Histopathology Technician

Summary

The Jack C. Montgomery VA Medical Center located in Muskogee, Oklahoma is looking to fill the vacancy of Histopathology Technician within the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Department.

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Duties

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Duties:

GS-5 (Entry Level)

• Receives guidance from more experienced staff members and requires frequent and direct supervision. Retrieves surgical specimens from processing and/or clinics.
• Verifies information on requisition and specimen containers for accuracy.
• Notifies supervisor and /or clinic if discrepancies are found. Accessions and labels histology specimens. Processes and prepares histology specimens according to the standard operation procedures (SOP's).
• Assist Pathologists when needed (i.e. frozen specimens, making tissue cassettes, retrieval of specimens and slide, recording data, miscellaneous paperwork. Keeps prep room cleaned, well stocked, and organized.
• Disposes of specimens according to the departments SOP's.
• Familiar with the handling and disposal of various reagents used in the department.
• Follows lab safety procedures and wears appropriate PPE while performing various tasks.
• Works with management to ensure laboratory is following various regulatory agencies requirements and guidelines. Prepares patient specimens and paperwork to send to reference laboratories.
• May perform tasks as instructed by the supervisor.

GS-6 (Full-Performance)

• Maintains knowledge of and complies with federal regulations associated with the Clinical Lab Improvement Act of 1988.
• Performs a broad range of laboratory procedures including all processing tasks of the histopathology technician occupation involving anatomic pathology, i.e. surgical pathology, autopsy pathology and cytopathology.
• Maintains and documents the optimal function of laboratory equipment. Uses, identifies malfunctions, repairs,and performs preventative maintenance of laboratory equipment. Diagnoses deviations in test performance dueto instrument malfunction.
• Performs and documents quality control and participates in quality assurance activities. Adheres to practices and regulations governing safety in the workplace. Identifies discrepancies.
• Incorporates principles of educational methodology in the instruction and training of new employees and students and in the laboratory's in-service/continuing education program.
• Communicates effectively and courteously while working as a healthcare team member.
• Provides excellent service as defined by the customer (healthcare providers, patients, and others).
• Gives direction and guidance using underlying histopathology and cytopathology principles.
• Organizes work and sets priorities to meet deadlines.
• Ensures and maintains accurate patient identification through the chain of custody of the specimen.
• Prepares technically adequate slides of surgical, cytology, and autopsy specimens by processing, embedding tissue, cutting, staining and cover slipping.
• Utilizes specialized techniques for handling cell blocks, frozen sections, bone marrows, autopsies, and fine needle biopsies.
• Assists in autopsy procedures and the maintenance of the autopsy suite, as needed.

Work Schedule : Full-time, Mon-Fri; 8:00 am to 4:30 pm

Telework : Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : 567980, 576990

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives : Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• 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.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• 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 ( 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).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial 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 trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements :

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• English Language Proficiency. Histopathology Technicians must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5.a., this part.
• Experience. One year of experience in a health care field that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work or provides an understanding of the work such as but not limited to a medical or clinical laboratory assistant (or technician) or health technician. OR, (2) Education (a) Four academic years above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation such as biological science or chemistry; or (b) Successful completion of two academic years of study above high school that included at least 24 semester hours in Chemistry and/or in appropriate fields of biological science and successful completion of a 12-month program of education and training in histopathology or cytotechnology. OR, (3) Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable. Examples are listed below: (a) Six months of experience in the health care field and two years of education above high school that included at least six semester hours in health care related courses such as biological science, surgical technician courses or other courses related to the position; or an associate's degree in a health care related field. (b) Six months of experience in the health care field and successful completion of a course for health care technicians, hospital corpsmen, medical service specialists, or 3 histopathology technicians given by the U.S. Armed Forces.

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations :

Histopathology Technician, GS-5 (Entry Level): Experience or Education. None beyond the basic requirements.

Histopathology Technician, GS-6 (Full Performance Level): Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level AND

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs.

• Knowledge of professional anatomic pathology principles, practices, concepts, and theories providing for sound independent work.
• Knowledge of laboratory quality control and assurance procedures, principles of performance improvement, reagent management, inventory supply systems, and document control systems.
• Knowledge of anatomic pathology laboratory equipment and ability to operate, maintain, and troubleshoot instrumentation.
• Ability to plan, organize, set priorities, work as a team member, and effectively complete assignments.
• Ability to use independent technical judgment to analyze and evaluate laboratory results.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-6. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-05 to GS-6.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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: 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:

Additional information

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

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.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

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.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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