Clinical Laboratory Scientist

About this role

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. BASIC REQUIREMENTS - To qualify for the position, all applicants must meet the following criteria: Citizenship Must be a citizen of the United States. Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C.

§ 7407(a). Education Must hold a bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university. Certification - Candidates must meet one of the following certification options: Generalist certification as an MLS given by ASCP BOC or AMT. Generalist certification as an MT given by ASCP BOR or AMT. Exception for Non-Certified Applicants: Applicants who aren't yet certified can be hired by VA and work toward certification if they are eligible to take the MLS certification exam through ASCP BOC or AMT (as defined in Appendix A).

Non-certified applicants who meet all other requirements can receive a temporary appointment as a CLS under 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2). They must be supervised by a certified CLS at or above the full performance level (FPL). Non-certified individuals can only be hired at the entry level (GS-7) and can't be promoted or converted to a different appointment until they are certified. Temporary appointments for non-certified CLS cannot last more than two years and cannot be renewed or converted to a new temporary position.

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: (1) 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. OR (2) The applicant submits a letter from ASCP BOC or AMT stating the individual is eligible to take the certification examination. NOTE: Possession of a certification identified above automatically determines the foreign education as creditable and no further documentation or proof of equivalency is needed. Grandfathering Provision 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).