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THE CLOSING DATE FOR THIS ANNOUNCEMENT HAS BEEN EXTENDED. IF YOU HAD PREVIOUSLY APPLIED, YOU DO NOT NEED TO REAPPLY.

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION***

Some of the duties and responsibilities of this position include (but are not limited to):

• Provides safe, timely preparation of patient specimens from the medical center and referring institutions;
• Sets priorities, schedules, and completion timeframes.
• Oversees and performs work in the grossing areas, frozen section areas and autopsy suite to ensure proper processing of tissue samples, especially those requiring special handling;
• Performs surgical grossing with knowledge of receiving and/or obtaining specimens using appropriate techniques;
• Maintains proper identification and performs gross examination and sectioning of all types of surgical pathology specimens according to specifications of the procedure;
• Performs other duties as assigned

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday; 8:00am-4:30pm
Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified candidates
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved

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
• 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)

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

Qualifications

TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION YOU MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA

BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Successfully completed a full 4-year course of study at an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's degree or higher, with a major study in an academic field related to the health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the position of Supervisory Health System Specialist Pathology Assistant. Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation.
~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: Successful completion of the Pathology Assistant certification examination given by the American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP). Note: You must maintain status as a certified Pathologist Assistant, including completion of all requirements for continuing medical education (CME) and recertification.
~AND~

IN ADDITION TO MEETING THE BASIC EDUCATION AND SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR, THIS POSITION ALSO REQUIRES ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:

EXPERIENCE: Have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-9) in the Federal Service that has given you the particular knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of Supervisory Health Systems Specialist Pathology Assistant. Specialized experience includes overseeing surgical pathology, grossing, autopsy, histology, and anatomic pathology; performing surgical grossing; receiving and/or obtaining specimens using appropriate techniques; maintaining proper identification and sectioning of all types of surgical pathology specimens according to specifications of the procedure; maintaining records and quality assurance data as necessary. 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.
~OR~

EDUCATION: Successfully completed three (3) years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree, or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree with a major study in an academic field related to health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the position of Health Science Specialist Pathology Assistant. Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation.
~OR~

COMBINATION: An equivalent combination of successfully completed graduate education (beyond the second year) and specialized experience, as described above, which meet the total experience requirements for this grade level. The education portion must include graduate courses related to the work of this position (as described above). Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation.


You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position:

• Clinical Data Collection/Documentation
• Manages and Organizes Information
• Project Management

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, bending over instruments, counters and tables (microscope, autopsy table, cutting benches), as well as heavy lifting (bodies and supplies). The work procedure requires manual dexterity and depth perception for determining depth and angles of cuts into human tissue. The work requires color identification for visual control of staining procedures. The work requires extended periods of light microscopy to screen and evaluate cytology specimens. The work requires long periods of computer work. The work requires regular and recurring exposure to infections agents including but not limited to tuberculosis, hepatitis, HIV and other agents, body fluids and tissues, and caustic, flammable, noxious, toxic and/or carcinogenic chemical reagents and solutions such as formaldehyde. The work includes the use of extremely sharp cutting instruments in difficult conditions with limited visibility at times. The position is required to utilize personal protective equipment including gloves, goggles, laboratory coats and masks; chemical disposal barrels; and fume hoods. The work requires following all established safety policies and procedures, as written in the Medical Center Safety Manual, as well as the Anatomic pathology procedure manuals.

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/.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

Your responses to the assessment questionnaire will be reviewed along with the information provided in your resume and supporting documentation to determine if you are qualified for the position. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered and/or you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

Candidates who apply under All U.S. Citizens announcements will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. Qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The categories are defined as follows:

• Best qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position;
• Highly qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the requirements of the job;
• Well qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in some, but not all, of the requirements of the job; and
• Qualified - applicants possessing experience and/or education that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors.

Application of Veterans' Preference: Category rating and selection procedures place those with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligible applicants that meet the eligibility and qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category (except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher).

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.