumes responsibility for the transportation of patients to and from various procedures and the supervision of patients and loggersIs responsible for the care and comfort of all Unit patientsTakes patient's vital signs and weight - responds to emergencies and has a thorough knowledge of unit and Nursing Service policies and proceduresPerforms EKGs on assigned - stat and routine basisAppropriately processes completed EKGs according to the EKG Department policyAssures that the equipment is in clean and working order - reporting any malfunction Cleans unit equipment - chairs and stretchers between patients and at the end of the shiftObserves adequate functioning of unit equipmentResponds to alarm conditions - troubleshoots and reports problems to Charge Nurse or Research TechnicianOther duties may include: Obtain venous blood samples by aseptic venipuncture technique from patients in the Outpatient Clinic Proficiently collects blood samples with a minimal number of failures - patient bruising - or required re-sticksVerifies patient information and tests ordered in the computer systemSpecimens must be properly labeled and initiated - following specimen procurement policies and proceduresPerforms a range of support duties to include obtaining specimens - including - but not limited to - blood (phlebotomy) - urine - feces - nasopharyngeal swabs - fecal occult blood specimens (FOBT kit)Performs the processing of all clinical laboratory specimens and is responsible for the timely and proper distribution of specimens to the reference laboratories to include centrifuges - decants - and aliquots specimens as appropriateResponsible for proper disposition of laboratory waste in the laboratoryPackages supplies and specimens for pick up or shipment - following established packaging requirementsObtains and documents patients' vital signs - 12 Lead ECGs and reports abnormal findings to PACT team membersMoves - lifts - transfers - and transports patients as necessaryKnowledge of pain scale monitoring Incumbent is also responsible for monitoring technical equipment and performing maintenance and quality assurance on instrumentationIncumbent also monitors lab environment: such as temperatures - freezers - refrigerators and incubators to ensure that they are working as expectedIncumbent has a general knowledge of Laboratory accreditation requirements that are recommended by CAP - FDA and Joint CommissionPerforms ancillary testing such as CLIA waived testing and operates instrumentation necessary for testingCompletes eyewash station testingPerforms urine pregnancy testing to include controlsPerform quality control (QC) on glucose testing machineThe incumbent must possess the ability to work with all levels of healthcare system personnel and willing to assist the healthcare system staff with a variety of laboratory policies and proceduresWork Schedule: 7:00am-3:30pm Monday to Friday- May be required to work other shifts - be on call - work weekends and/or holidays as patient care and needs of the service requireShould operational needs dictate - candidates must be willing to work within other units (including community based outpatient clinics - for example) to assist and support continuation of the provision of care/servicesVirtual: This is not a virtual positionPosition Description/PD#: Health Technician (Outpatient Lab)/PD05022A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Statement: Required