Summary The Pathology Specialist assists in providing service in Anatomic Pathology under the supervision of the Chief of Surgical Pathology and Supervisor Health Science Specialist. The position is located at Bay Pines VA Medical Center in Bay Pines, Florida. The Pathology Specialist participates in the accessioning, examination, dissection, and processing of tissue samples, and when necessary performing autopsies and generating autopsy reports to be reviewed by the pathologist. Responsibilities THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION Major duties and responsibilities include: Performing all elements of gross examination and sectioning of every @type of surgical pathology specimens. Providing description of tissue received from surgery (includes noting size, color, consistency and anatomic orientation). Cutting specimens to preset optimal specimen detection for microscopic examination, pathologic diagnosis and cancer staging. Removing and dissecting visceral organs, brain and spinal cord in order to demonstrate the presence or absence of disease and/or atomic variation by sections various tissues and body fluids for further examination. Performing autopsies, with or without an autopsy assistant by correlating of the gross pathology with the patient's clinical presentation, preparation of external and internal descriptions. Preparing the body for pickup by a funeral home; ordering special studies (e.g., cultures, histochemical and immunohistochemical stains, electron microscopy), and providing interpretation. Preparing frozen tissue sections and other tissue sections within or outside of the histology department. Performing on complex instruments such as cryostat, cameras, and automatic tissue processor, IHC, this includes knowledge about technical and mechanical indicators of malfunction, sufficient to locate and correct errors. Maintaining regulatory compliance related to his/her duties on a daily basis. Maintaining regulatory compliance including reviews regulatory criteria, ensuring all procedures and protocols are maintained up to date with regulatory criteria, preparing work areas for inspection, and participating in the inspection process as required. Developing and/or revising standard operating procedures by establishing performance standards to improve or extend test systems; this includes: evaluating, modifying or adapting new methods to meet the requirements of particular testing situations. Overseeing the morgue for adherence to facility and regulatory safety, quality control and privacy regulations Assisting in the collection, reporting and interpretation of data for Anatomic Pathology QA programs, participating in the PALMS QA committee, making recommendations as needed, and directing and implementing quality improvement initiatives approved by the committee. Providing instruction at the bench and through discussion of relevant topics including: evaluating, selecting, organizing, and adapting educational, training, and resource materials for teaching programs. Educating and training residents in pathology, other medical specialties, and medical students, regarding the practice of Anatomic Pathology and Autopsy, including: creating special study rotations to introduce new technologies and processes and constructing learning modules for pathology residents and other trainees. Participating in the orientation and training of new employees, residents, and students in Anatomic Pathology. Performing other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:00am - 3:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified candidates Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Physical Requirements: The work requires long periods of standing or sitting while performing gross examinations and occasional lifting or pulling of heavy items (bodies, extremities) and above average dexterity in dissection of specimens and cutting frozen sections. 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) - See "Required Documents" below for details. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary 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 probationary, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION AT THE GS-11 LEVEL YOU MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING: BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: You must possess a Bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree with 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. (COPY OF TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED AT TIME OF APPLICATION) ~AND~ In addition to meeting the basic education requirement above, you must also meet one of the additional requirements listed below. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You must possess at least one year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position, and that is typically in or related to the work of this position. To be creditable, this experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-9 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience includes performing gross examination, sectioning, and dictation of surgical pathology specimens including biopsies, skin excisions and surgical tissue, both simple and complex in nature; experience in gross and microscopic human anatomy, pathophysiology, medical terminology, and embryology in order to distinguish normal versus disease states; initiating requests and proper specimen preparation for specialized tests such as but not limited to histochemical, immunohistochemical, and flow cytometry. (THIS EXPERIENCE MUST BE SUPPORTED BY YOUR RESUME TO BE CREDITABLE.) ~OR~ SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE: You must possess three (3) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree with a major in an appropriate field (as described above) which provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent one (1) year of full-time study. If that number cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours will be considered an academic year of graduate study. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended. (COPY OF TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED AT TIME OF APPLICATION) ~OR~ COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: You must possess an equivalent combination of specialized experience and graduate education as described above to qualify at the GS-11 grade level. (THIS EXPERIENCE MUST BE SUPPORTED BY YOUR RESUME TO BE CREDITABLE AND COPY OF TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED AT TIME OF APPLICATION) 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 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 Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. 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. 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. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 80 or more before any Veterans preference points) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.
