Summary

This position functions as an assistant to an anatomic pathologist at the Nashville VA Medical Center in Nashville - TN.

Qualifications

To apply for this position - you must have the following qualifications: This position requires a 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. AND SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS 7) in Federal Service that includes performing the following duties: performs all elements of gross examination and sectioning of all types of surgical pathology specimens; performs or requests specialized tests including histochemical and immunohistochemical stains and flow cytometry as well as performing quality control (QC) on the samples; insures all procedures and protocols are maintained up to date with regulatory criteria; performs orientation and training of new employees and residents as needed; assists with evaluation and implementation of new equipment and ordering of supplies; assists in the 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 - preparation and release of the body for pickup by a funeral home - orders special studies (e.g. - cultures - histochemical and immunohistochemical stains - electron microscopy); maintains the autopsy suite in clean - working order including equipment and instrument maintenance - disposal of organs - basic cleaning. (Resume(s) must clearly support the duties and experience required for this position. We will not make assumptions regarding experience.) -OR- SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED): Successfully completed 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree. -OR- COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED): Equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate-level education (beyond 18 semester hours) and specialized experience - as described above - which meet the total experience requirements for this grade level. The education portion must include graduate courses directly related to the work of this position. 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/.

Duties

• ***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION - YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Duties include but may not be limited to: Assisting with evaluation and implementation of new equipment and ordering supplies when needed
• Embedding - cutting - staining and labeling of routine histology as needed including performing aspirate smears and clot sections for bone marrow biopsies
• Preparing tissues and slides for intraoperative assessment by frozen sections
• Photographing gross specimens
• Investigating and resolving problems including quality control assurances activities related to surgical pathology
• Assisting in the goals of Anatomic Pathology by performing any other duties that are in the best interest of patient care and deemed necessary by the supervisor
• Plays a central roll in the education and training of residents in pathology - other medical specialties and medical students - regarding the practice of Surgical pathology and Autopsy
• Evaluates new procedures for incorporation into the lab and assesses the effectiveness of the procedures once in place
• Assists in the collection and interpretation of data for Anatomic Pathology Quality Assurance (QA) programs
• Performs other administrative duties for the laboratory on an as needed basis
• Performs other duties as assigned
• Work Schedule: Full time - Monday-Friday - 9:30am - 6:00pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved