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THE CLOSING DATE FOR THIS ANNOUNCEMENT HAS BEEN EXTENDED. IF YOU HAD PREVIOUSLY APPLIED, YOU DO NOT NEED TO REAPPLY BUT YOU CAN MAKE CHANGES TO YOUR APPLICATION

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

The major duties include but are not limited to:

• Performs all elements of gross examination, dictation and sampling/sectioning of all types of surgical specimens, noting size, color, consistency and anatomic orientation, identifying abnormalities and taking appropriate samples/sections according to published criteria for microscopic examination, pathologic diagnosis and cancer staging;
• Performs photography of gross specimens (both fresh and fixed) and maintains archive of gross photographs for conferences and teaching;
• Collaborates with Pathologists regarding unusual findings during the microscopic examination and dissection;
• Receives and accessions samples, including verification of patient identifiers and ensures that required information is provided;
• Examines and takes appropriate sections of fresh tissue for Frozen Section evaluation, preparing and staining frozen section slides for examination;
• Accessions, embeds, cuts, stains and labels routine histology;
• Ensures that all paperwork for specimens being sent out for consultation or analysis is completed accurately and ensures that send-out specimens are packed and handled appropriately;
• Maintains the frozen section room, including maintaining cryostats, frozen section stain line (including tracking reagent lot numbers), frozen section instruments, frozen section workstations, and frozen section QA documents;
• Assists with 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;
• Maintains, develops, or participates in the development of up-to-date Anatomic Pathologic protocols; and
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 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
• You may be required to serve a probationary 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

All applicants must meet the following Basic Education Requirement:

Basic Education Requirement: A bachelor's or higher degree with a major study in an academic field related to the medical field, health sciences, or allied sciences that is appropriate to the work of this position. This degree must be from an educational program from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Transcripts required. ~AND~

In addition to the basic education requirement, in order to qualify for this position at the GS-12 level, you must meet the following:

Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-11) in the Federal service that has given you the particular knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Pathology Specialist and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience includes: assisting in the gross examination and dissection of surgical pathology specimens and/or preparation of specimens for histologic processing; understanding laboratory protocols and quality assurance procedures within an anatomic or clinical pathology setting; utilizing medical terminology and anatomy to identify specimen sources and ensuring accurate processing; and supporting pathologists in diagnostic workflows, maintaining detailed records and ensuring compliance with laboratory safety and regulatory standards. NOTE: Your experience must be fully documented on your resume in order to receive credit.

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

• Diagnostic Medical Testing
• Education and Training
• Planning and Evaluating
• Specimen Collection
• 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 up to 40 pounds. Performance of duty requires above average manual dexterity in dissecting specimens and cutting frozen sections, good hand-eye coordination, and normal color vision.

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. The person in this position occasionally may be required to work irregular hours or shifts. The person in this position may be required to work in contaminated and infectious areas, wards, and laboratories and will be required to receive immunizations and/or occupational health examinations as determined by medical authorities to reduce health hazards.

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.