HEALTH PHYSICIST at Orange

JOB SUMMARY:

Vacancy ID: 950980 

OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln’s promise – “To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan” – by serving and honoring the men and women who are America’s Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate care to Veterans?

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) needs employees who possess the energy, compassion, and commitment to serve those who served our Country. Whatever the job title, every position in VA will give you a chance to make a meaningful and personal contribution to the lives of truly special and deserving people - our Veterans. VA professionals feel good about their careers and their ability to balance work and home life. VA offers generous paid time off and a variety of predictable and flexible scheduling opportunities. Working for VA is one of the most emotionally satisfying and professionally rewarding ways to dedicate the best within you to your Countrys service.

If you are transitioning from the military or a Veteran already, we invite you to explore the benefits of continuing your career at the VA. The VA is committed to hiring Veterans. The VA is much more than just another employer. It is an honorable, open and welcoming community of those who care. Gratitude is our motivation and service is our mission.

The VA has adopted Core Values and Characteristics that apply universally across the Department. The five Core Values define “who we are,” our culture, and how we care for Veterans, their families and other beneficiaries. The Values are Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect and Excellence (“I CARE”).

Americas Veterans need you! To find out more, go to http://www.va.gov/jobs/.

KEY REQUIREMENTS

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job.
• Subject to a background/suitability investigation.

DUTIES:Back to top

This position involves a multi-gradecareer ladder. The major duties listed below represent the full performancelevel of GS-13. At the GS-12 grade level, you will perform assignments of amore limited scope and with less independence. You will progressively acquirethe background necessary to perform at the full performance level of GS-12.Promotion is at the discretion of the supervisor and is contingent uponsatisfactory performance, availability of higher level work, and availabilityof funds.

 

Thisposition is located within the Radiation Oncology Service of the VeteransAdministration New Jersey Healthcare System at the medical center in EastOrange, NJ. Duties include but are not limited to:

 

· Ensuringthe safe and effective delivery of radiation to achieve therapeutic results;

· Protectingthe patient and others from potentially harmful or excessive radiation;

· Establishingprotocols to ensure accurate patient dosimetry;

· Measuringand characterizing radiation;

· Advancingprocedures to ensure treatment and image quality;

· Developingand directing quality assurance programs;

· Assistingother health care professionals in optimizing the balance between thebeneficial and harmful effects of radiation;

· Overseeingequipment calibration and commissioning;

· Providingclinical support to the Chief Medical Physicist;

· Maintainingquality assurance for equipment and treatment delivery;

· Ensuringcompliance with radiation safety and licensing issues;

· Developingequipment specifications for radiation therapy treatment, brachytherapy,simulation, and radiation detection;

· Applyingalgorithms to radiation treatment planning;

· Performingrelated duties as required.

 

DESIGNATED DRUG-TESTING POSITION:  Applicants tentativelyselected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject tourinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment.  Applicantswho refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.  Applicantswill not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test resultis received.

Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday  Hours may vary

 

*** INCENTIVES ARE  AUTHORIZED***  HIGHLY QUALIFIED CANDIDATES MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR A RECRUITMENT INCENTIVE.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:Back to top

ENGLISH LANGUAGEPROFICIENCY:

In accordance with 38 U.S.C.7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they areproficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basicwritten and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position.

 

This position includes a SelectivePlacement Factor (skill, knowledge, ability or other worker characteristicbasic to and essential for satisfactory performance of the job). Selectiveplacement factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimumrequirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible forfurther consideration.

 

The selectiveplacement factor for this position is: board certification or board eligibility inradiation therapy physics. Please provide information/documentation to supportthis requirement.

 

AND

 

BASIC REQUIREMENT: A bachelors or higher degree orfour years of successfully completed education leading to such a degree from anaccredited college or university in natural science or engineering thatincluded at least 30 semester hours in health physics, engineering,radiological science, chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics, and/orcalculus. You must submit transcripts to receive credit for this requirement.

 

OR

A combination of education and experience that includedcourses in health physics, engineering, radiological science, chemistry,physics, biology, mathematics, and/or calculus plus appropriate experience oradditional education; or certification as a health physicist by the AmericanBoard of Health Physics plus appropriate experience and other education thatprovided an understanding of sciences applicable to health physics comparableto a bachelors or higher degree in the field. You must submit transcripts anda detailed description of experience to receive credit for this requirement.

 

AND

 

GS-12 IN ADDITION TO THE BASIC EDUCATIONAL ANDSELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR THE POSITION REQUIRES: One year of specializedexperience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, andabilities to perform successfully the duties of this position, and that istypically in or related to the work of the position. To be creditable,specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lowerlevel of Federal service. Examples of related experience include: experienceworking in the field of radiation oncology; collecting and organizing data;performing complex simulations, calibrations, and quality assurance procedureson radiation equipment; using complex algorithms to develop radiation treatmentplans; generating conventional, 3-dimensional conformal, intensity-modulatedradiation therapy (IMRT), image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT), andbrachytherapy treatments; verifying the accuracy of radiation prescriptiondelivery; maintaining records with patient, program, and equipment information;adhering to the regulatory standards for radiation safety, equipmentcalibration, and quality assurance; resolving deviations in quality assurancetest results; interacting with patients to obtain measurements and datanecessary for radiation therapy planning and device design; providing trainingto staff regarding radiation oncology policies and procedures. Your experiencemust be detailed in your resume to receive full credit.

