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Pathology Specialist

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Michael E DeBakey VA Medical Center

Summary

This position is located in the Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Service Line at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX. This position serves as a Pathology Specialist in the Anatomic Pathology area.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
02/13/2026 to 02/20/2026
Salary
$103,225 to - $134,195 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Houston, TX
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
CBST-12885730-26-AR
Control number
857664700

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This vacancy is open to current permanent VA Nationwide employees, CTAP/ICTAP eligibles, and other Status Eligible Applicants-see Hiring Paths for more information.

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Duties

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Major duties include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Performs or requests specialized tests including histochemical and immunohistochemical and stains and flow cytometry as well as performing QC on the samples.
  • Investigates and resolves problems including quality control and assurance activities related to surgical pathology.
  • Assists in the collection and interpretation or data for Anatomic Pathology QA programs.
  • Performs the autopsy after review of the medical record, correlation of the gross pathology with the patient's clinical presentation, preparation of external and internal descriptions, sections preparation and release of the body for pickup by a funeral home.
  • Oversees and performs work in the accessioning and grossing area to assure proper processing of tissue specimens, especially those requiring special handling (i.e. kidney biopsies, muscle biopsies, frozen sections, immunohistochemistry, special histologic technique, immunofluorescence, molecular pathology, and electron microscopy).
  • Performs complex and highly exacting technical work that involves preparing human biological material for specialized microscopic, cellular, serologic, molecular, genetic, and image analysis.
  • Represents committees and task forces.
  • Educates and trains residents in pathology, other medical specialties, and medical students, regarding the practice of Surgical Pathology and Autopsy.
  • Maintains regulatory compliance by reviewing regulatory criteria, insuring 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 by the supervisor.
  • Embeds cuts, stains and labels routine histology as needed including performing aspirate smears and clot sections for bone marrow biopsies.
  • Oversees and performs work in the frozen section room. Assures proper processing of tissue specimens, especially those requiring special handling.
  • Oversees and performs work in the accessioning and grossing areas. Examines and describes, using dictation equipment and dissection tools, both standard and powered, all types of gross surgical specimens, noting size, color, consistency, and anatomic orientation, identifying abnormalities, and removing appropriate sections, according to published criteria. Assures proper processing of tissue specimens, especially those requiring special handling (i.e. kidney biopsies and muscle biopsies).
Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm (Subject to change based on the needs of the Agency)
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Pathology Specialist/PD03972A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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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 or 2-year trial 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 or trial 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, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 02/20/2026.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

Individual Occupational Requirement: Applicants who meet the Individual Occupational Requirements described below are fully qualified for the specified entry grade and must also meet the specialized experience and/or education requirements.

  • Bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree: 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 (external link) at the time the degree was obtained. (Transcript is required)
You may qualify based on your experience as described below:

Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:
  • Performing biopsy and organ grossing.
  • Completing post-mortem/autopsy procedures.
  • Applying knowledge of biological and environmental safety regulations, medico-legal requirements, and acceptable practices.
  • Distinguishing normal versus disease states.
  • Performing frozen sections and staining.
  • Correlating gross pathology with clinical presentation
  • Providing training in pathology laboratory procedures.
You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
  • Communication
  • Medical Information
  • Quality Assurance
  • Technical Competence


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; religions; 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.

Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. 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.

Physical Requirements: The work requires regular and recurring physical exertion such as prolonged standing, bending over microscopes, reaching for supplies or materials, and lifting heavy items such as centrifuges and record boxes or occasionally lifting heavier items such as bodies. The work may require specific physical characteristics and abilities such as above average dexterity to perform intricate collection or analysis procedures. Good color vision is required. Fine muscle movements of the hands may also be required.

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

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

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

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.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

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.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

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.

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