Clarification from the agency

Open to Current permanent employees of the Veterans Health Administration including permanent Veterans Canteen Service employees, current permanent full-time Hybrid Title 38 and permanent full-time Title 38 employees.

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This Pathology Specialist position is located in the Office of the Chief, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Service (P&LMS) at White River Junction VA Medical Center. This position serves as an assistant to the Physicians. The specialist provides technical and administrative assistance, oversight, and coordination of all sections and subsections of the Anatomic Pathology Service to accomplish program objectives. This position aids Pathologists by performing the gross examination, dissection, dictation, and processing of all samples, preparing frozen section slides for examination by a Pathologist.

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Responsible for overseeing daily Surgical Pathology functions, working independently, or in collaboration with one or more physicians, pathology resident(s), medical student(s), technologist(s), and technician(s) to perform these high complexity functions. The incumbent's thorough understanding of the gross appearance of normal and pathologic processes in a wide variety of patient samples allows him/her to comfortably adapt traditional and advanced methods to handle new or unique cases containing unknown abnormalities. The accuracy of the services rendered is expected to be high, given the incumbent's extensive training and expertise.
• Receives and accesses samples, including verification of patient identifiers and ensuring that required information is provided. Independently evaluating the acceptability of submitted material and, acting for the Chief, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Service, returns unacceptable specimens with an explanation to the contributor.
• Examines and takes appropriate sections of fresh tissue for Frozen Section evaluation, preparing and staining frozen section slides for examination by a Pathologist, including cover slipping and labeling according to all regulatory requirements
• Accessioning, embedding, cutting, staining, and labeling of routine histology.
• Ensures that all paperwork for specimens being sent out for consultation or analysis is completed accurately and ensuring that send-out specimens are packed and handled appropriately.
• Performs resident, intern, medical student, medical technologist, and histotechnologist/technician training.
• Provides instruction and guidance on tissue accessioning, description and sampling for processing.
• Selects, collects, and banks research tissue under strict written guidelines of IRB-approved research protocols.
• Develops and presents educational conferences to staff physicians throughout the facility.
• Plays a central role in the education and training of resident physicians in pathology and other medical specialties, as well as medical students, medical technology, and histotechnology students regarding the practice of Surgical Pathology.
• Teaches individuals to orient the tissues and organs to expected anatomic position; and to select samples for microscopic evaluation which enable the pathologist to provide complete diagnostic and staging information and an accurate final diagnosis upon which therapeutic decisions are based.
• Maintains, develops, or participates in the development of up-to-date Anatomic Pathology protocols.
• Develops, revises, and integrates protocols for all sections of Anatomic Pathology.
• Assists in preparation of work areas for all required inspections and participates in the inspection process as required by the Chief of the Service.
• Collects data and creates graphic representations of the data for presentation and publication.
• Substitutes for pathologists or other physicians to select and harvest normal, pre-neoplastic, and abnormal (tumor) tissue from surgical specimens for all Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved research protocols and tissue repository arrangements.
• Complies with regulations guiding tissue repositories, patient privacy, and institutional review boards.
• Performs additional duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Part-Time, Monday- Friday, Work Schedule TBD.
Compressed/Flexible: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Pathology Specialist/PD038220
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Notifications:

• This position is a AFGE Bargaining Unit position.
• This position is covered by locality-based comparability pay.
• This position is in the Competitive Service.
• Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.
• Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held.

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
• You may be required to serve a probationary/trial period
• 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)

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/21/2025.

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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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 Requirements Basic Requirements: The following education or experience are required to meet the specific qualification requirements for this position.

• Education: 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 US Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Provides technical and administrative assistance, oversight, and coordination of all sections and subsections of the Anatomic Pathology Service to accomplish program objectives. Performs gross examination, dissection, dictation, and processing of all samples, preparing frozen section slides for examination by a Pathologist. Understands the gross appearance of normal and pathologic processes in a wide variety of patient samples to comfortably adapt traditional and advanced methods to handle new or unique cases containing unknown abnormalities. Possesses professional knowledge of gross and microscopic human anatomy, pathophysiology, and embryology to distinguish normal versus disease states, including variations in size, configuration, and structural details of all human organs and organ systems, including visceral organs, central nervous system, peripheral nervous system, cardiovascular system, musculoskeletal system, and respiratory system at all stages of development. Responsible for planning, designing, and carrying out programs, projects, studies, or other work independently. Prioritizes, on a case-by-case basis, the processing of surgical tissues, depending on the critical nature of the pathologic diagnosis to the treatment of the patient. Knowledge and skill sufficient to use and maintain complex instruments (e.g. microtome, cryostat, cameras, and automatic tissue processor). Incumbent is knowledgeable about technical and mechanical indicators of malfunction, sufficient to locate and correct errors. (NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week.). OR,
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related, with major study courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. This education must have been obtained at an accredited college or university. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR,
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond progressively higher-level graduate education (beyond the second year), as described above, which meet the total experience requirements for this grade level. The education portion must include graduate courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. Experience must be clearly indicated in your resume..

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Critical Thinking
• Education and Training
• Interpersonal Skills
• Quality Assurance
• Specimen Collection

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 of this position requires long periods of standing while performing gross examinations, and while teaching others to do the same, recurring periods of bending when performing frozen sections, the occasional lifting of heavy items (team lifts for bodies or using a lift device), and above average dexterity in dissecting specimens and cutting frozen sections are also required.

Work Environment: The work of this position is primarily performed in a laboratory setting. While the work areas/environments are typically adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated, the work involves regular and recurring exposures to irritating and volatile organic solutions and to potentially infectious material. Protective gear must be worn and special safety precautions must be observed/followed. The Pathologist's Assistant uses protective equipment/clothing which includes laboratory coats, gloves, masks, and protective eye devices.

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.

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.