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
• English Language Proficiency
• Histopathology Technologists must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f)
• Education
• Individuals must meet one of the requirements below: (1) Successful completion of a full four-year course of study from an accredited college or university, leading to a bachelor's or higher degree, that included a major study in an academic field related to health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the work of a histopathology technologist, such as, but not limited to clinical biology, microbiology, physiology, pre-medical, medical lab technology, chemistry, immunology, physiology, anatomy
• OR, (2) Baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college/university with a combination of 30 semester hours (45 quarter hours) of biology and chemistry (must include credit hours in both)
• OR, (3) Successful completion of two years of progressively higher level graduate education, leading to a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree, with a major study in an academic field related to health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the position of histopathology technologist, such as clinical biology, microbiology, physiology, pre- medical, medical lab technology, chemistry, immunology, physiology, anatomy
• Foreign Education
• To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization approved by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials, and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs
• Certification
• (1) Candidates must currently possess the Histotechnologist (HTL) certification given by the ASCP Board of Certification
• The ASCP requires completion of one of the following for a candidate to be considered "board eligible" to take the certification exam: (a) Successful completion of a Histotechnician or Histotechnology program accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Science (NAACLS)
• OR, (b) One year of full time experience in all of the following: fixation, embedding, microtomy, processing, and staining in a histopathology (clinical, veterinary, industry, or research) laboratory
• Loss of Certification
• Employees who fail to maintain the required certification must be removed from the histopathology technologist, GS-0601 occupation, which may result in termination of employment
• 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)
• Grandfathering Provision
• All histopathology technologists employed in VHA in this occupational series or in another occupational series, who perform the duties as described in the qualification standard on the effective date of this qualification standard, are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held, including positive education and certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation
• For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to the position, the following provisions apply: (1) Histopathology technologists who do not meet the basic requirements for education and certification may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance level, or demoted within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the full performance level or placed in a supervisory or managerial position
• (2) Histopathology technologists who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or receive a new appointment on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard
• (3) Histopathology technologists initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain education and/or certification that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard, must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation
• (4) If histopathology technologists, who are grandfathered under this provision, leave the occupation then those employees lose grandfathered protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the histopathology technologist occupation in this series
• Grade Determinations: To Qualify for the GS 12 you must have the following
• Experience
• Must have one year of creditable experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level, which is directly related to the position to be filled
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
• In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of Federal and state laws, regulations, and accrediting/regulatory requirements in order to develop plans and procedures for the laboratory
• (b) Skill in communicating with individuals, in order to obtain the desired effect, ensuring compliance with established policies, regulations, and procedures
• (c) Ability to perform the full range of supervisory duties, which includes responsibility for assignment of work, performance evaluations, selection of staff, recommendation of awards, advancements, and disciplinary actions
• (d) Knowledge of laboratory quality management procedures and principles sufficient to establish and monitor a laboratory quality management program, and/or education and training of the laboratory staff
• (e) Demonstrated leadership and managerial skills including skill in interpersonal relations and conflict resolution in order to deal with employees, team leaders, and managers
• (f) Ability to plan, organize, set short and/or long-term goals, and conduct studies on technical and administrative problems, including fiscal matters, budget execution, personnel shortages, organizational structure, and new technology
• Preferred Experience: Experience in supervising a Clinical Anatomic Pathology Laboratory Knowledge to oversee the autopsy and surgical pathology services Work experience and a practical knowledge of the techniques of laboratory practice in Histology/cytology/morgue areas Skill to prepare section for accreditation inspections 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-12
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019