Health Physicist in Houston, Texas

Summary The HP/ARSO performs professional work of marked difficulty requiring extended professional training skills. The HP/ARSO participates in CQI collaborating with physicians, technologists, biomedical engineers and OEMs to optimize diagnostic imaging in accordance with ACR Quality Control Manuals (e.g., mammography, nuclear medicine, PET, CT and MRI). Responsibilities Duties may include, but are not limited to: A firm understanding and application of health physics as it relates to a medical environment. Knowledge of the underlying principles of x-ray producing devices and the methods for assessing the satisfactory performance of these systems, which include all types of radiographic, fluoroscopic, and computerized tomography. Participates in collaboration with physicians, technologists, and biomedical engineers to optimize diagnostic imaging in accordance with ACR Quality Control Manuals (e.g., mammography, nuclear medicine, PET, CT and MRI). Performs physics testing for modalities including X-ray radiography, fluoroscopy, CT, nuclear medicine, PET, MRI and ultrasound. Assist the Radiation Officer in providing direction of work and provides technical guidance to those whose responsibilities include administering the personnel dosimetry program, conducting audits and radiation surveys, as well as preparing, surveying and decontaminating radioiodine therapy rooms and giving radiation safety training to physicians, nursing staff, researchers, technologists, housekeepers and other staff. Assists the Radiation Officer with management of contracts including personnel dosimetry and x-ray machine performance evaluations. Use judgment, initiative, and resourcefulness in assisting the RSO with selecting approaches, evaluating findings, researching new developments in the field, and in deviating from or extending traditional health physics methods, techniques, and practices to develop solutions. Knowledge of the principles and techniques employed in medical imaging quality control and knowledge of the standards and the administrative organization required to effectively design and implement programs for radiation safety and medical imaging quality control. Work Schedule: Full-Time, Monday-Friday, 7:30 am – 4:00 pm; Subject to change based on the needs of the agency. Compressed/Flexible: Not Available. Telework: Not eligible for telework. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description Title/PD#: Health Physicist/04006-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Individual Occupational Requirements for 1306 series: Basic Requirements: Degree in natural science or engineering that included at least 30 semester hours in health physics, engineering, radiological science, chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics, and/or calculus.or Combination of education and experience of equivalent combination of experience and education in health physics, engineering, radiological science, chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics, and/or calculus, plus appropriate experience, or other education; or certification as a health physicist by the American Board of Health Physics, plus appropriate experience and other education that provided an understanding of sciences applicable to health physics (Transcript and/or certification required). NOTE: The quality of the combination of education and experience must be sufficient to demonstrate that the applicant possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform work in the occupation, and is comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of a full 4-year course of study with a major in the appropriate field. In addition to courses in the major and related fields, a typical college degree would have included courses that involved analysis, writing, critical thinking, research, etc. These courses would have provided an applicant with skills and abilities sufficient to perform progressively more responsible work in the occupation. Therefore, creditable experience should have demonstrated similarly appropriate skills or abilities needed to perform the work of the occupation and clearly listed in your resume. In addition to meeting the Individual Occupational Requirement, you must also meet the following: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: 1. Understanding and applying health physics as it relates to a medical environment; 2. Demonstrating radiation/ health physics concepts, principles, practices, and administrative techniques; 3. Identifying and evaluating radiation hazards and recommends corrective actions; 4. Evaluating the various degrees of radiation exposure in relation to radiation standards per health, safety, and regulatory guidelines; and 5. Interpreting federal regulations, standards, concepts, and procedures to include, but not limited to, Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA). You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Health Physics Integrity/Honesty Nuclear Physics Self-Management Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: The work requires some physical exertion such as long periods of walking and standing while performing audits and surveys and consulting with staff. Time is also spent in formal and informal meetings with many different groups. Additionally, much of the work is administrative in nature and requires sitting in an office and utilizing computers. Decontamination team participation is very physically demanding since one wears a sealed suit with respiratory device. The incumbent must be medically cleared to participate on the decontamination team. 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/. 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. Additional Information Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant’s 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. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM’s Career Transition Resources website which can be found at https://www.opm.gov/. Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee’s credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.