Cytotechnologist

About this role

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. Education: Individuals must have successfully completed a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college/university and successfully completed a Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs accredited cytotechnology program. Foreign Education.

To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization approved by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs. Certification: Candidates must currently possess the Cytotechnologist (CT) (ASCP) or Specialist in Cytotechnology (SCT) (ASCP) certification given by the ASCP Board of Certification.

Loss of Certification. An employee who fails to maintain the required certification must be removed from the occupation, which may also result in termination of employment. Creditable Experience To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs), and other characteristics, also referred to as core competencies; be associated with the scope of cytotechnologist practice equivalent to at least the next lower grade level; be directly related to the position being filled; and may be paid or non-paid employment.

Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time work week. For example, a cytotechnologist employed 20 hours per week, or on a half time basis, would receive one full-time work week of credit for each two weeks of service. 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 for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. GS-11 Experience: The candidate must have one year of creditable experience equivalent to the journey level (GS-9) that is directly related to the position to be filled. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the KSAs: Ability to independently determine specimen adequacy using complex specialized testing methods or techniques during Endoscopic Ultrasound, Endobronchial Ultrasound, and other Fine Needle Aspiration procedures.