Nuclear Medicine Technologist

Summary Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital (http://www.hines.va.gov/), located 12 miles west of downtown Chicago on a 147-acre campus, offers primary, extended and specialty care and serves as a tertiary care referral center for VISN 12. Specialized clinical programs include Blind Rehabilitation, Spinal Cord Injury, Neurosurgery, Radiation Therapy and Cardiovascular Surgery. The hospital also serves as the VISN 12 southern tier hub for pathology, radiology, radiation therapy and fiscal services. Responsibilities Nuclear Medicine Technologists have responsibility for providing a wide range of specialized nuclear medicine procedures, including diagnostic imaging, therapy with unsealed radioactive materials, in-vivo or in-vitro cell labeling; evaluating abnormal results; using and maintaining equipment; setting up and monitoring quality control; working within guidelines from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Department of Transportation (DOT), National Health Physics Program, Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA) among others. Major Duties: Coordinate patient exams, staffing schedules including call schedules and other clinical issues within the nuclear medicine service. Work closely with the nuclear medicine physician(s) to optimize patient care and obtain the highest quality images. Respond to staffing shortages and/or increases in workload by reassigning work duties and requesting assistance from the Medical Imaging Supervisor. Prepare, assay, and administer radiopharmaceutical doses by injection, inhalation or ingestion as prescribed. Be knowledgeable regarding possible side effects of radiopharmaceuticals and other medications, such as Lasix and captopril, to be administered. Take immediate action to remedy any noted effects. Obtain pertinent clinical data from the patient, electronic chart, requisition, and interviewing the patient and/or family. Operate nuclear medicine equipment such as gamma cameras, well counters, GM survey meters, thyroid uptake system, and dose calibrators, SPECT/CT for various patient procedures. Understand and be able to perform exposure rate calculations. Recognize potential radiation contamination by visual and mechanical methods. Beta test new software on highly technical nuclear medicine equipment when necessary. Provide written and verbal analysis of testing to the software and hardware designers on a routine basis. Perform daily laboratory surveys, wipe tests and bio-assays. Recognize evidence of contamination and act accordingly to maintain ALARA principles. Assign staff to cover areas experiencing higher workload levels. Restructure work assignments and utilize available technologist and PRN staffing as necessary to ideally match staff with workload. Perform other nuclear medicine related duties as assigned by supervisor. Work Schedule: Varying shifts: 7:00am – 3:30pm or 8:00am – 4:30pm (Mon-Fri, weekends, holidays on call rotation) TBD Telework: Not Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required 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. You may be required to serve a probationary period. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) – See “Additional Information” below for details. Qualifications 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: 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: Must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, Paragraph 3j. Certification. All applicants must be certified in nuclear medicine technology by the Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board (NMTCB) or American Registry of Radiologic Technology (ARRT) (N). NMTCB or ARRT (N) certification eligibility requirements are normally satisfied by one of the following: 1. Completion of a NMTCB-recognized nuclear medicine technology program, OR 2. Completion of a nuclear medicine technology program accredited by the Joint Review Committee on Educational Programs in Nuclear Medicine Technology (JRCNMT), or other accrediting agencies as recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), culminating in a certificate, associate, baccalaureate, or masters degree. Educational programs must have structured clinical training sufficient to provide clinical competency in radiation safety, instrumentation, clinical procedures, and radio-pharmacy, as deemed acceptable by the NMTCB. IN ADDITION TO MEETING THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS LISTED ABOVE, YOU MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING GRADE REQUIREMENTS TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION. GS-11 Grade Requirements: Specialized Experience: Must have 1 year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-9) directly related to the position being filled, and must fully meet the KSAs at that level. AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. The candidate must demonstrate all of the following technical KSAs: – Ability to produce and assess high quality scans and quality control images using independent judgement to recognize abnormal or unacceptable results. – Knowledge and skill in use of ancillary equipment with an understanding of how the results will affect the study outcome. – Knowledge of physiologic processes as they relate to altered radiopharmaceutical uptake and/or artefactual findings. – Ability to obtain, assess, and document pre-therapy patient preparation information and provide post-therapy patient education following proper administration of advanced therapy dose. – Ability to develop new protocols for imaging procedures. – Ability to analyze instances of increased radiation exposure levels and recommend measures to reduce. – Ability to analyze consequences of improper packaging of radioactive material and take appropriate actions. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Education IMPORTANT: 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/. 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. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. 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 applicants 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.