Summary
The Anatomic and Clinical Staff Pathologist provides diagnostic services within the Pathology and Laboratory Management Service (PALMS) with Phoenix VA, to include potential for subspecialty coverage as training permits (examples include dermatopathology or hematopathology).
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Duties
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Pay: Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, regular salary increases
Paid Time Off: 50-55 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year and possible 5 day paid absence for CME)
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory
CME: Possible $1,000 per year reimbursement (must be full-time with board certification)
Malpractice: Free liability protection with tail coverage provided
Contract: No Physician Employment Contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting
Duties may include, but are not limited to:
- Application of accepted criteria in formulating and reporting diagnostic information on various anatomic pathology specimens to include surgical pathology, cytopathology and autopsy pathology.
- Provide clinical laboratory consultation to technical personnel and healthcare providers.
- Participation in Quality Assurance measures for laboratory sections as required by accreditation standards.
- Teaching of residents, medical students, allopathic medicine students and other healthcare personnel who seek training within the field of Pathology.
- The AP/CP pathologist is ultimately responsible for diagnostic interpretation of specimens processed within the laboratory.
- The AP/CP pathologist will provide residents and/or trainees information on specimen processing and evaluation.
- Review of gross specimens
- Processing and interpretation of intraoperative frozen sections.
- Provide intraoperative and intraprocedural consultation as requested.
- Interpretation/sign-out of surgical pathology specimens within CAP guidelines for turnaround time.
- Ordering/interpretation of appropriate immunohistochemical stains and special stains.
- Participation in multi-disciplinary conferences such as Tumor Board, Chest Conference and GI Conference.
- Review appropriate clinical history/medical record when responsible for autopsy coverage and discuss with clinical team ensuring appropriate consent documentation before proceeding with autopsy.
- Perform/supervise autopsy
- Issue preliminary autopsy findings within 24 hours of autopsy.
- Issue completed autopsy report with clinicopathologic correlation within 30 days of autopsy.
- Participate in Quality Assurance measures including 10% retrospective review of all anatomic pathology cases and inter-laboratory comparison programs as designated by Chief, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.
- Provide 24 hour on-call services as designated in the monthly schedule.
- Review hematology fluids and issue diagnostic interpretation.
- Participate in required continuing medical education (CME) in order to maintain licensure/privileges.
- Responsible for timely completion of VA assigned LMS educational modules.
- Responsible for diagnostic expertise and sign-out in any area for which sub-specialty fellowship training has been completed.
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm (Weekends, Holidays and On-Call Rotations as Needed)
Requirements
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Conditions of employment
- U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
- 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 identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
- Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
- Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
- You may be required to serve a probationary period.
- Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
Qualifications
To qualify for this position, you must meet the basic requirements as well as any additional requirements (if applicable) listed in the job announcement. Applicants pending the completion of training or license requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Currently employed physician(s) in VA who met the requirements for appointment under the previous qualification standard at the time of their initial appointment are deemed to have met the basic requirements of the occupation.
Basic Requirements:
- United States Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.) in accordance with section 38 U.S.C. § 7402(c). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens according to 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).
- English Language Proficiency. Physicians appointed to direct patient-care positions must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. § 7402(d) and 7407(d).
- Education. Degree of Doctor of Medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in allopathic medicine or osteopathic medicine. The degree must have been obtained from an institution whose accreditation was in place for the year in which the course of study was completed. Approved schools are:
- Schools of medicine accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for the year in which the degree was granted, or
- Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation of the American Osteopathic Association for the year in which the degree was granted.
- Foreign Education. For foreign medical graduates not covered in (1) or (2) above, facility officials must confirm that the medical school meets (or met) Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) eligibility requirements for the year the candidate graduated.
NOTE: The Under Secretary for Health or designee in the VHA Central Office may approve the appointment under authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405 of a physician graduate of a school of medicine not covered above if the candidate is to be assigned to a research, academic, or administrative position with no patient care responsibilities. The appointment will be made only in exceptional circumstances where the candidate's credentials clearly demonstrate high professional attainment or expertise in the specialty area.
