Animal Caretaker - Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration

Summary The animal caretaker is an integral part of the research program. The employee performs various duties relating to the facility maintenance and care of laboratory animals within the Veterinary Medical Unit. This position directly supports research performed at the Iowa City VA Health Care System, IA. Responsibilities Major duties include but are not limited to the following: Monitors animals for changes in health and unusual behaviors. Administers simple medications to animals. Collects biological specimens for laboratory examination. (I.E. feces, urine, blood. and microbiological specimens). Maintains a transgenic and knock-out rodent breeding colonies. Provides food, water, and cage care to animals. Maintains proper food and watering schedules for each experimental protocol. Prepares and administers appropriate diets and water for the Animals. Properly handles and restrains animals for various research processes. Uses prescribed methods to euthanize animals. Maintains records (daily work sheets, animal and supply inventories, animal logs, breeding records). Performs other related duties as assigned Work Schedule: Full Time, Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm May include some weekends and Holiday coverage. Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Pre-employment physical required Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications Minimum Qualifications: (Screen-Out) Must possess the ability to do the work of an Animal Caretaker without more than normal supervision. Related experience includes performing animal health examinations; administering medications to animals; processing newly arrived animals; checking and maintaining a cage identification system; euthanizing animals. NOTE: Experience must be documented in your resume to receive full credit. Physical Efforts and Work Conditions: Physical Efforts Work is performed with a variety of physical demands such as walking standing, bending, reaching and heavy lifting (up to and in excess of 75 pounds) which may be encountered in awkward positions. Must be able to control and restrain animals which may vary in type, size and temperament as to control the possibility of injury to the animal, to another employee or to oneself. Work Conditions The position is working directly with small experimental research animals and may incur cuts, scrapes, scratches and bites. Protective clothing is provided, and the position is required to follow prescribed safety practices and use the safety equipment as provided. This position may require occasional weekend and holiday work. Applicants will be rated in accordance with the OPM Federal Wage System Qualifications. For this position, the job element method is used to match what you, the applicant, can do against what the work calls for. Your knowledge, skills and abilities will be compared to the knowledge, skills and abilities (called job elements) needed for success. Your qualifications will first be evaluated against the prescribed screen out element (WG-2 and higher only; screen-outs are not applicable to WG-1). Applicants who appear to meet the screen out element are considered for further rating; those who do not are rated ineligible and are eliminated from consideration. The potential eligibles are rated against the remainder of the job elements. While a specific length of training and experience is not required, your responses to the questionnaire must be supported by detailed descriptions of your experience on your resume. You will be rated on the following Job Elements as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Dexterity and Safety Interpret Instructions, Specifications (other than blueprint reading) Materials Measuring Instruments Technical Practices Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment Without more than normal supervision IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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. 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). 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. Education 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. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. 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. 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.