Summary
The incumbent serves as a Histopathology Technician in Montana VA Health Care System, Ft. Harrison site responsible for coverage of all clinical disciplines of Histology and Cytology area of Anatomic pathology section. Required to cover shifts independently as assigned on our five days per week service.
Clarification from the agency
Announcement is open to the Public, All VA and other Federal employees should apply to announcement CBSU-12238337-24-RR.
Duties
This announcement is open until filled. We accept applications for this occupation on an ongoing basis; qualified applicants will be reviewed and referred to the selecting official on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month until a candidate is selected.
The incumbent responsible for the technical oversight of the Histology and Cytology area, consisting of sixteen instruments and all the policy and procedure updating, adherence to all current accreditation standards, all inventory and ordering duties, quality control oversight including troubleshooting issues with instruments and resolving problems as necessary, and new stain method development. In addition to the Histology and Cytology, this technician performs higher levels of responsibility for technical oversight, and is expected to carry out assigned tasks independently.
Duties include but are not limited to:
- Technician performs histological techniques such as: fixation, embedding, cutting, and staining in order to prepare tissue slides for final diagnosis by the pathologists. The incumbent is responsible for maintaining specimen integrity and identification from initial accessioning through the entire specimen processing procedure. The incumbent performs a variety of extremely difficult, delicate and complex tissue handling procedure such as preparation of frozen sections for rapid diagnosis of tissue during surgery.
- Receives all requests and specimens for testing into the laboratory. Verifies the accuracy and completeness of the request and proper sample submission. Properly identifies all specimens. Verifies discrepancies with the provider. Accessions all specimens into the hospital computer system. The incumbent must be proficient in recognizing tissue from any part of the body and be able to identify the origin and type of tissue.
- Perform fixation techniques that are non-routine such as EM, Immunohistochemistry, muscle, and nerve studies, as well as bone decalcification. Understands the unique fixation requirements of each type and size of specimen, and whether or not the specimen must have special treatment before fixation.
- Must have an excellent understanding of anatomy, and the difference in each type of tissue, how they will respond to different processing protocols, and to determine the correct processing fit for each individual specimen.
- Due to the wide variety of specimens the lab can receive (from any part of the body) Knowledge of chemistry and the basic anatomy is essential to understanding the correct orientation of tissue in embedding so that imperative tissue is not lost during cutting. Understanding not only normal, but abnormal/diseased tissue is important. Pathology specimens are irretrievable, therefore trouble-shooting must be done prior to many steps performed.
- Incumbent must be able to operate and maintain a microtome, understanding how to perfect the angle, speed, and extra treatments that may be needed (decalcification, softening) and co1Tect temperature are required to produce acceptable sections. Verifying co1Tect embedding techniques, determining the proper manner for appropriate sectioning and thickness, and following the cutting protocol for each type of specimen and stain are essential. Manual and automated cover-slipping skills are also required.
- Performs staining of tissue sections including advanced staining techniques through automation and manual methods ( e.g. Papanicolauo, Romanowsky, GMS, PAS, Prussian Blue, VerhoeffVan Giesen elastic). These procedures are often complex, difficult, and non-standardized. Many choices of alternative ways of proceeding are determined through the incumbent' s professional training and experience. Procedures must be adapted to individual variance in specimen and stain performance. Appropriate fixation, embedding, and cutting techniques are evaluated to obtain the co1Tect specimen section for staining.
- Frozen section preparation includes orienting and freezing the unfixed specimen in appropriate medium and sectioning it with a cryostat microtome. Unique staining and cover-slipping techniques are used for frozen sections.
- Incumbent may assist pathologist with surgical gross description and processing. Gross description requires knowledge of anatomy of different tissues, as specimens may come from any part of the body. Understanding the difference between normal and abnormal presentation of these tissues is essential to describing notations of interest to the patient report.
- The incumbent will assist with bone marrow procedures at the patient bedside preparing slides and tubes for testing.
Work Schedule: Monday through Friday; Days
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
- Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
- Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
- You may be required to serve a probationary period
- Subject to a background/security investigation
- Must be proficient in written and spoken English
- Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
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.
- Experience and/or Education:
- 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.
- Education. 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 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.
- 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 histopathology technicians given by the U.S. Armed Forces.
- Creditable Experience
- To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) associated with a health care field or knowledge, skills, and abilities related to the Histopathology Technician practice. Experience satisfying this requirement may be paid or non-paid employment in the health care field.
- Quality of Experience. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to Histopathology Technician experience at the next lower grade level of the position being filled. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty) and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time.
- Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience as a Histopathology Technician is credited according to its relationship to the full-time workweek. For example, one week of full-time credit is equivalent to two weeks of part-time work.
- 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.
Histopathology Technician, GS-7 (Advanced)
Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.
Assignment. Histopathology technicians at this level generally have a higher level of responsibility for technical oversight, and are expected to carry out assigned tasks of considerable difficulty independently. The incumbent will have the responsibility of performing difficult specialized histological, histochemical, and immunohistochemical procedures, as well as developing, modifying, or adapting new staining methods or techniques, improving existing methods as necessary for routine histotechnology procedures. The technician will be responsible for troubleshooting issues with instruments and resolving problems. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty) and range of variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the KSAs below:
- Skill in applying professional, complex anatomic pathology principles, practices, concepts, and theories in performing new or difficult specialized testing methods or techniques.
- Ability to provide technical oversight of laboratory quality control and assurance procedures and principles of performance improvement exhibiting competence in managing reagent and supply inventories and document control systems.
- Ability to validate methodologies, operate anatomic pathology laboratory equipment and perform complex instrument troubleshooting.
- Ability to use independent technical judgment to analyze and evaluate laboratory results and resolve problems.
References: VA Handbook 5005, Appendix G55
Physical Requirements: The work requires regular and recurring standing to perform tests; prolonged sitting while utilizing a microtome; walking, reaching, stooping and bending to obtain supplies and operate instruments. The incumbent occasionally lifts heavy containers of reagents or supplies.
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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.
Benefits
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.
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.
The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.
It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.
Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please use this checklist to ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.
- Cover Letter
- DD-214/ Statement of Service
- Disability Letter (Schedule A)
- Disability Letter (VA)
- VA Form 2850C
- Resume
- Separation Notice (RIF)
- SF-15
- SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
- Transcript
Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans' Preference.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 05/30/2024 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12238338.
- To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
- Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
To verify your application is complete, log into your USA JOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. To return to an incomplete application, log into your USA JOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USA JOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
Next steps
Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.
You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center.
NOTE: Participation in the seasonal influenza program is a condition of employment and a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). It is a requirement that all HCP to receive annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Wearing a face mask is required when an exemption to the influenza vaccination has been granted. HCP in violation of this directive may face disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service. HCP are individuals who, during the influenza season, work in VHA locations or who come into contact with VA patients or other HCP as part of their duties. VHA locations include, but are not limited to, VA hospitals and associated clinics, community living centers (CLCs), community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), domiciliary units, Vet centers and VA-leased medical facilities. HCP include all VA licensed and unlicensed, clinical and administrative, remote and onsite, paid and without compensation, full- and part-time employees, intermittent employees, fee basis employees, VA contractors, researchers, volunteers and health professions trainees (HPTs) who are expected to perform any or all of their work at these facilities. HPTs may be paid or unpaid and include residents, interns, fellows and students. HCP also includes VHA personnel providing home-based care to Veterans and drivers and other personnel whose duties put them in contact with patients outside VA medical facilities.
|