Pathology Specialist

*** Recruitment and relocation incentives may be authorized for highly qualified candidates ***

This position is located in the Pathology & Laboratory Medical Service at Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center in Cleveland, OH. The Pathology Specialist is responsible for independently plannig and carrying out assignments to accomplish the goals of the service under the supervision of a Pathologist or Designee.

***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:

• Managing daily Surgical Pathology operations by prioritizing specimens, coordinating workloads, and resolving operational issues independently under the indirect supervision of a Pathologist
• Performing comprehensive gross examinations of surgical specimens, identifying anatomical structures and abnormalities, assessing disease extent, and documenting findings necessary
• Dissecting surgical specimens and selecting representative tissue sections, ensuring anatomical relationships, surgical margins, tumor characteristics, and staging requirements are accurately represented according to CAP protocols
• Assessing specimen adequacy, identification, labeling, documentation, and order accuracy while resolving discrepancies and coordinating corrective actions with submitting services
• Performing grossing procedures, including measurements, weighing, inking, photography, radiography, margin assessment, and intraoperative specimen preparation
• Conducting frozen-section procedures, including tissue preparation, microtomy, staining, coverslipping, labeling, and telepathology support while adapting established protocols to unusual specimens and urgent diagnostic requirements
• Coordinating ancillary testing, including histochemical and immunohistochemical studies, flow cytometry, cytology preparation, and molecular and reference laboratory testing, ensuring appropriate specimen selection, processing, documentation, and submission
• Investigating complex technical and operational problems involving anatomic pathology specimens, troubleshooting equipment issues, implementing corrective measures, and communicating testing requirements and diagnostic delays to providers
• Maintaining accurate records of gross photographs, tissue blocks, slides, and residual specimens while ensuring appropriate retention, disposal, infection control, personal protective equipment use, and hazardous waste management
• Administering laboratory information systems and gross dictation technologies by troubleshooting issues, developing workflows and templates, training personnel, and ensuring compliance with applicable VHA directives and accreditation standards
• Developing and revising laboratory procedures and workflows to optimize resource utilization, improve productivity, integrate new methodologies, and maintain compliance with VHA requirements and accreditation standards
• Monitoring quality indicators, including malignancy notifications, frozen-to-permanent section correlations, CAP cancer protocol completeness, and specimen identification errors, documenting findings and implementing corrective actions
• Compiling and analyzing laboratory quality data, monthly and annual statistics, audit findings, and performance trends while providing information to the VA Cancer Committee supporting Commission on Cancer compliance
• Investigating recurring errors and deficiencies through audits, inspections, and root-cause analysis, implementing corrective and preventive measures, and recommending follow-up actions to improve laboratory quality
• Representing the laboratory on institutional committees, participating in accreditation inspections and Anatomic Pathology meetings, and reviewing policies and procedures annually to maintain regulatory compliance and operational effectiveness
• Teaching anatomic pathology principles, specimen handling, gross examination, dissection techniques, and laboratory safety to pathology residents, medical students, interns, allied health professionals, and other trainees
• Instructing trainees through hands-on demonstrations at grossing benches and frozen-section areas, developing training protocols, selecting educational materials, and providing technical guidance on complex procedures
• Developing and maintaining educational resources, resident orientation materials, safety training documentation, competency evaluations, and trainee performance records while coordinating consistent instructional practices with other pathology training facilities
• Performing autopsies in rotation with residents and senior staff under Pathologist supervision, verifying consent documentation, reviewing medical records, coordinating requested viewings, and completing required autopsy documentation
• Monitoring autopsy and morgue operations for compliance with VHA directives and accreditation requirements, ensuring timely reports, identifying procedural deficiencies, and revising local policies to improve compliance
• Performing other related duties as assigned

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.

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 gross examination and sectioning of surgical tissue specimens; preparing permanent and frozen sections; performing histochemical and immunohistochemical staining; operating and troubleshooting tissue processors, microtomes, and cryostats; conducting quality control and laboratory compliance activities; and applying anatomic pathology safety procedures and regulatory requirements. (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.)

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE/CERTIFICATION: Specialized training and graduate degree with recognized programs by National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) of Pathology Assistant is highly desired.

A Quality Ranking Factor* has been requested by the facility to help determine which of the basically qualified applicants are likely to be better qualified for a position.

• The QUALITY RANKNG FACTOR for this position is: Highly qualified candidates are certified as a Pathologists' Assistant by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP).

*Quality Ranking Factors are skills, knowledge, abilities, or other worker characteristics which could be expected to result in superior performance on the job. Quality ranking factors will not be used for screening, but may be used as ranking criteria. Applicants with higher proficiency levels may rank above those with lower proficiency levels on a quality ranking factor.


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/.

Physical Requirements: The work requires regular and recurrent long periods of standing (up to 7 hours per day) to perform macroscopic examinations and teaching others to do so. Recurring bending over occurs frequently when performing frozen sections, changing waste containers at workstation and cleaning contaminated surfaces. Occasional lifting of heavy items such as 5-gallon liquid chemical containers, body parts and deceased patients are required by the incumbent. The work involves utilizing a computer, visual acuity, and above average manual dexterity and the use of both hands. Requires intermittent moderate lifting (15-44 pounds); light carrying (under 15 pounds); use of fingers; both hands required; intermittent but possibly prolonged stooping and kneeling; ability to read and comprehend ordinary type and computer screens; ability to hear (aid permitted) and work in an environment with constant noise; working closely with others; high cognitive function required to work in a fast-paced environment with competing priorities without loss of accuracy; emotional stability required to maintain self-control in difficult and stressful situations.

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/.

• 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
• 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.