Medical Records Technician (Cancer Registrar)

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.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7 2025 drivers licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation.
• 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 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

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• English Language Proficiency. MRT (Cancer Registrar) candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).
• Experience and Education.
  • (1) Experience. One year of experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology and general understanding of the health record. Six months of the required one year of experience must have provided the knowledge skills and abilities (KSAs) needed to perform MRT work. OR
  • (2) Education. Two years above high school with a minimum of 12 semester hours directly related to MRT work (e.g. courses in medical terminology anatomy and physiology and introduction to health records). Transcripts must be submitted if qualified by education. OR
  • (3) Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying. The following educational/training substitutions are appropriate for combining education and experience:
    • (a) Six months of experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology and general understanding of the health record and one year above high school with a minimum of six semester hours of health information technology courses.
    • (b) Successful completion of a course for medical technicians hospital corpsmen medical service specialists or hospital training obtained in a training program given by the Armed Forces or the U.S. Maritime Service under close medical and professional supervision. Training may be substituted on a month-for-month basis for up to six months of experience provided the training program included courses in anatomy physiology and medical record techniques and procedures. The position requires six additional months of experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology and general understanding of the health record.

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations:
MRT (Cancer Registrar) GS-4.
Experience or Education. None beyond basic requirements.

MRT (Cancer Registrar) GS-5.
Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level or successful completion of four years of education above high school from an accredited college or university with a minimum of 24 semester hours in health information technology.
AND
Demonstrated Knowledge Skills and Abilities. In addition to the experience above the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
(a) Ability to utilize health information technology and various office software products utilized in MRT (Cancer Registrar) positions (e.g. the electronic health record coding and abstracting software release of information systems etc.).
(b) Knowledge of the Joint Commission requirements Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Commission on Cancer and American College of Surgeons (ACoS) guidance and/or health record documentation guidelines.
(c) Ability to manage priorities and coordinate work to complete duties within required timeframes and ability to follow-up on pending issues.

MRT (Cancer Registrar) GS-6.
Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower level.
AND
Demonstrated Knowledge Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
(a) Knowledge of medical terminology to understand the content of the medical record.
(b) Knowledge of anatomy and physiology to understand the location of the cancer.
(c) Ability to operate computerized programs to review documentation within the electronic medical record.
(d) Ability to notify appropriate parties and organize all required documentation to ensure complete case presentation at tumor boards.

MRT (Cancer Registrar) GS-7.
Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.
AND
Demonstrated Knowledge Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
(a) Knowledge of pathophysiology to understand the spread of the cancer disease process.
(b) Ability to analyze the electronic health record and enter appropriate data into the OncoTrax cancer registry software abstract.
(c) Knowledge of ACoS standards regarding tumor boards including clinical staging prognostic indicators clinical guidelines and clinical trials availability.

MRT (Cancer Registrar) GS-8.
Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.
AND
Demonstrated Knowledge Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
(a) Knowledge of professional registry operations.
(b) Knowledge of medical terminology staging of cancer and requirements of internal and external approving organizations.
(c) Knowledge of the cancer committee processes and procedures to improve patient care and verify compliance with ACoS and/or facility standards.
(d) Ability to serve as a subject matter expert on cancer programs for the medical center.
(e) Skill in utilizing electronic health records and cancer registry software.

Preferred Experience: Preferred experience will be determined by the service for the location in which you apply and will be discussed at the interview.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard please visit full performance level of this vacancy is GS8. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS4 to GS8.

Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing lifting carrying sitting stooping bending puling and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment.

Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted heated and ventilated. However the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.