To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/29/2025.
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 9 level you must have served 52 weeks at the GS 7 level. For a GS 11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS 9 level. 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.
Individual Occupational Requirements - The General Medical and Healthcare Series 0601 required specific education to be met in order to be appointment into a position of this series.
Basic Requirements:
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 US Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained.
GRADE DETERMINATIONS. In addition to the Individual Occupational Requirements listed above, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.
You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:
Specialized Experience GS 9: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07, Experience includes but is not limited to: This is a developmental level. Provides technical and administrative assistance, oversight, and coordination of all the grossing areas, frozen section areas and autopsy suite in Anatomic Pathology Service. Serves as technical consultant and advisor to pathologists, laboratory managers, laboratory supervisors, medical staff, (both local and at other health care facilities) regarding policies, procedures, and practices related to anatomic pathology.
OR;
Two (2) years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree
or master's or equivalent graduate degree
OR;
A combination of Education and Experience. Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond progressively higher-level graduate education (beyond the second year), as described above, which meet the total experience requirements for this grade level. The education portion must include graduate courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. Experience must be clearly indicated in your resume.
Specialized Experience GS 11: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-9, Experience includes but is not limited to: Responsible for coordinating daily Surgical Pathology functions, working independently to perform these high complexity functions, or in collaboration with one or more pathologists. Oversees and performs work in the grossing areas, frozen section areas and autopsy suite to ensure proper processing of tissue samples, especially those requiring special handling. Functions independently to monitor workflow, designs and implements new processes and procedures, evaluates outcomes and implements improvements.
OR;
Three (3) years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree
or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.
OR;
A combination of education and experience. Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond progressively higher-level graduate education (beyond the second year), as described above, which meet the total experience requirements for this grade level. The education portion must include graduate courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. Experience must be clearly indicated in your resume.
Preferred Experience: Experience working in a Hospital Pathology setting.
You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
- Communications
- Diagnostic Medical Testing
- Infection Control
- Quality Management
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 periods of standing, bending over instruments, counters and tables (cryostat, autopsy table, cutting benches), as well as, heavy lifting (bodies and supplies). The work procedure requires manual dexterity and depth perception for determining depth and angles of cuts into human tissue.
Work Environment: The work requires regular and recurring exposure to infectious agents such as, tuberculosis, hepatitis, HIV and other agents; to body fluids and tissues; and to caustic, flammable, noxious, toxic and/or carcinogenic chemical reagents and solutions. The incumbent is required to utilize personal protective equipment including gloves, goggles, laboratory coats and masks; chemical disposable barrels; and fume hoods. The work includes the use of extremely sharp cutting instruments in difficult conditions with limited visibility. The work involves exposure to potentially dangerous situations such as using a bone saw to resection bone tumor specimens and during post mortem examination. The work requires the incumbent to follow all established safety policies and procedures, as written to the medical center safety manual as well as the anatomic pathology procedure manuals. These policies address a wide range of issues, including chemical hygiene, infection control, and personal safety, minimizing hazards, and accident reporting.
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/.