- Licensure/Registration. Current, full and unrestricted license to practice medicine or surgery in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia.
- Licensure and Registration. Physicians must possess a current, full and unrestricted license to practice medicine or surgery in a state, territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia. The Physician must maintain current registration in the state of licensure if this is a requirement for continuing active, current licensure.
- Waiver of Licensure. Licensure requirements may be waived by the Under Secretary for Health or designee in the VHA Central Office for individuals in research, academic, or administrative assignments involving no direct patient care responsibilities in accordance with current regulations. In addition, the Facility Director may waive this licensure requirement if the Physician is to serve in a country other than the United States and the Physician has licensure in that country. (See VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section B, paragraph 14, on waiver of licensure provisions.)
NOTE: Individuals who have or have had multiple licenses and had any such license revoked for professional misconduct, professional incompetence or substandard care, or who surrendered such license after receiving written notice of potential termination of such license by the state for professional misconduct, professional incompetence, or substandard care, are not eligible for appointment to the position unless such revoked or surrendered license is fully restored (38 U.S.C. § 7402(f)). This requirement does not apply to licensed Physicians on VA rolls as of November 30, 1999, provided they maintain continuous appointment and are not disqualified for employment by any subsequent revocations or voluntary surrenders of state license, registration, or certification.
- Loss of Credential. Management officials, in collaboration with HR Office staff must immediately relieve employees who fail to maintain the required licensure of the duties and responsibilities associated with this occupation which may also result in separation from employment.
- Residency Training. Physicians must have successfully completed residency training, approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in an accredited core specialty training program (NOTE: VA Physicians involved in academic training programs may be required to be board certified for faculty status.) Approved residencies are:
- Those approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) leading to eligibility for board certification, OR
- Those approved by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) leading to eligibility for board certification, OR
- One year of post medical school training (internship, first year of residency, or transitional year residency) approved by ACGME or AOA followed by two years of post-training independent practice (performing under a full and unrestricted license) in the United States, OR
- Non-US residency training programs followed by a minimum of three years of independent practice in the United States (performing under a full and unrestricted license) performing duties related to the position they are applying for (United States fellowships would be creditable towards this requirement), which the local Medical Staff Executive Committee deems to have provided the applicant with appropriate professional training and believes has exposed the Physician to an appropriate range of patient care experiences.
- Exceptions:
- Residents currently enrolled in ACGME/AOA accredited residency training programs and who would otherwise meet the basic requirements for appointment are eligible to be appointed as "Physician Resident Providers" (PRPs). PRPs must be fully licensed physicians (i.e., not a training license) and may only be appointed on an intermittent basis. PRPs are not considered independent practitioners and will not be privileged; rather, they are to have a "scope of practice" that allows them to perform certain restricted duties under supervision. Additionally, surgery residents in gap years may also be appointed as PRPs.
- In rare and unusual circumstances, the Facility Director can submit a memo to the VISN Director through the VISN Chief Medical Officer, who may approve requests for reasonable exceptions to the residency training requirement for Physicians whose composite record of experience, accomplishments, performance, and qualifications warrant such action.???????
Education
Qualifications cont.,
- Board Certification. Physicians are generally not required to be board certified for employment in VA; however, three circumstances in VA require Physician board certification:
- If the position being filled is required to be a supervisor for medical students or Physician residents (including fellows), the LCME, ACGME, or AOA standards requiring a particular board certification credential will apply.
- If the position being filled will have faculty status with an affiliated medical school (for example, in joint recruitments with affiliated medical schools), then a medical school requirement for board certification will apply to the jointly recruited position.
- If the position being filled is required to be board certified by virtue of specific VHA policy (for example, as director of a cardiac catheterization laboratory or Director of Clinical Laboratory Medicine), then VHA policy requiring board certification will apply.
NOTE: Board certification must be maintained for the duration of time that the employee is serving in a position that meets the circumstances listed above.
Additional Requirement:
Preferred Experience: Possess board certification as an AP/CP Surgical Pathologist. Have sub-specialty fellowship training in Cytopathology or GI.
Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards
