Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. This is an INTERNAL ANNOUNCEMENT and is limited to current permanent employees of the Fargo, ND VA Health Care System and current permanent VA Nationwide employees.

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The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.

Major duties include but are not limited to:

• Receives all requests and specimens for testing into the laboratory.
• Performs gross analysis of samples.
• Is responsible for embedding tissue of all sizes in the proper manner for correct sectioning.
• Performs frozen section preparations. Frozen section preparation includes freezing the unfixed specimen, sectioning it with a cryostat microtome and staining and cover slipping the slide.
• Prepares specimens for cytological exam using filter preparations and blocks.
• Performs staining of tissue sections, including histochemical staining techniques.
• Assists the pathologist during specimen collection of fine needle aspirations.
• The incumbent transcribes gross dictation from pathologists.
• Adapts and develops new test and staining procedures.
• Writes procedures for the department of all tests performed in accordance with Joint Commission, College of American Pathologists and other regulatory agencies.
• Is responsible for the Quality Improvement and Quality Control programs in Histopathology.
• Ensures that the department policies meet the requirements of regulatory and accrediting agencies.
• Prepares specimens to be submitted for quality assurance programs and for professional consultation.
• Consults with physicians and medical staff about specimens submitted for testing.
• Responsible for compliance with regulatory agency requirements as related to Anatomic Pathology.
• Reviews test results in Histology (as needed) for correctness as required by regulatory agencies, directly involves technicians/technologists in the correction of errors, and notifies attending providers as appropriate.
• Provides technical guidance to technicians/technologists when quality control or instrument problems occur.
• Is responsible for inventory and ordering of supplies and reagents for the section, keeping sufficient inventory to avoid emergent orders but not outdating reagents.
• Selects equipment and recommends purchase/lease. Attends training for any new equipment.
• Approves appropriate instrument maintenance logs, reviews these logs monthly, and assures that proper routine maintenance is being performed by technologists/technicians.
• Evaluates and implements the use of new methodologies and instrumentation in the Histology Section.
• Identifies training needs of employees i.e. orientation training for new employees and competency retraining. Trains lower grade technicians/technologists in the use of new procedures and instrumentation.
• Recommend local procedural and policy changes as appropriate.
• Ensure compliance with local and national policies and procedures, and federal agency regulations.
• Prepares for external reviews by Joint Commission, IG, SOARS, CAP, FDA, etc.
• Works collaboratively with other disciplines, upper management, and VISN level staff.
• Facilitate training, installation, implementation, maintenance and overall use of Anatomic Pathology throughout the medical center.
• Report and resolve clinical, business operational, and technical issues through approved channels.
• Assess and monitor clinical workflow and outcomes pre- and post- implementation.
• Maintaining appropriate levels of supplies and reagents for the efficient operation of the assigned sections (Histology).
• Verifies correct instrument operation using established procedures and quality control checks; and identifies the cause of common problems and makes simple repairs.
• Perform initial and ongoing skill-gap analysis of users (hardware/software); resolve identified user issues prior to implementation, review of competency checklists with appropriate clinical managers.
• Establish baseline measures (data collection, analysis, reporting) through standardized methodologies pre- and post- implementation.
• Responsible for advising Supervisory Clinical Laboratory Scientist or Lab Manager if leave requests from Histology Department do not correlate with workflow

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:00am to 3:30pm
Telework: Not Available.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.

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.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• 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 identification 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).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 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 trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Citizenship. Candidates must be a United States citizen. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C.§7407(a).
• Education. Individuals must meet one of the requirements below:
  • (1)Successful completion of a full four-year course of study from an accredited college or university, leading to a bachelor's or higher degree, that included a major study in an academic field related to health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the work of a histopathology technologist, such as, but not limited to clinical biology, microbiology, physiology, pre-medical, medical lab technology, chemistry, immunology, physiology, anatomy; OR,
  • (2)Baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college/university with a combination of 30 semester hours (45 quarter hours) of biology and chemistry (must include credit hours in both);OR,
  • (3)Successful completion of two years of progressively higher level graduate education, leading to a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree, with a major study in an academic field related to health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the position of histopathology technologist, such as clinical biology, microbiology, physiology, pre- medical, medical lab technology, chemistry, immunology, physiology, anatomy.
• Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization approved by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials, and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs.
• Certification.
  • Candidates must currently possess the histotechnologist (HTL) certification given by the ASCP Board of Certification. The ASCP requires completion of one of the following for a candidate to be considered "board eligible" to take the certification exam:
    (a)Successful completion of a histotechnician or histotechnology program accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Science (NAACLS);
    OR,
    (b)One year of full time experience in all of the following: fixation, embedding, microtomy, processing, and staining in a histopathology (clinical, veterinary, industry, or research) laboratory.
    • For grade levels at or above the full performance level, the candidate must have HTL certification.
• English Language Proficiency. Histopathology Technologists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations:

Lead Histopathology Technologist, GS-11

Education and Experience. Must meet one of the following:
(a)One year of creditable experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level, which is directly related to the position to be filled; or
(b)Three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education that included a clinical practicum; or
(c)A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in histopathology technology, or a directly related field that included a clinical practicum.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience oreducation above, the candidate must demonstrate all the following KSAs:
(a)Knowledge of the operation and maintenance of the instrumentation necessary to prepare specimens for diagnosis.
(b)Knowledge of histopathology techniques, chemistry, anatomy and physiology principles, theories, concepts, and methodologies sufficient to process specimens and perform a full range of routine and specialized tests.
(c)Skill in applying professional, complex anatomic pathology principles, practices, concepts, and theories in performing new or difficult specialized testing methods or techniques.
(d)Ability to identify and test suboptimal specimens and take corrective action to minimize or eliminate the impact on patient's sample.
(e)Ability to monitor and make work assignments, balance workload, and ensure duties are completed in an accurate and timely manner. This includes the ability to follow-up on pending issues and demonstrate an understanding of the impact of incomplete work.


Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

How you will be evaluated

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

Area of Consideration - Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order:
1. Current permanent VA employees of the facility.
2. All other VA employees.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for 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; 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.

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.

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.