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This position is located within the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Orlando, FL. The Pathology Specialist is the leader and authority for the operations of the Surgical Pathology section including Autopsy services which provides diagnostic interpretation of human disease and cause of death investigations via postmortem analysis.
This job is open to
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Duties
THE CLOSING DATE FOR THIS ANNOUNCEMENT WAS EXTENDED UNTIL 12/05/2023. IF YOU PREVIOUSLY APPLIED, YOU DO NOT NEED TO REAPPLY; HOWEVER, YOU MAY UPDATE YOUR APPLICATION PACKET DURING THIS TIME.
***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:
Preferred Experience/Certification: American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Certified Pathologist's Assistant.
Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm.
Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved
Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
Qualifications
To qualify for this position, you must meet the following Basic Education Requirement for the 0601 series:
Basic Education Requirement: You must have successfully completed a Bachelor's or graduate/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 Pathology Specialist. 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 (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. ~AND~
In addition to the Basic Education Requirement above, to qualify for this position at the GS-11 level, you must meet one of the following:
Experience: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-9) 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 is experience performing gross examination and sectioning 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; maintaining the surgical pathology and autopsy area; assisting in the sectioning of patient autopsy and/or assisting pathologists with completing autopsies; and properly disposing of human tissues and chemicals. 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: Successful completion of three (3) years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree that provided the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of the Pathology Specialist position. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. ~OR~
Combination: A combination of successfully completed graduate level education (beyond the second year) and specialized experience, as described above, which may be used to meet total experience requirements for this grade level. The education portion must include graduate courses that provided the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of the Pathology Specialist position. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.
You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position:
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 of the position requires above average manual dexterity, visual acuity, color vision, regular and recurring physical exertion such as the use of a manual cryostat, climbing stairs, standing for long periods of time while performing gross examinations, bending when performing frozen sections and lifting 5-gallon containers and moving human bodies. Intense concentration in noisy and congested areas is required. Significant time using a computer is required. It is imperative that the person in the position has a high degree of tolerance and ability to work under stress which at times can be irregular and sometimes constant. Additionally, the demand for accuracy and timeliness in results to pathologists responsible for patient care is an ever-present responsibility and a constant concern. At times, immediate action is required to produce information, solve a technical issue or interact with another VA employee.
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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.
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.
Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities (i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities), and/or disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. For more information on how to apply using this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator within the office, contact the facility Human Resources Department at (407) 631-1000.
The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more before any Veterans preference points) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.
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.
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 assign...
This position is located within the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service at the Orlando VA Medical Center in Orlando, FL. The Pathology Specialist is the leader and authority for the operations of the Surgical Pathology section including Autopsy services which provides diagnostic interpretation of human disease and cause of death investigations via postmortem analysis.
This job is open to
- The public
U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
Videos
Duties
THE CLOSING DATE FOR THIS ANNOUNCEMENT WAS EXTENDED UNTIL 12/05/2023. IF YOU PREVIOUSLY APPLIED, YOU DO NOT NEED TO REAPPLY; HOWEVER, YOU MAY UPDATE YOUR APPLICATION PACKET DURING THIS TIME.
***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:
- Provides authoritative management for all daily Surgical Pathology functions, working independently to perform these highly complex functions or in collaboration with one or more pathologist(s);
- Develops and implements policies and procedures to provide maximum protections against chemical, biological and environmental hazards to laboratory staff;
- Evaluates, modifies and recommends new methods or revises standard techniques to improve or enhance accuracy, timeliness or proficiency of analyses;
- Relies on a thorough understanding of the gross appearance of pathologic processes in a wide variety of patient samples, allowing to comfortably adapt traditional methods to handle unique cases containing unknown abnormalities;
- Plays a central role in the education and training of residents in pathology and other medical specialties, as well as medical students, medical technology and histotechnology students regarding the practice of Surgical Pathology and Autopsy Pathology;
- Oversees and performs work during intraoperative diagnosis using frozen section technique and during autopsy procedures to assure proper processing of human tissue specimens for complete diagnostic information to ensure a reliable final diagnosis;
- Ensures approved turnaround times are met or exceeded for specimens processed while patients are waiting under anesthesia;
- Supervises all activities related to the Autopsy Service;
- Creates, maintains and revises Standard Operating Procedures for Autopsy Procedure Manual;
- Oversees inventory of supplies in the autopsy suite and maintains required quality control regarding tissue disposal and instrumentation maintenance;
- Responsible for quality control, quality assurance and accreditation associated with the surgical pathology;
- Ensures statistical and administrative data (workload recording) and other information requested are properly collected, recorded and presented to administration by designated deadlines;
- Oversees documentation of incident reports, collaborates with supervisors from other services to address issues and follows up on corrective actions and feedback to employees/providers; and,
- Performs all other duties as assigned.
Preferred Experience/Certification: American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Certified Pathologist's Assistant.
Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm.
Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved
Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required
Requirements
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
- Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)
- Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.
Qualifications
To qualify for this position, you must meet the following Basic Education Requirement for the 0601 series:
Basic Education Requirement: You must have successfully completed a Bachelor's or graduate/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 Pathology Specialist. 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 (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. ~AND~
In addition to the Basic Education Requirement above, to qualify for this position at the GS-11 level, you must meet one of the following:
Experience: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-9) 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 is experience performing gross examination and sectioning 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; maintaining the surgical pathology and autopsy area; assisting in the sectioning of patient autopsy and/or assisting pathologists with completing autopsies; and properly disposing of human tissues and chemicals. 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: Successful completion of three (3) years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree that provided the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of the Pathology Specialist position. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. ~OR~
Combination: A combination of successfully completed graduate level education (beyond the second year) and specialized experience, as described above, which may be used to meet total experience requirements for this grade level. The education portion must include graduate courses that provided the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of the Pathology Specialist position. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.
You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position:
- PATHOLOGY
- QUALITY ASSURANCE
- TECHNICAL COMPETENCE
- ANALYSIS AND PROBLEM SOLVING
- MEDICAL INFORMATION
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 of the position requires above average manual dexterity, visual acuity, color vision, regular and recurring physical exertion such as the use of a manual cryostat, climbing stairs, standing for long periods of time while performing gross examinations, bending when performing frozen sections and lifting 5-gallon containers and moving human bodies. Intense concentration in noisy and congested areas is required. Significant time using a computer is required. It is imperative that the person in the position has a high degree of tolerance and ability to work under stress which at times can be irregular and sometimes constant. Additionally, the demand for accuracy and timeliness in results to pathologists responsible for patient care is an ever-present responsibility and a constant concern. At times, immediate action is required to produce information, solve a technical issue or interact with another VA employee.
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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.
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.
Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities (i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities), and/or disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. For more information on how to apply using this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator within the office, contact the facility Human Resources Department at (407) 631-1000.
The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more before any Veterans preference points) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.
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.
- Benefits
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
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 assign...
