Skip to main content
U.S. flag

Pathology Specialist

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Veterans Health Administration
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in the VA Medical Center in San Diego, CA. The Pathology Specialist is an allied health professional, qualified by academic and practical training to assist in providing technical and administrative assistance, oversight and coordination of all services in Anatomic Pathology. The purpose of this position is to manage the operations of the Anatomic Pathology section within a large, high complex medical center laboratory.

Overview

Help
Hiring complete
Open date: 03/06/2026
Closed date: 03/18/2026
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$102,246 - $132,923 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Promotion potential
None
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Not required
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Competitive Service
Represented by a union
No
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
CARZ-12902170-26-AKJ
Control number
860065700

Videos

Duties

Help

***The closing date of this announcement has been extended until Wednesday, March 18th****


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

The purpose of this position is to manage the operations of the Anatomic Pathology section within a large, high complex medical center laboratory. Major duties include, but may not be limited to the following:

  • Performs daily surgical pathology functions; works independently to perform these highly complex functions, or in collaboration with one or more physicians, pathology residents, medical students, technicians, and technologists.
  • Performs all elements of gross examination and sectioning of every type of surgical pathology specimens.
  • Performs or requests specialized test including histochemical and immunohistochemical stains and cytometry, and interpreting the results.
  • Photographs gross specimens and maintains a file of gross photographs for teaching purposes.
  • Reviews regulatory criteria, ensuring all procedures and protocols are maintained up to date with regulatory criteria, prepares work areas for inspection, and participates in the inspection process.
  • Plays a leading role in the education and training of residents in pathology, other medical specialties, and medical students, regarding the practice of Anatomic Pathology and Autopsy.
  • Assists in the collection, reporting and interpretation of data for Anatomic Pathology Quality Assurance programs, participates in Quality Assurance committee, making recommendations as needed.
  • Performs autopsies, with or without an autopsy assistant, upon review of the medical record, correlation of the gross pathology with the patient's clinical presentation, preparation of external and internal descriptions.
  • Performs duties such as stains and labels specimens of routine histology as needed.
  • Prepares frozen tissue sections and other tissue sections within or outside of the histology department.
  • Performs other duties as assigned.
Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5:00pm
Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized

Requirements

Help

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

Preferred Experience/Certification: Specialized training and graduate degree with recognized programs by National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) of Pathology Assistant is highly desired.


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 (i.e. pathology, histopathology, etc.). 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. NOTE: Transcripts are required at the time of application.

~AND~

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: 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. Specialized experience includes: performing gross examination and sectioning of every type of surgical pathology specimens and preparing specimens for microscopic examination and pathologic diagnosis; removing and dissecting organs to demonstrate the presence or absence of disease and/or atomic variation; sectioning tissues and body fluids for further examination; performing autopsies and frozen tissue sections; and educating/training residents/ students in Anatomic Pathology and Autopsy procedures. (Resume must clearly support responses to this online questionnaire to received credit. We will not make assumption regarding experience.)

A Quality Ranking Factor* has also been requested by the facility to help determine which of the basically qualified applicants are likely to be better qualified for a position.

The quality ranking factor for this position is: Highly qualified candidates are ASCP Certified (American Society for Clinical Pathology).

*Quality Ranking Factors are skills, knowledge, abilities, or other worker characteristics which could be expected to result in superior performance on the job. Quality ranking factors will not be used for screening but may be used as ranking criteria. Applicants with higher proficiency levels may rank above those with lower proficiency levels on a quality ranking factor.


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

  • Organizational Performance Analysis
  • Pathophysiology
  • Quality Ranking Factor
  • Teaches 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 under 50 pounds. Performance of duty requires above average manual dexterity in dissecting specimens and cutting frozen sections good, hand-eye coordination, and normal color vision in order to properly interpret specimens with regard to staining, etc.
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 laboratory coat, gloves, mask, respirator, and eye protective devices, as necessary. Incumbent may be required to work in contaminated and infectious areas, wards, and laboratories.


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: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov).

Additional information

Note: Per "Executive Order 14251: Exclusions from Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs", this position is no longer eligible for bargaining unit participation.


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. 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.

Veterans Health Administration

OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for those who have served in our nation's military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate whole health care to Veterans?

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) needs employees who possess the energy, compassion, and commitment to serve those who served our Country. Whatever the job title, every position in VA will give you a chance to make a meaningful and personal contribution to the lives of truly special and deserving people - our Veterans. VA professionals feel good about their careers and their ability to balance work and home life. VA offers generous paid time off and a variety of predictable and flexible scheduling opportunities. Working for VA is one of the most emotionally satisfying and professionally rewarding ways to dedicate the best within you to your Country's service. If you are transitioning from the military or a Veteran already, we invite you to explore the benefits of continuing your career at the VA. The VA is committed to hiring Veterans.

The VA is much more than just another employer. It is an honorable, open and welcoming community of those who care. Gratitude is our motivation and service is our mission.

America's Veterans need you!

Agency contact information

VHA National Recruitment Center
Phone
(844)456-5208
Email
VHANationalRecruitmentCenter@va.gov
Address
San Diego VA Medical Center
3350 La Jolla Village Drive
San Diego, CA 92161
US

Visit our careers page

Learn more about what it's like to work at Veterans Health Administration, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

https://www.va.gov/jobs/

Your session is about to expire!

Your USAJOBS session will expire due to inactivity in 8 minutes. Any unsaved data will be lost if you allow the session to expire. Click the button below to continue your session.