Summary This position is located in the Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Service of the VA Medical Center in Aurora, CO. Responsibilities THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION The Pathology Specialist provides technical and administrative assistance, oversight, and coordination of all subsections of the Anatomic Pathology Service to accomplish program objectives. The specialist plays a key role in the operations of the Surgical Pathology and Autopsy services, integrating and educating pathology residents, and representing these services in a variety of interactions with clinical physicians and residents, nursing personnel, hospital administrative and other personnel, and personnel from outside facilities (other VAMCs, VA outpatient clinics, VA central office, College of American Pathologists, other community hospitals, HCFA, etc.). Serves as technical consultant and advisor to laboratory managers, medical staff, and pathologists, both local and at other health care facilities, regarding policies, procedures, and practices related to Anatomic Pathology. Formulates and implements service policies. Develops procedures to optimize resource utilization (space, personnel, and allotted funds) and to promote efficiency and productivity. Provides assistance to pathologists by performing the gross examination, dissection, dictation, and processing of all samples, preparing frozen section slides for examination by a Pathologist, and by serving as a primary prosector in autopsy dissection. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm. Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Authorized. Requirements 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 You may be required to serve a probationary period 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification 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) Qualifications BASIC EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENT: Bachelor's or higher level degree with a major study in an academic field related to the medical field, health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the work of the position. This degree must be from an educational program from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. Transcripts required. ~AND~ MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS GS-12: One year of specialized experience that equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level. Examples of specialized experience include: performing gross examination of surgical specimens; preparing frozen section specimens; and experience assisting with autopsies. Your experience must be detailed in your resume to receive credit. ~AND~ This position includes a Selective Placement Factor (skill, knowledge, ability or other worker characteristic basic to - and essential for - satisfactory performance of the job). Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration. The Selective Placement Factor for this position is: Certification by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP). You must submit proof of certification or document certification information in your resume. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Attention to Detail Critical Thinking Problem Solving Teaching Others Technical Competence 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. Physical Requirements: The work requires long periods of standing while performing gross examinations and teaching others to do so, recurrent bending when performing frozen sections and autopsies, sitting, intense concentration in noisy and congested areas, and walking moderate distances between alternate work sites. It occasionally involves moving human bodies and lifting objects up to 40 pounds. Performance of duty requires above average manual dexterity in dissecting specimens and cutting frozen sections, good hand-eye coordination, and normal color vision. Work Environment: The work involves regular and recurrent exposure to irritating and/or toxic chemicals, volatile organic solutions, disagreeable odors, and potentially infectious material. Protective gear and special safety precautions are required and include protective agents such as a laboratory coat, gloves, mask, respirator, and eye protective devices, as necessary. Specialist occasionally may be required to work irregular hours or shifts and may be required to work in contaminated and infectious areas, wards, and laboratories and will be required to receive immunizations and/or occupational health examinations as determined by medical authorities to reduce health hazards. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. Education IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application to support the basic educational requirement. 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: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov). Additional Information 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.
