Pathology Specialist

Recruitment and relocation incentives may be authorized for highly qualified candidates There are two (2) positions located in the Anatomic Pathology Service at VA Bay Pines Health Care System - C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center in Bay Pines, FL. The Pathology Specialist functions as a team with the anatomic pathologists by participating in the accessioning, examination, dissection; processing of tissue samples; functioning as an autopsy assistant; and performing autopsies as needed.

Major duties

THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION Major duties and responsibilities include but not limited to:

• Prioritizing and assigning surgical cases equitably among scheduled pathologists
• Performing accurate gross examination, sectioning, and dictation of simple and complex specimens
• Reviewing clinical data to ensure proper specimen processing
• Utilizing CPRS and VISTA for accessioning, consults, and specimen troubleshooting
• Maintaining accession number integrity throughout processing and grossing procedures
• Communicating effectively with physicians and staff while following verbal directives
• Recognizing and initiating appropriate preparation for specialized testing
• Performing STAT frozen sections using proper inking, margin selection, sectioning, and cryostat techniques
• Photographing pertinent gross specimens digitally and appropriately distributing images
• Operating, training on, troubleshooting, and coordinating repairs for dictation equipment
• Maintaining surgical grossing and autopsy workload records and turnaround-time statistics
• Collaborating with pathology specialists to distribute workloads equitably and providing tissue for staining controls
• Reviewing the resident orientation manual with incoming residents and documenting completion
• Providing training to residents and medical students in surgical pathology, autopsy procedures, grossing techniques, and dictation equipment
• Preparing residents for after-hours and weekend on-call duties by reviewing schedules and providing necessary instruction
• Training residents in the use of tissue processors, grossing instruments, and saws for calcified specimens
• Collecting digital examples of interesting cases and grossing techniques for resident conferences
• Assisting with QA data collection, annual manual reviews, evaluation of new procedures and equipment, and regulatory inspections
• Supervising autopsy suite operations, supplies, equipment, cleanliness, and quality control
• Coordinating autopsy authorization, scheduling, medical record review, and required procedures
• Performing and assisting with postmortem examinations, specimen collection, testing, photography, and documentation
• Monitoring autopsy reporting turnaround times, coordinating decedent release, and completing required reports

Preferred Experience: Pathology Assistant credentials Mohs experience Work Schedule: Monday to Friday; 08:00 a.m. to 04:30 p.m. Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified candidates. Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved

Qualifications

Basic Requirement: The following are basic requirements for appointment as a Pathology Specialist in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), which all applicants must meet. Basic 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 (i.e., 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. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.)

Minimum Requirement: In addition to meeting the basic requirements, one of the following minimum requirement criteria must be met to be qualified for this position. Specialized Experience (GS-11): You must have one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (i.e., GS-09) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Qualifying examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: performing professional-level anatomic pathology and related medical laboratory functions; examining gross and microscopic human tissues; performing surgical pathology and histology procedures; applying permanent and frozen section techniques and standard biochemical stains; applying immunohistochemistry techniques; selecting and sampling surgical tissues for diagnostic evaluation; and applying quality assurance, laboratory accreditation, regulatory, safety, and infection-control requirements to anatomic pathology operations. (CLEAR DETAILS OF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: Your resume must show complete information for each job entry, such as beginning and ending dates of employment, duties performed, and/or total hours worked per week.)

OR, Education (GS-11): Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 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 this position (i.e., Pathology Specialist). NOTE: One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.)

OR, Combination (GS-11): Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education as described above. Only graduate level education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level (i.e., 36 semester hours) may be combined with experience. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application may not be reviewed.)

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Physical Requirements:The work requires long periods of standing or sitting while performing gross examinations and occasional lifting or pulling of heavy items (bodies, extremities) and above average dexterity in dissection of specimens and cutting frozen sections. 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) - See "Required Documents" below for details. 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, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.