The Pathologist Specialist will have a variety of interactions with staff pathologists, clinical physicians and residents, nursing personnel, hospital administrative and other personnel, and personnel from outside facilities ( other VAMCs, VA outpatient clinics, VA central office, College of American Pathologists, other community hospitals, HCFA, etc.).

Duties

The Pathology Specialist independently plans and carries out assignments in order to accomplish the goals of the service, may initiate and complete new projects which extend the applications of current technologies and incorporate new technological advances. Duties include but are not limited to: Participates in clinical test development in anatomic pathology areas of the laboratory, and contributes ideas for improvements in laboratory functions. Coordinates the integration of new methodologies into the anatomic pathology laboratory, and assists other employees in gaining familiarity with the new techniques and procedures. Knowledgeable about gross anatomy and can recognize pathologic abnormalities in a wide variety of gross specimens. Inspection of the permission form for completeness and correctness. Performance of the autopsy after review of the medical record, correlation of the gross pathology with the patient's clinical presentation, preparation of external and internal descriptions, sectioning, ordering of special studies (e.g., cultures, histochemical and immunohistochemical stains, electron microscopy), and interpretation of same. Oversight of Preparation of Provisional Gross Anatomic Diagnosis (PAD) and Final Anatomic Diagnosis (FAD) reports for autopsies. Evaluation and implementation of new equipment and ordering of supplies. Photography of gross specimens and maintenance of a teaching collection of gross photographs. Manages these activities for Anatomic Pathology and prepares any necessary reports. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Pathology Specialist (Path & Lab)/PD546-08174-O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/22/2023. 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-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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. General Medical and Healthcare Series, 0601 has an Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR). Basic Requirement: 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 U.S. Department of Education(external link) at the time the degree was obtained. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Planning, designing, and carrying out programs, projects, studies, or other work independently. Interpret specialized tests and laboratory findings. Familiar with permanent and frozen section techniques and standard histochemical stains. Assist in the diagnostic evaluation of surgical pathology, autopsy, and occasionally cytology samples, work which directly affects the ability of the service to meet the needs of good quality patient care in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Practice of complex Surgical Pathology and Autopsy procedures to provide pathologic diagnoses of a variety of disease processes. Establishes priorities in specimen processing according to laboratory guidelines and clinical considerations. Preferred Experience: Prior experience as a Pathologist Assistant/Associate You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:CommunicationsPlanning and EvaluatingTechnical Competence 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 requires long period of standing while performing gross examinations and teaching others to do so, recurring bending over when performing frozen sections and autopsies, occasional lifting of heavy items (bodies), and above average dexterity in dissecting specimens and cutting frozen sections. 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

A transcript must be submitted with your application to meet Individual Occupational Requirements.

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.

Contacts

• Address Bruce W Carter Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 1201 Northwest 16th Street Miami, FL 33125 US
• Name: Rebecca Bretzer
• Phone: 407-319-3059
• Email: [email protected]