Summary Incumbent serves as a Medical Technician (Phlebotomist) in Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Service (P&MLS) at Iowa City VA Health Care System, Iowa City, IA. The technician performs phlebotomy in the outpatient care area of the hospital. Incumbent also performs a variety of computer, customer service, instruction, and communication tasks. A recruitment incentive may be authorized for highly qualified applicants. Duties The Iowa City Veterans Affairs Health Care System (ICVAHCS) consists of a comprehensive Tertiary Care Level I VA Health Care System; eleven VA Clinics and two Homeless Veterans Outreach Centers and has an affiliate agreement with the top ranked University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. ICVAHCS is home to the Center for Access & Delivery Research and Evaluation (CADRE), one of the largest research departments in the VA. CADRE is an energetic and upbeat organization with 18 core investigators, 29 affiliate or associate investigators, 3 Career Development Awardees, 5 VA Quality Scholars, over 50 research personnel, and over 40 funded projects. https://www.va.gov/iowa-city-health-care/about-us/ DUTIES: Follows procedures for patient identification, sample procurement, and specimen labeling Performs routine venipuncture specimen collections from patients Follows laboratory procedures for collecting specimens in the appropriate container Controls the physical condition of samples and responds to time factors to ensure that the physiologic state of the specimen is maintained Provides education to patients for proper collection techniques Prepares samples for testing to include labeling, centrifugation, decanting and aliquoting, etc. Maintains adequate supplies for all phlebotomy and specimen procurement procedures Answers incoming calls for the laboratory service - finding and relaying accurate information or referring the caller to technical personnel Performs cleaning of glassware and other reusable items Identifies and appropriately responds to adverse reactions such as fainting, nausea, vomiting, convulsions, and arrests Perform other related duties as assigned Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:00am-3:30pm OR 8:00am-4:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Medical Technician - Phlebotomist - Recruitment Incentive Authorized/PD50609A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified applicants. Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/02/2026. ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position. This position includes a Selective Placement Factor (skill, knowledge, ability or other worker characteristic basic to - and essential for - satisfactory performance of the job). Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration. The Selective Placement Factor for this position is: Experience performing phlebotomy, including venipuncture and capillary blood collection, on human patients in a clinical or healthcare setting. In addition to the requirements above, you must qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have at least 6 months of general experience and 6 months of specialized experience that equipped me with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. General experience is: (1) Any type of work that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work of the position, or (2) experience that provided familiarity with the subject matter or processes of the broad subject area of the occupation. Specialized experience includes: (a) Technical medical laboratory support work such as performing laboratory tests and examinations (chemical, microbiologic, hematologic, and blood banking) and preparing reports of findings or (b) technical support work in a closely related field, e.g., biological laboratory technician work, that required application of the methods and techniques for the position to be filled. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed (a) an associate degree course of study of which the 2nd year of the 2-year program included successful completion of a training course of approximately a year's duration in a certified laboratory assistant school approved by a nationally recognized accrediting agency; (b) 1 year of study that included 6 semester hours in chemistry and/or the biological sciences, plus successful completion of a full-time training course of approximately a year's duration in a medical or clinical laboratory assistant (or technician) school that included instruction in chemistry, hematology, blood banking, and microbiology (including serology) and that, in addition, included supervised laboratory practice incident to the diagnostic process and the treatment of patients; or (c) 2 years of study that included at least 12 semester hours of chemistry and/or biological science course work that must have been directly related to the specialization of the position to be filled. (Transcripts must be submitted at time of application.) OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond high school. 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/. Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination. The work requires manual dexterity and exceptional hand/eye coordination, some physical exertion, such as regular and recurring walking, reaching, bending, and to stand for several consecutive hours during the collection of specimens. Work is performed at a fast pace. In many situations, the duration of the activity (such as most of a workday) contributes to the arduous nature of the job. Position requires occasional lifting of reagent/supply containers weighing up to 20 pounds. Work Environment: The work involves regular and recurring moderate risks or discomforts which require special safety precautions. Employees are required to use protective clothing or gear such as masks, gowns, lab coats, respirators, gloves, or shields to moderate risks, or to follow procedures for minimizing risk. The technician is regularly exposed to biohazardous material encountered in a clinical laboratory. This includes daily exposure to potentially infectious patients or materials, and occasional exposure to hazardous materials. The technician is required to take special precaution as prescribed by the Laboratory Safety and Chemical Hygiene Manual. Adherence to safety and standard precautions and use of protective gear are mandatory to reduce occupational risk factors. There is frequent contact with patients with undiagnosed illnesses and the employee has the potential to be exposed to communicable disease. Employees are mandated to use appropriate personal protective equipment. Education A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.