Medical Laboratory Technician

Summary The Medical Laboratory Technician position is in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service (P&LMS) of the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS) in Little Rock, Arkansas. Position is physically located at the Conway VA Clinic, in Conway, Arkansas. Responsibilities Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT) serves as a medical technician in the clinical laboratory with responsibility for performing urinalysis, waived testing such as pregnancy testing, processing specimens, entering accurate results, performing phlebotomy, conducting the procurement of employee drug screens, operating a motor vehicle to shuttle specimens to the main laboratory located in Little Rock. The primary duties of the position may include but are not limited to: Packages and labels biological specimens being shipped to main laboratory. Processes specimens received for testing, which involves accessioning the specimens, determining the appropriate specimen preparation, and creating the manifest for specimens sent to main laboratory. Processes all specimens according to strict guidelines to assure specimen integrity, with knowledge of differing requirements for over 700 laboratory tests. Orders, receives and stores all laboratory supplies, which includes but is not limited to, documenting the receipt date on each item, verifying the storage requirement of each item by temperature requirement (room temperature, refrigerator, or freezer), and rotating the stock to ensure the newest supply is in the back. Performs cleaning of reusable medical equipment. Prints out appointment lists for the lab clinics. Reviews orders in CPRS to ensure all necessary orders are drawn. Collects and processes blood and body fluid specimens, ensuring safety and non-traumatic processes are used with critical concern for the patient and the quality of the specimen with a minimal number of failures, patient bruising, or required re-sticks. Adheres to safety, infection control and universal precautions always while collecting samples. Teaches laboratory and clinic personnel theoretical and practical aspects of phlebotomy, specimen collection, and specimen requirements. Performs moderate to waived complexity testing and reporting results according to Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service procedures. Performs urine collection in accordance with the Federal Workplace Drug Testing Program. Communicates with satellite laboratories to ensure prompt pick-up and delivery at a prescribed location and time. Prepares specimens for pickup to ensure delivery of specimens and supplies arrive at the testing facility at the correct temperature for testing, intact in the container, without breakage or leakage, in the shortest possible time and in compliance with all applicable regulations. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm including Holidays. Schedule subject to change based on the needs of the service. Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year). Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 598-01189-F, 598-01190-F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Must be able to independently operate Government Vehicle. Must provide clean driving record report from the DMV during the pre-employment process. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications Basic 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: MLT candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f). Education: Candidates must meet the applicable educational requirements for certification. Certification: All Candidates must currently possess one of the appropriate certifications as an MLT granted by the following organizations: (a) American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP) ASCP, Board of Certification. OR ASCP, Board of Registry. (b) American Medical Technologists. OR (c) American Association of Bioanalysts Exception. Non-certified applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements for certification may receive a temporary appointment up to the full performance level not to exceed two years as a graduate MLT under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2) without the option to extend. 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). Grade Determinations: In addition to the Basic Requirements, your resume must demonstrate you possess the required experience necessary to possess the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) required for each grade level. Resume must include hours per week for work experience credit. Medical Laboratory Technician, GS-05: (a) Experience. None beyond the basic requirements. (b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. None. (c) Assignment. This is an entry-level developmental MLT position. MLTs will typically receive guidance from experienced staff members and require frequent and direct supervision. MLTs at this level perform testing in one or more of the following areas: Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) waived testing, phlebotomy, hematology, immunohematology, clinical chemistry, immunology, toxicology, urinalysis, referral laboratory, microbiology and specimen processing. MLTs recognize data with life-threatening (critical) implications and understand the importance of immediately bringing the data to the attention of the patient's physician and/or nursing staff. Medical Laboratory Technician, GS-06 (a) Experience. In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level. (b) Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 1. Knowledge of MLT principles, practices, concepts and theories for sound independent work. 2. Knowledge of laboratory quality control and quality assurance procedures to manage reagents and supply inventories using document control systems. 3. Ability to maintain, troubleshoot and repair instrumentation. 4. Ability to work as a team member in a laboratory setting to effectively complete assignments. 5. Ability to use technical judgment to interpret laboratory results. 6. Ability to apply complex written laboratory instructions. 7. Ability to consult with other members of the health care team, patients and external customers. (c) Assignment. At the full performance level, MLTs use independent judgment to perform the full range of duties in the laboratory, from sample collection to evaluating and communicating test results. MLTs perform day-to-day operations in the laboratory with minimal technical supervision while ensuring testing accuracy and quality of proper patient care. This includes providing pre-analytic instructions to patients, VA staff and other external entities related to collection and processing of laboratory specimens. MLTs use processing techniques such as centrifugation, aliquoting, storage and packaging (considering stability factors), and they accurately label and sort patient specimens. MLTs operate and maintain all instrumentation in assigned areas to deliver precise, timely and accurate laboratory results when analyzing body fluids such as blood, urine and tissue samples. MLTs at this level analyze laboratory findings and issue necessary reports. The results and findings of laboratory tests and procedures are discussed with supervisors, pathologists and other medical professionals as needed. Preferred Experience: Phlebotomy and specimen processing experience. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-06. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-05 to GS-06. Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, pulling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment. Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations. Education Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: Additional Information During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act. Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

Created: 2026-03-10