Health Physicist

Duties

• Serve as the Joint Services Radiation Safety Officer, Senior Scientific Representative, providing expert level guidance and subject matter expertise in the broad practice of health physics and ionizing radiation producing devices or material.
• Apply scientific assessments and make recommendations regarding new developments, precedents and methodologies to identify and reduce Radiation Safety hazards within the broad scope of the program.
• Independently operate multiple types of radiation detection and measurement equipment including Geiger-Mueller and other gas-filled detectors, liquid scintillation counters, and multi-channel analyzers.
• Maintain inventory of radioactive materials possessed by the facility and waste disposal records and other required records related to radiation.
• Approve procurement, receipt, and distribution of all radioactive materials arriving at /departing from the facility.
• Survey medical, dental and veterinary x-ray equipment, to include Computed Tomography and mammography evaluation (MQSA) for compliance with radiation safety regulations.
• Provide use and control of licensed radioactive materials within the clinic to include the use and control of medical laser systems.
• Complete legally binding documents such as radiation surveys, equipment checks, radiation dosimetry record review and patient records for the department.
• Provide I-131 and other radioactive therapy procedures for patients.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• This position requires the incumbent be able to obtain and maintain a determination of eligibility for a Tier 3 security investigation or access for the duration of employment. A background investigation and credit check are required.
• This position requires the incumbent to have tuberculosis testing.
• This position has mandatory seasonal influenza vaccination requirements and is subject to annual seasonal influenza vaccinations unless otherwise exempted for medical or religious reasons (documentation of exemption must be provided upon hire).
• This position requires the completion of a pre-employment Physical Examination and an annual examination thereafter to ensure the continued, required level of physical health and ability or fitness to perform the duties of the position.
• This position is subject to a pre-employment drug screening, and random testing thereafter, to include testing based on reasonable suspicion and testing due to direct involvement with an on-duty accident.
• This position is subject to recall after normal duty call to investigate radiation related incidents.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: Only applicants who meet one of the employment authority categories below are eligible to apply for this job. You will be asked to identify which category or categories you meet, and to provide documents which prove you meet the category or categories you selected.

• Current Civilian Employees of the Defense Health Agency (DHA)
• Current Permanent Department of Defense (DoD) Civilian Employee
• Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan
• Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act
• Military Spouses, under Executive Order (E.O.) 13473
• Non-Appropriated Fund Instrumentality (NAFI)
• Non-Department of Defense (DoD) Transfer
• Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Interchange Agreement Eligible
• Priority Placement Program, DoD Military Spouse Preference (MSP) Eligible
• Reinstatement
• Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) of 1998

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. 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; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document .

Basic Requirements for Health Physicist:

Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher 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: Courses, as shown above, plus appropriate experience or other education.

OR

Certification: 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 comparable to that described above.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:

Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes performing health physics and radiation safety operations within a hospital/clinical setting; utilizing safety guidelines/regulations to handle and dispose of radioactive materials and/or control and prevent ionizing radiation hazards; performing quality control measures on medical, dental, or x-ray equipment for compliance with radiation safety standards; providing instructions to patients on radiation safety. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-12).

Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted.

You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency in the following areas:

• Compliance
• Health Physics
• Patient Safety and Quality Care
• Teaching Others

Time in Grade Requirement: Applicants who have held a General Schedule (GS) position within the last 52 weeks must have 52 weeks of Federal service at the next lower grade or equivalent (GS-12).

Education

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html .

Additional information

• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959 must complete a Pre-Employment Certification Statement for Selective Service Registration.
• You will be required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship.
• One year trial/probationary period may be required.
• Direct Deposit of Pay is required.
• Selection is subject to restrictions resulting from Department of Defense referral system for displaced employees.
• Recruitment or relocation incentives MAY be authorized for highly qualified candidates.
• You may claim military spouse preference (MSP).
• Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
• Salary includes applicable locality pay or Local Market Supplement.
• If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application .
• If you have retired from federal service and you are interested in employment as a reemployed annuitant, see the information in the Reemployed Annuitant information sheet.
• Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized, based on a determination that a PCS move is not in the Government interest.
• Information may be requested regarding the vaccination status of selectees for the purposes of implementing workplace safety protocols. For more information, visit https://www.saferfederalworkforce.gov/faq/vaccinations/ .