Summary

The VA Central Iowa Health Care System is recruiting for 1 full-time Histopathology Technician for the Pathology and Laboratory department.

Qualifications

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 Education (1) 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 histopathology technicians given by the U.S. Armed Forces
• Certification
• None Physical Requirements
• 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
• 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: 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
• 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
• GS-6 Histopathology Technician (Full Performance Level) Experience
• One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level
• Examples include - but are not limited to: retrieving and accessioning surgical - cytology - and autopsy specimens
• entering and tracking workload data and disposition of pathology materials and documents electronically
• performing pre and post-analytical duties
• and assisting in preparation of autopsy protocols as assigned
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs
• (a) Knowledge of professional anatomic pathology principles - practices - concepts - and theories providing for sound independent work
• (b) Knowledge of laboratory quality control and assurance procedures - principles of performance improvement - reagent management - inventory supply systems - and document control systems
• (c) Knowledge of anatomic pathology laboratory equipment and ability to operate - maintain - and troubleshoot instrumentation
• (d) Ability to plan - organize - set priorities - work as a team member - and effectively complete assignments
• (e) Ability to use independent technical judgment to analyze and evaluate laboratory results
• All qualifying experience you possess must be clearly described in your application package
• We will not make assumptions when reviewing applications
• Failure to demonstrate your experience in your resume may result in disqualification
• It is strongly recommended that you write to each KSA in your application package
• Assignment
• At the full performance level - the histopathology technician uses independent judgment to perform the full range of duties including analyzing and evaluating laboratory results
• The histopathology technician carries out the day-to-day operations in the laboratory with minimal technical supervision
• This includes routine and complex histopathological and cytopathological procedures - quality control and assurance procedures - operation and routine maintenance of instrumentation - troubleshooting - and principles of performance improvement
• The incumbent utilizes specialized techniques for handling cell blocks - frozen sections - bone marrows - autopsies - and fine-needle biopsies
• The technician prepares technically adequate slides of surgical - cytology - and autopsy specimens by processing - embedding tissue - cutting - staining (including immunohistochemistry) - and coverslipping
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-6. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-6. Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position
• Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination
• See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

Duties

• The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers
• This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest
• As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care - you will operate in a model with three core elements - seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran
• This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community
• This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being
• A Histopathology Technician at the full performance level uses independent judgement to perform the full range of duties including analyzing and evaluating laboratory results
• The histopathology technician carries out the day-to-day operations in the laboratory with minimal technical supervision
• This includes routine and complex histopathological and cytopathological procedures - quality control and assurance procedures - operation and routine maintenance of instrumentation - troubleshooting - and principles of performance improvement
• The technician utilizes specialized techniques for handling cell blocks - frozen sections - bone marrows - autopsies - and fine-needle biopsies
• The technician prepares technically adequate slides of surgical and cytology specimens by processing - embedding tissue - cutting - staining (including immunohistochemistry) and cover-slipping
• The duties and responsibilities of a Histopathology Technician include but are not limited to the following: 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
• Is proficient in recognizing a wide variety of tissues and can identify unusual conditions and discrepancies which may cause erroneous results or require special handling
• Makes sound decisions independently and takes appropriate action to correct and solve problems
• Accessions all specimens into the hospital computer system and labels specimens according to laboratory labeling requirements
• Is responsible for embedding tissue of all sizes in the proper medium and in the proper manner for correct sectioning
• Is able to operate the microtome to achieve tissue sections of the thickness requested by the pathologist
• Performs routine and special stains as requested by the pathologist
• Correctly coverslips preparations so that there are no artifacts produced
• Can ascertain the need for and perform fixation techniques that are non-routine such as EM preparations and bone decalcification
• Recognizes improperly processed or improperly fixed tissue and is able to take corrective action
• Performs frozen section preparations
• Frozen section preparation includes selection of pathogenic portions of the specimen
• marking it for correct orientation and identification of the tumor margins - freezing the unfixed specimen
• sectioning it with a cryostat microtome and staining and cover-slipping the slide
• Performs staining of tissue sections - including histochemical and other advanced staining techniques
• These procedures are specialized and often complex - difficult and non-standardized
• Many procedural steps are not covered by specific instructions
• The choices of alternative ways of proceeding are determined through the Histopathology Technician's professional training and experience
• Procedures must be adapted to individual variance in specimen and stain performance
• Assists the pathologist or pathology resident with surgical gross description and processing
• Selection of the proper fixation technique is also critical - such as decalcification of bony specimens
• Assists the pathologist - pathology resident - radiologist or endocrinologist during specimen collection of fine needle aspirations and bone marrow
• S/he prepares specialized touch preparations and aspirate smears in accordance with protocol
• Prepares fresh specimens - orders - and other necessary materials for outside testing for any collected specimen where testing is contracted to be performed at another facility
• Performs established quality control and quality assurance procedures to check the accuracy and validity of work
• Records information daily
• Deviations are documented and reported to the pathologist and laboratory leadership
• Corrective action is performed and appropriately documented
• Identifies unusual discrepancies/conditions that may cause erroneous results
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday - 5:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m
• Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized