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The U.S. Department of State is hiring Regional Medical Laboratory Scientists (RMLS). The salary listed is from the FS Base Schedule Payscale. In most cases, new-hires are paid at the FS Overseas Comparability Pay rate ($61,827 to $80,670). Refer to the Benefits section for information on recruitment and retention incentives. Joining the Foreign Service is more than just salary. Please visit https://careers.state.gov/med for information on Foreign Service medical careers.
Learn more about this agency09/18/2019 to 10/18/2019
$51,721 - $67,484 per year
FP 05
No
75% or less - An RMLS generally spends the majority of his/her career assigned to the Department of State's overseas missions and at times, lives away from family and/or in difficult or isolated conditions. Selected applicants will be notified of an Oral Assessment (OA) requirement in Washington D.C. For the selected applicants, all travel and other expenses incurred in connection with the OA are the sole responsibility of the applicant.
Yes—After completing orientation and initial training in Washington, D.C., an RMLS usually is assigned to two overseas tours, each two years in length, directed by the Department. After the initial two tours, assignments will be for periods of two to three years overseas or in the United States.
Permanent - Permanent after tenure granted by a Foreign Service Specialist (FSS) Tenure Board.
Full-time
Excepted
02
Yes
Yes
RMLS-2019-0003
546113000
Must be a U.S. citizen. Applicants should read the entire announcement to ensure that they meet all of the requirements and understand a Foreign Service career. Applicants may not reapply for one year after the previous application for the same position. If a State Department Suitability Review Panel denied suitability in the last two years, you may not apply (except Diplomatic Security Special Agent (SA) candidates whose denial was based solely on the unique requirements for SAs.)
The Bureau of Medical Services (MED) in the Department of State maintains and promotes the health and well-being of America’s diplomatic community who represent a wide range of United States government agencies abroad. The Department assigns Foreign Service Regional Medical Laboratory Scientists (RMLS), Medical Officers (RMOs), Medical Officers/Psychiatrists (RMO/Ps), and Medical Providers (MPs) to selected posts overseas. Many of these posts have significant health risks and local medical care that is inadequate by U.S. standards.
The Foreign Service Regional Medical Laboratory Scientist (RMLS) performs a wide variety of tests and procedures in Parasitology, Microbiology, Chemistry, Immunology, Hematology, Blood Banking and Urinalysis. Duties also include training Medical Technologists, visiting local laboratories and addressing food safety, environmental issues, and water quality issues. The RMLS travels up to 75% of the time to provide services at regional posts.
RMLS duties may include, but are not limited to the following at each regional post of responsibility:
Clinical
Diplomatic
Administrative
Emergency Preparedness
Regional Care Responsibilities
An RMLS is considered ‘essential personnel’ and is expected to be available on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Education:
At the time of application, applicants must possess:
Bachelor's degree in medical laboratory science, medical technology, clinical laboratory science, chemistry, or biological science that must include 16 semester hours (24 quarter hours) of biological science (with one semester in microbiology), 16 semester hours (24 quarter hours) in chemistry (with one semester in organic or biochemistry), one semester/quarter of mathematics, and one semester of Immunology from a U.S. accredited university or college.
In addition to the Educational requirements and Specialized Experience (see below) requirements, applicants must:
Specialized Experience
Applicant must have a minimum of five (5) years of full-time post-certification laboratory experience within the last seven (7) years in the Chemistry, Hematology and Immunology areas of the laboratory, with experience and working knowledge in, Parasitology, Microbiology, Blood Banking, and Urinalysis, with progressively responsible experience as a Medical Technologist/Medical Laboratory Scientist.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
The Department has conducted extensive job analysis research to determine KSAs and other attributes conducive to successful performance as an RMLS. An applicant’s education level, work experience, and other qualifications will be considered as part of the hiring decision-making process based on these KSA criteria.
Applicants must demonstrate a high degree of technical expertise with management experience.
The candidate must demonstrate the ability to manage the administrative aspects of a health unit laboratory, as well as the ability to cope with extraordinary issue, which may occur in remote and isolated settings. Previous experience working as a supervisor or section chief, or in an overseas setting, is advantageous.
The applicant must be a skilled and experienced medial laboratory scientist with excellent interpersonal skills. The applicant must be able to function well within a complex organization and have experience working in a high stress environment, and recognize and understand the problems of delivering laboratory services to Americans posted in locations where local laboratory resources are limited or non-existent. The ability to objectively evaluate the quality of laboratory services based on observations and open-ended questions, and the ability to provide long distance assessment of issues via electronic communications such as telephone, radio, and email.
Knowledge of medical laboratory equipment, the Federal Regulations governing clinical laboratories and testing to include: CLIA 88, OSHA requirements for safety in the clinical laboratory, U.S. accreditation requirements, phlebotomy, Quality Management guidelines, International Air Transport Association (IATA) regulations, medical laboratory tests, laboratory management, food safety guidelines, water testing methods and standards, and, Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines for all testing.
Personal skills in social perceptiveness, reading comprehension, active listening, critical thinking, active learning, judgement and decision making, complex problem solving, customer service, teaching, leadership, time management, critical thinking, acclimating to different cultures, collaborating, learning strategies, persuasion, and event and project organizing.
Other attributes include empathetic personality, self-confidence, firmness of convictions, adaptability, unflappability, creativity, confidentiality, interest in Foreign Service work, loyalty to the U.S., tolerance of non-scheduled work hours and travel, physical endurance, worldwide availability, tolerance of separation from family, and working and living in difficult and/or isolated or high-threat locations.
Superior oral and written communication skills: Applicants must demonstrate a strong command of the English language to include grammar, spelling and punctuation. Foreign Service Specialists must consistently meet a high standard for English, both written (overall structure as well as grammar, spelling and punctuation) and spoken (overall structure as well as delivery, clarity and succinctness).
Essential Physical Requirements
RMLSs may need to perform essential functions effectively with or without reasonable accommodation, in environments that pose physical or other occupational challenges. These duties may include:
You must submit a copy of your college transcript(s) with your application. Official or unofficial transcripts may be submitted with your application. Your transcript must include your name, the school’s name, and, if applicable, the degree and date awarded. A transcript missing any of these elements will not pass the minimum qualifications and the candidacy will be ended. Copies of diplomas may not be submitted in lieu of transcripts for education above high school level.
Education from a program or institution within the United States must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation, in order to be credited towards qualifications.
Education completed in foreign high schools, colleges or universities may be used to meet the education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying. Only accredited organizations recognized as specializing in the interpretation of foreign education credentials that are members of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. (AICE) are accepted. If documentation from an accredited organization is not provided, your candidacy will not be continued.
For further information on the evaluation of foreign education, please refer to the Office of Personnel Management and the U.S. Department of Education. The U.S. Department of State neither endorses nor recommends any individual evaluation service.
*EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILIY VERIFICATION PROGRAM (E-Verify) – Verification of employment eligibility in the United States is required.
U.S. law requires companies to employ only individuals who may legally work in the U.S. – either U.S. citizens, or foreign citizens who have the necessary authorization. This agency utilizes E-Verify to compare information from the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Social Security Administration (SSA) records to confirm employment eligibility. If the employee’s information does not match DHS and/or SSA records, the employee is given an opportunity to resolve the problem. If eligibility cannot be verified, employment will be terminated.
**The Department of State Suitability Review Panel and standards are defined in Chapter 3 of the Foreign Affairs Manual. For more information please visit:https://fam.state.gov/
***For more information about Veteran’s Preference and how it is applied in the FSS Selection Process, please visit: http://careers.state.gov/faqs/faqs-wiki/are-veterans-given-hiring-preference-
No applicant will be considered who has previously been separated from the Foreign Service under sections §607, §608, §610 or §611 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980, as amended, or who resigned or retired in lieu of separation under these provisions. In addition, no applicant will be considered who has previously been separated for failure to receive a career appointment under section §306 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980, as amended, or who resigned or retired in lieu thereof.
An FSS separated for failure to receive a career appointment under section 306 may not re-apply to be an FSS in the same skill code, but may apply for another skill code (or to be a Foreign Service Generalist).
Executive Branch agencies are barred by 5 US Code 3303 as amended from accepting or considering prohibited political recommendations and are required to return any prohibited political recommendations to sender. In addition, as mandated by 5 US Code 3110, relatives of federal employees cannot be granted preference in competing for these employment opportunities.
It is the policy of the Federal Government to treat all of its employees with dignity and respect and to provide a workplace that is free from discrimination whether discrimination is based on race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity or pregnancy), national origin, disability, political affiliation, marital status, membership in an employee organization, age, sexual orientation, or other non-merit factors.
The Department of State provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodations for any part of the application or hiring process should so advise the Department at ReasonableAccommodations@state.gov , within one week of receiving their invitation to the oral assessment. Decisions for granting reasonable accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis.
Additional Benefits:
Health and medical coverage, federal retirement benefits, paid leave, and an unprecedented chance to see the world and experience different cultures. Overseas benefits include tax-free housing overseas and tax-free education allowance for dependent children between K-12 overseas.
Continuing Medical Education (CME)
RMLSs receive at least 12 hours of Continuing Medical Education credit through annual State Department-sponsored CME program.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Candidates will be evaluated on their total background including experience, education, awards, training, and self-development as it relates to the position. Selection for this position will be made only from among candidates possessing the best qualifications. Part-time work experience will be prorated.
Medical Credentialing
Applicants are subject to a medical credentialing process conducted by the Quality Improvement Staff of the Bureau of Medical Services. The medical credentialing process includes queries of national credentialing agencies.
To preview questions please click here.
It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure all required documents are uploaded and the application is fully completed before the closing deadline of this announcement. Any missing required documents or incomplete applications will result in your application not being considered further.
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
You should submit your application early, not waiting for the deadline, as application packages must be complete, submitted, and received by the closing date to be considered. There are no exceptions.
1. From this Vacancy Announcement, click on “Apply.” Go to the USAJobs Log In screen and log in to your USAJobs account or follow the link and instructions to create an account.
2. Follow the USAJobs Application Process and provide your required USAJobs federal online resume. USAJobs will transfer you to the State Department agency online application site. Follow the instructions and answer the online questions. Your Accomplishments Questionnaire and Statement of Interest responses must be completed in the online application. You may save your work and can return to the application from USAJobs at any time prior to the deadline.
3. The application system allows up to four methods to submit required documentation: Transfer documents from a USAJOBS portfolio; upload documents from your computer; resubmit documents from a previous application; or fax. If you are submitting documents by fax, you must follow the fax directions, and generate and use the fax coversheets for your set(s) of documents.
4. After you attach all of your required supporting documentation, answer all the required application questions, and complete the application steps, please review the entire application packet, including the links for your submitted documents.
5. Confirm and submit your application package, which will be used to evaluate your qualifications for this position.
Application Submission Deadline: 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date of this announcement to complete the application process and successfully submit any documentation required in this Vacancy Announcement.
Application packages must be complete and received by the closing date to be considered. There are no exceptions.
You should submit your application early, and may make changes as often as needed, up until the closing date of the announcement. We strongly recommended that you go back into your application and verify that your documents are attached.
If you are having technical difficulty with the application process, please contact the Monster Help Desk by calling 1-866-656-6830 or by emailing mgshelp@monster.com. The Monster Help Desk is available Monday through Friday from 7 am to 7 pm Eastern Time.
For more information on the FSS hiring processes, please visit our FAQs at http://careers.state.gov/faqs. If you have any questions regarding FS careers, please visit our Careers.State.Gov site and post your question(s) on the appropriate Forum in the Connect section: http://careers.state.gov/connect/forums.
Once submitted, your application status on USAJobs will change from “received” to “referred” or “not referred” after the close of the announcement. This status on USAJobs will not be updated further.
All applicants will be notified via his/her Monster account about the outcome of the initial application review and if they will be further considered for this FS position. Additional notifications to applicants concerning the application status will be by e-mail from the U.S. Department of State.
Due to the high volume of applications, we ask all applicants to remain patient and await communication. It is not uncommon for several months to pass before you are informed of the results of your applications.
We recommend adding the Department of State domain (@state.gov) as an approved sender.
For more information, please visit http://careers.state.gov/work/foreign-service/specialist/selection-process.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/546113000. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
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