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Summary This position is within the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service (PLMS) of the Eastern Oklahoma VA Health Care System. The Supervisory Histopathology Technician processes specimens from Veterans. This work is crucial for diagnoses and treatment planning. Duties include immunohistochemistry, histochemical stains, and frozen sections. The supervisor manages operations, ensures protocol adherence, maintains workflow quality, and oversees standards. Responsibilities Tulsa (James Mountain Inhofe VAMC) - Tulsa (James Mountain Inhofe VAMC) facility Ensures compliance with accrediting agency and regulatory requirements. Expert knowledge of Federal and State laws to develop policies and procedures for the laboratory. Establishes and monitors the quality of the pre-analytical processes as part of the overall laboratory quality management program and initiates corrective action. Performs the full range of supervisory duties, including work assignment, performance evaluations, and disciplinary actions. Develops policies and procedures, manages document control, and creates performance standards, position descriptions, and functional statements. Manages professional and administrative aspects, including budget execution, orientation, and competency assessment of staff. Develops, modifies, or adapts new staining methods or techniques, improving existing methods for Surgical Pathology. Maintains the Surgical Pathology/Histology laboratory in Anatomic Pathology. Maintains effective interdepartmental relations to achieve medical center goals. Ensures resources are in optimal working condition and addresses workflow needs, including slide management, quality assurance, and equipment maintenance. Calibrates, operates, and maintains instruments and equipment used in surgical pathology, immunohistochemistry, and special stains; performs spot checks to ensure protocols are followed. Provides knowledge of specialized testing systems, making modifications and ensuring quality standards. Provides on-the-job training to new employees and cross-training to staff. Performs routine and complex histopathologic and cytopathologic procedures, quality control, and instrument maintenance. Prepares technically adequate slides of surgical pathology and cytology specimens, including processing, embedding, cutting, staining (immunohistochemistry, special stains), and cover slipping. Assists Pathologists with frozen specimens, making tissue cassettes, retrieval of specimens and slides, recording data, and miscellaneous paperwork. Follows lab safety procedures and wears appropriate PPE. Prepares specimens and paperwork for reference laboratories and/or patients. Demonstrates leadership and managerial skills, including interpersonal relations and conflict resolution. Works with management to ensure compliance with regulatory agency requirements and guidelines. Performs additional tasks as instructed by the Laboratory Manager or the P&LMS Service Chief. Work (Duty) Location: If selected, you may temporarily work at the Jack C. Montgomery VA Medical Center located at 1011 Honor Heights Drive, Muskogee, OK 74401 until the new hospital in Tulsa is completed (projected for March 2026). At that time, your duty station will change to the new Tulsa location: James Mountain Inhofe VAMC, 440 South Houston Avenue, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74127. Work Schedule: Full-time, Monday - Friday, 7:00 am - 3:30pm Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 623-60680-0 Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. 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 dentification 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). Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial 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 trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications BASIC REQUIREMENTS Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.) Experience and 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. OR, 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, 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: 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. 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 3 histopathology technicians given by the U.S. Armed Forces. Grandfathering Provision. 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). English Language Proficiency. Histopathology Technicians must be proficient in spoken and written English. GRADE REQUIREMENTS. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Supervisory Histopathology Technician, GS-9 Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs. Expert knowledge of Federal and state laws, regulations, and accrediting/regulatory requirements in order to develop policies and procedures for the laboratory. Expert knowledge of laboratory quality management procedures and principles sufficient to establish and monitor a laboratory quality management program and/or education and training of laboratory staff. Demonstrated leadership and managerial skills including skill in interpersonal relations and conflict resolution in order to deal with employees, team leaders and managers. 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. Ability to plan, organize, set short and/or long term goals and conduct studies on technical and administrative problems, including personnel shortages, organizational structure, new technology. Expert knowledge of concepts, principles and methods of laboratory technology and operations. Preferred Experience. Skilled in applying professional, complex anatomic pathology principles, practices, concepts, and theories in performing new or difficult specialized testing methods or techniques. Reference. For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. This vacancy is above the full performance level. Physical Requirements. The work requires manual dexterity, visual acuity, color vision; regular and recurring physical exertion such as use of microtome or cryostat and standing for long periods of time; lifting of five-gallon reagent containers and other moderately heavy supplies and equipment; a high degree of tolerance and ability to work under stress which at times can be irregular and sometime constant. Additionally, the demand for accuracy and timeliness in reporting results to pathologists responsible for patient care is an ever-present responsibility and a constant concern of a responsible histopathology technician. The incumbent occasionally may be required to work longer than eight hours per day, an off shift, a weekend and/or holidays. 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/. Additional Information During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.