Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01/22/2026. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. Individual Occupational Requirements 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. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: GRADE DETERMINATION GS-6 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. Specialized experiences must include all of the following: performs phlebotomy (i.e glucose tolerance testing, blood cultures); accessions and or processes laboratory specimens; operates laboratory equipment; and utilizes laboratory computer systems to maintain laboratory records and perform clerical functions. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Attention to Detail Specimen Collection Technical Competence Technology Application 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; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. 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: Work is performed in a laboratory atmosphere and requires regular and physical exertion such as walking, bending, recurrent standing and moderate lifting. The work requires specific physical characteristics and abilities and dexterity needed to perform intricate analytical and technical procedures. Work involves traveling to and from patient wards; prolonged periods of standing and bending over patients and/or control panels of analytic instruments; reaching, stooping and bending for supplies; carrying light to moderately heavy loads (specimen collection trays, reagents and supplies), entering patient information, test orders, and data in a computer. Work Environment: The work involves moderate risks or discomfort associated with working in a clinical laboratory with regular and recurring exposure to hazards such as infectious materials, chemicals, electrical appliances. The incumbent takes special safety precautions and must use protective clothing and devises such as gloves, face shields, eye protection, and safety shields in accordance with OSHA guidelines. The incumbent's dress and personal appearance should reflect the professional image of a healthcare worker. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-06. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-06. Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted. 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/.