About This Role
This position is for a Clinical Laboratory Scientist and is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. The role involves clinical laboratory science and requires specific eligibility and certification.
Requirements
- United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy
- English Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in written and spoken English
- May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria)
- A bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university
- Foreign Education: To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. Graduates of foreign baccalaureate degree programs meet the educational requirements if they meet either of the following:
- Foreign transcripts are evaluated by an acceptable evaluation agency, and the degree is found to be equivalent to a NAACLS-approved U.S. clinical laboratory science degree program
- Eligible to take the certification examination. You must submit a letter from ASCP BOC or AMT stating that you are eligible to take the certification examination
- Possession of one of the following certifications automatically determines the foreign education as creditable and no further documentation or proof of equivalency is needed:
- Generalist certification as an MLS given by ASCP BOC or AMT
- Generalist certification as an MT given by ASCP BOR or AMT
- Categorical certification or Specialist certification (related to this position) by ASCP or AMT
- Certification Candidates must meet one of the certification options below:
- Generalist certification as an MLS given by ASCP BOC or AMT
- Generalist certification as an MT given by ASCP BOR or AMT
- Categorical certification or Specialist certification (related to this position) by ASCP or AMT
- Exception for Non-Certified #1: Education and Experience:
- Education: A bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university in medical laboratory science, medical technology, clinical laboratory science, or in a related science (for example, chemistry, biochemistry, biology, microbiology, immunology, etc.)
- Clinical Practice and Experience: Completion of a medical technology clinical practice program within the last 5 years. Clinical practice programs completed after 1974 must be accredited by the NAACLS, Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP, formerly CAHEA), or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES). The professional curriculum may have consisted of a post-baccalaureate certificate program or be integrated into a 4-year program of study that culminated in a baccalaureate degree.