 

OR

GS-12: Have three (3) years ofprogressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree orPh.D. or equivalent doctoral degree which demonstrates the knowledge, skills,and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. One year of full-timegraduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that theschool attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If thatinformation cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should beconsidered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. Part-timegraduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a yearof full-time study at the school attended. (*If you are using education toqualify, transcripts are required.)

OR

GS-12: Have a combination ofspecialized experience and graduate education; or certification as a healthphysicist by the American Board of Health Physics, plus appropriate experienceand other education that provided an understanding of sciences applicable tohealth physics comparable to that described in paragraphs above. (*Yourexperience must be detailed in your resume and transcripts are required.)

 

 

GS-13 IN ADDITION TO THE BASIC EDUCATIONAL ANDSELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR THE POSITION REQUIRES: One year of specializedexperience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, andabilities to perform successfully the duties of this position, and that istypically in or related to the work of the position. To be creditable,specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lowerlevel of Federal service. Examples of related experience include: experienceworking in the field of radiation oncology medical physics including dosimetry;collecting and organizing data relevant to radiation therapy physics;performing complex radiation oncology medical physics simulations,calibrations, and quality assurance procedures on radiation equipment; usingcomplex algorithms to develop radiation treatment plans; generatingconventional, 3-dimensional conformal, intensity-modulated radiation therapy(IMRT), image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT), and brachytherapy treatments;verifying the accuracy of radiation prescription delivery; maintaining recordswith patient, program, and equipment information; adhering to the regulatorystandards for radiation safety, equipment calibration, and quality assurance;resolving deviations in quality assurance test results; interacting withpatients to obtain measurements and data necessary for radiation therapyplanning and device design; providing training to staff regarding radiationoncology policies and procedures. Your experience must be detailed in yourresume to receive full credit.

 

ThreeQuality Ranking Factors* have been requested by the facility to helpdetermine which of the basically qualified applicants are likely to be betterqualified for a position.

The quality ranking factors forthis position are:

· Completion of a two year Radiation Oncology Medical Physics residency.

· A passinggrade on part 1 of the American Board of Radiology exam, or an equivalent examin Radiation Therapy Physics. Please provide supportinginformation/documentation.

· Experiencein Information Technology (IT) and data management.

*QualityRanking Factors are skills, knowledge, abilities, or other workercharacteristics which could be expected to result in superior performance onthe job. Quality ranking factors will not be used for screening,but may be used as ranking criteria. Applicants with higher proficiency levelsmay rank above those with lower proficiency levels on a quality ranking factor.

You will be rated on the following Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Other characteristics (KSAOs) as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position:

Skillin conscientiously attending to detail and performing work thoroughly

Knowledgeof nuclear physics, radiation physics and radiation therapy theories, protocolsand techniques

Abilityto apply what is learned from written material to specific situations

Abilityto make sound, well informed decisions

Abilityto organize and maintain accurate records

Knowledgeof federal and state regulations and ACR standards for radiation safety,equipment calibration and quality assurance

Skillin working with, understanding and evaluating technical information andadvising others on technical issues

Abilityto interact effectively with all levels of departmental personnel to achieveclinical and administrative goals

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

The work includes periods of standing, walking, orsitting at a computer console and the carrying of moderately heavy items suchas alloy blocks, calibration equipment, or water phantoms. Some bending andlifting is also required. Manual dexterity is required for the fabrication oftreatment devices and radioactive source handling. The work space is located inthe Radiation Oncology Department. As this position includes some exposure tolow levels of radiation, the Health Physicist is required to wear a dosimeterand adhere to radiation policies/procedures established by the hospital. TheHealth Physicist is required to follow regulations regarding universalprecautions, infection control policies, the handling of hazardous materials,and personal protection. There will be some exposure to lead, lead alloys,cadmium, and bismuth which is restricted through safety precautions and properventilation.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Managements website at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications .

APPLICANTS PLEASE NOTE: 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. Please refer to this checklist to ensure proper accreditation and for foreign education requirements.

Veterans Preference:

When applying for Federal jobs, eligible veterans should claim preference on the Occupational Questionnaire in the section provided and provide a legible copy of DD-214(s) showing all dates of service as well as character of service (honorable, general, etc.). Additionally, veterans with service-connected disability of 10% or more must also submit a copy of their official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs, or from a branch of the Armed Forces, certifying their service-connected disability and/or their receipt of compensation for service-connected disability.  If the military member is within 120 days of separation and does not yet have a DD214, the member may instead submit any written document from the armed forces that certifies the service member is expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is signed.

Veterans with service-connected disability of less than 10%, non service-connected disability, and Purple Heart recipients, as-well-as those claiming derived preference for a spouse, widow or widower, or natural mother, should refer to and submit a completed " SF15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference ," (go to http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf) and required documentation with your application materials. For more information on Veterans Preference, please visit http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/veterans.aspx.

 

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:

Applicants will be ranked based on four quality groups, as follows:

• Best qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position;
• Highly qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the requirements of the job;
• Well qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in some, but not all, of the requirements of the job; and
• Qualified - applicants possessing experience and/or education that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors.

After the vacancy announcement closes, reviewed applications are evaluated against the questionnaire responses and placed in the appropriate quality group.  Qualified veterans will be afforded preference by being placed at the top of the appropriate quality group. The best qualified group is the first to be referred to the hiring facility for further consideration and possible interview.  The remaining groups may be referred based on the number of applicants available.

Country: USA, State: New Jersey, City: Orange, Company: Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration.