Summary

The Lead Therapeutic Radiologic Technologist position is in the Radiation Oncology Service at the VA Boston Healthcare System located at the Jamaica Plain, MA location. This position is full time at 40 hours per week.

Duties

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The Lead Therapeutic Radiologic Technologist must be able to carry out their assigned tasks independently in all areas of radiation therapy. Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Approve leave requests in emergency situations.
• Instruct and train TRT staff on newly acquired equipment.
• Provide orientation to staff, students, residents and others as requested; and assist with staff scheduling, quality assurance, compliance, authoring, reviewing and updating procedures and policies.
• Serves as the technical mentor, trainer and coach for the staff.
• Communicate of all aspects of patient care with the radiation oncology team to include facilitating all essential communication to the Chief Radiation Therapist or leadership regarding clinical and operational issues.
• Instruct and train TRTs on the Record and Verify System (or other similar treatment delivery systems), newly acquired equipment, devices and products within the service.
• Resolve informal employee disputes and concerns using problem solving skills.
• Develop local policies and standard operating procedures.
• Perform lead responsibilities such as, facilitating quality improvement activities, conducting in-service and staff meetings, conducting other departmental meetings as requested and skill of facilitating chart rounds.
• Triage new consults reviewing what each patient may require for tests, labs, or other treatment modalities.
• Determine the appropriate timely sequence for patient studies and any special orders required.
• Communicate orally exam preparations/special orders to patients and hospital staff.
• Perform consultations, simulation, and treatment planning and treatment procedures.
• Operate the CT simulator, TrueBeam and Cyberknife linear accelerators. Perform essential machine QA and delivering the prescribed dose to patients.
• Maintain patient records and files.
• Maintain adequate supplies in the department, treatment vault and workstations.
• Perform irregular hour emergency treatments on-call, 24 hours per day coverage, availability within 2 hours from receipt of call so that proper and effective emergency care can be given to the patient.
• Participates in QA (quality assurance) activities to include and provide data collection, data analysis and trends and reports on changes based on data collection.

Work Schedule: Full-Time Monday-Friday 7:00am-3:30pm

Compressed/Flexible: Not authorized

Telework: Not authorized

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement# F08622

Relocation Incentive: Notauthorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized

Financial Disclosure: Not required

NOTIFICATIONS:

• This position is in the Excepted Service.
• This position is in an AFGE Bargaining unit.
• This position is covered by a special salary rate.
• Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.
• Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held. No award SF50s will be accepted.
• Narrative responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) may be required from the selectee in order to proceed with the appointment.

Requirements

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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.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation/examination.
• May be subject to satisfactory completion of our credentialing process.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

Citizenship: Citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g, this part.).

Education: Individuals must have successfully completed a program in therapeutic radiologic technology, evidenced by a certificate or an associate's or higher degree accredited by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology or other accrediting bodies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the subsequent completion of a 12-month ED accrediting body-approved program in therapeutic radiologic technology.

Certification: All applicants must be certified in therapeutic radiologic technology by the ARRT in Radiation Therapy (ARRT (T).

English Language Proficiency: TRTs must be proficient in spoken and written English. See 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

GS-11 Experience: At least one year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS 10) directly related to the position being filled.

Assignments: The lead TRT functions as a team leader for a group of TRTs who provide the full range of general and complex therapeutic radiologic oncology treatment procedures. The lead TRT provides technical oversight, distributes work assignments and provides input on performance and competencies. Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: approving leave requests for a few hours or in emergency situations; instructing and training TRT staff on newly acquired equipment; providing orientation to staff, students, residents and others as requested; and assisting with staff scheduling, quality assurance, compliance, authoring, reviewing and updating procedures and policies. In addition, the lead TRT serves as the technical mentor, trainer and coach for the staff. The lead TRT is accountable to the next higher-level supervisor.

In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate the Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA's) below;

(a) Ability to provide technical oversight, assure compliance with standard operating procedures, distribute work assignments to lower level radiation therapists and provide input for performance appraisals and competencies.

(b) Skill in effective communication of all aspects of patient care with the radiation oncology team to include facilitating all essential communication to the Chief Radiation Therapist or leadership regarding clinical and operational issues.

(c) Ability to independently deliver, mentor and provide oversight to lower level TRTs with basic and complex radiation treatments on a linear accelerator, as prescribed by the radiation oncologist.

(d) Ability to instruct and train TRTs on the Record and Verify System (or other similar treatment delivery systems), newly acquired equipment, devices and products within the service.

(e) Ability to resolve informal employee disputes and concerns using problem solving skills.

(f) Ability to develop local policies and standard operating procedures.

(g) Ability to perform lead responsibilities such facilitating quality improvement activities, conducting in-service and staff meetings, conducting other departmental meetings as requested.

(h) Skill in facilitating chart rounds.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/

Physical Requirements: See VA Handbook 5019.

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

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. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. 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.

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.

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.

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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.