Health Technician

Health Technician

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Buffalo, New York

Salary Range: $42597 - $55377 Per Year

Job Summary: The Health Technician is assigned to Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service at the VA Western New York Healthcare System. The primary purpose of this position is to perform a variety of lab functions including but not limited to: accession specimens into computer system, collect patient specimens (phlebotomy), answer questions relative to patient specimens, instruct and assist patients, process specimens, and perform waived testing such as fingerstick glucose testing.

Major Duties:

• Diagnostic Tests and Procedures Performs a range of diagnostic laboratory support duties such as collection and labeling of specimens for the laboratory. Performs routine repetitive diagnostic tests and procedures such as venipuncture for collection of blood specimens and collection/acceptance of other body fluid such as urine or sputum. Uses proper sterile techniques for collection of samples. Ensures and verifies correct labeling and patient identification. Records test time and intervals as appropriate. Processes and assures proper storage of specimens. Performs limited waived testing such fingerstick glucose testing. Adheres to safety, infection control, and universal precautions at all times while drawing blood or performing testing. Assists in the training of new employees on specimen collection procedures. Uses hospital computer system to perform routine work such as, reviewing and accepting lab orders, entering test results and gathering information required to complete assigned duties. Performs routine or repetitive work in a laboratory setting. The work requires a basic familiarity with overall function of the laboratory. Receives and Directs Patients Performs direct patient support work to include collecting information from patients, providing personal patient care and educating patients on pre-testing and post-testing activities. Assists patients, visitors and others requesting Information, guidance or referral for special assistance. Receives and directs patients, instructs patients in the proper collection of specimens such as midstream urine collection, 24-hour urine collection, collection of specimens for culture and sensitivity, etc. When performing special drawing procedures such as collecting timed specimens instructs patient in procedure to be followed prior to, during and after the test in order to obtain specimens at the required time. Control Records and Document Test Results Performs administrative tasks such as maintaining control records for specimens and tests and documenting measurements taken. Assists in writing and revising standard operating procedures relative to job performance. Receives and accessions requests for testing into the laboratory computer system. Functions as a resource person. for other non-laboratory personnel on specimen collection requirements and patient preparation for any lab request. Verifies the accuracy and completeness of requests. Interacts with hospital/ clinic personnel to correct 'discrepancies. Recognizes emergent situations and take necessary action. Establishes priorities for emergent orders. Notifies technologists of impending work. Maintains records for routine patient tests or laboratory transactions. Verifies sample transport requirements for a variety of laboratory tests, including cultures, biopsies, etc. Adheres to special instructions, such as transport on ice, deliver immediately, protect from light, etc. Obtains and provides basic test information for patient and caregivers. Verifies laboratory orders, clarifies unusual requests with initiating provider. Provides basic patient education on pre-testing and post" procedure patient activities. Verifies identifiers such as patient identification, time of sample, type of test requested: Identifies unusual conditions and discrepancies, which may cause erroneous test results. Enters data in control records. Monitors transmission to testing laboratory and receipt of results. Positions Patient for Procedues Secures the confidence and cooperation of patients during procedures. Performs blood­ drawing duties in a courteous manner. Makes the patient feel as comfortable as possible. Explains procedures and properly positions patients for standard procedures. Maintenance Duties Maintains the laboratory facilities and equipment, controls supplies and maintains and controls laboratory records. Maintains the blood drawing area, including the replacement of supplies as needed. Determines that no outdated reagents, tubes, etc., are left on the shelves. Ensures the proper rotation of reagents for proper usage by expiration date. Performs other duties as assigned Work Schedule: Hours vary from 5:00am to 5:00pm weekdays and weekends Telework: This position is not authorized for telework. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health Technician/PD09299A

Qualifications: To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/09/2026. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): Specialized Experience (for positions at GS-4 and above): 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. OR Education and Training: For GS-5: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree, with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position. Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-4 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Performing both clerical and clinical duties in a medical/healthcare environment; answering and directing phone calls; documenting medical records. This experience must be detailed in your resume to receive credit. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours in subjects directly related to the position. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business or technical school, junior college, college, or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. One year of full-time undergraduate study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business or technical school. Transcripts required. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. Preferred Experience: Inpatient and Outpatient Phlebotomy Experience. 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/.

How to Apply: Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include the initial online questionnaire and submission of the required documentation specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. To preview the application questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12900276. The application process is as follows: To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date, 03/09/2026. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. NOTE: Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. Beginning September 27, 2025, Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. Resumes longer than two pages will result in ineligibility for further consideration for the position. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages, and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying for a job. Resumes should include information relevant to the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies of the position to which you are applying. VA is unable to make assumptions about qualifications if not clearly listed. Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement. Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files. We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started. Helpful Hints for Creating a Two-Page Resume: Prioritize most relevant and recent experience Use concise, results focused language Align language from the job announcement Focus on demonstrating skills and competencies Remove outdated or unrelated experience Use the USAJOBS resume builder Additional guidance on this new requirement and resume building tools can be found at https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/page-limit.

Application Deadline: 2026-03-09