PATHOLOGISTS' ASSISTANT

Position/Program Information

TYPE OF RECRUITMENT

Open Competitive Job Opportunity

EXAM NUMBER

Y5036A


APPLICATION FILING PERIOD

Tuesday, June 6, 2023 at 11:00 A.M. (PT)

Until the needs of the service are met and is subject to closure without notice.

ABOUT THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES:
The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (DHS) is the second largest municipal health system in the nation. DHS operates as an integrated health system, operating 25 health centers and four acute care hospitals, in addition to providing health care to youth in the juvenile justice system and inmates in the LA County jails. Across the network of DHS' directly operated clinical sites and through partnerships with community-based clinics, DHS cares for about 600,000 unique patients each year, employs over 23,000 staff, and has an annual operating budget of 6.9 billion. For additional information regarding DHS please visit www.dhs.lacounty.gov .

Through academic affiliations with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), the University of Southern California (USC), and the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Sciences (CDU), DHS hospitals are training sites for physicians completing their Graduate Medical Education in nearly every medical specialty and subspecialty. In addition, to its direct clinical services, DHS also runs the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Agency and the County's 911 emergency response system, as well as Housing for Health and the Office of Diversion and Re-entry, each with a critical role in connecting vulnerable populations, including those released from correctional and institutional settings, to supportive housing.

THE MISSION:
To advance the health of our patients and our communities by providing extraordinary care.

DEFINITION:
Under the direction of a licensed and qualified pathologist, prepares and performs gross examination and dissection of anatomic pathology specimens and human postmortem examinations.

Essential Job Functions

Prepares surgical specimen for pathology gross examination through a comprehensive macroscopic examination and evaluation of all surgical pathological specimens, including measuring, weighing, inking margins, dissecting, and sectioning tissues.
Obtains relevant clinical information, identifies necessary techniques or procedures, describes gross anatomic features of specimens, dissects surgical specimens, and prepares tissue for histological examination.

Obtains related clinical history (i.e., scans, x-rays, and laboratory data) to direct the processing of specimens. Obtains biological specimens for studies, such as flow cytometry, image analysis, immunohistochemistry, etc.
Assists the Pathologist with rendering the provisional gross anatomic diagnosis, through observations made in dissection.

Performs frozen sectioning and staining for intraoperative consultation.
Performs biomedical photography of specimens.

Performs postmortem examinations including external examinations, in situ organ inspections, evisceration, dissection and recording of applicable data.

Moves bodies from crypt to autopsy table and manipulates other large surgical specimens.

Updates and maintains laboratory databases and orders supplies for the grossing and frozen section rooms.

Fulfills administrative duties in the grossing room, including coordination of specimen type to grossing station, accessioning specimens, managing holding times for stored specimens after processing, and managing inventory.

Assists in troubleshooting workflow issues and recommends changes using process improvement techniques.

Acts as a preceptor and assists Pathologist in training pathology residents and other pathology lab personnel. Assists in the organization and coordination of anatomic pathology conferences.

Communicates with surgeons, pathologists, residents, and ancillary medical staff for continuity of care concerning orientation, gross findings, and margins.

Assists in maintaining surgical pathology policies, protocols, procedures, and quality reports. Participates in departmental inspections and surveys to ensure regulatory compliance.

Assists in obtaining proper legal authorizations for autopsies and notifies appropriate authorities to coordinate requests for tissue sampling.

Assist with receiving and processing cytology specimens (i.e., gynecological and non gynecological) as needed.

Perform accessioning of specimens as needed.

Requirements

Minimum Requirements:

LICENSE:
Current certification* as a Pathologists’ Assistant from the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP).

Desirable Qualifications: Additional credit will be given to applicants who possess the following desirable qualification.

• Internship or shadowing or work experience as a certified Pathology Assistant in an approved Pathology Department.

Physical Class III - Moderate:
This class requires that the incumbent stand or walk most of the time with bending, stooping, squatting, twisting, reaching, working on irregular surfaces, occasional lifting of objects weighing over 25 pounds, and frequent lifting of 10-25 pounds.

Special Requirement Information:
*Applicant must include a legible copy of their current certification as a Pathologists’ Assistant from the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) with your application at the time of filing or email it to the analyst at jsaldana@dhs.lacounty.gov within 7 calendar days from filing online.

Additional Information

Examination Content:
This examination will consist of an evaluation of education based upon application information, desirable qualification, and supplemental questionnaire, weighted 100%.

Candidates must achieve a passing score of 70% or higher on the examination in order to be placed on the eligible register.

Eligibility Information:
Applications will be processed on an "as-received" basis and those receiving a passing score will be promulgated to the register of eligible candidates accordingly.The names of candidates receiving a passing score on the examination will be added to the eligible register and will appear in the order of their score group for a period of twelve (12) months following the date of eligibility.

No person may compete in this examination more than once every twelve (12) months.

SPECIAL INFORMATION:

FAIR CHANCE INITIATIVE :
The County of Los Angeles is a Fair Chance employer. Except for a very limited number of positions, you will not be asked to provide information about a conviction history unless you receive a contingent offer of employment . The County will make an individualized assessment of whether your conviction history has a direct or adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job, and consider potential mitigating factors, including, but not limited to, evidence and extent of rehabilitation, recency of the offense(s), and age at the time of the offense(s). If asked to provide information about a conviction history, any convictions or court records which are exempted by a valid court order do not have to be disclosed.

Anti-Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion (ARDI):
The County of Los Angeles recognizes and affirms that all people are created equal and are entitled to all rights afforded by the Constitution of the United States. The Department of Human Resources is committed to promoting Anti-racism, Diversity, and Inclusion efforts to address the inequalities and disparities amongst race. We support the ARDI Strategic Plan and its goals by improving equality, diversity, and inclusion in recruitment, selection, and employment practices.

Vacancy Information:
The eligible register resulting from this examination will be used to fill vacancies throughout the Department of Health Services as they occur.

Available Shift:
Appointees may be required to work any shift, including evenings, nights, weekends and holidays.

APPLICATION AND FILING INFORMATION:

Applications must be submitted online only. Applications submitted by U.S Mail, Fax, or in person will not be accepted.

Apply online by clicking on the "Apply" green button at the top right of this posting. You can also track the status of your application using this website.

Plan to submit your online application well in advance of the 5:00 p.m. (PT) deadline on the last day of filing, as you may be required to verify your email address. This only needs to be done once per email address, and if you already have a job seeker account on www.governmentjobs.com/careers/lacounty , you can verify at any time by logging in and following the prompts. This is to enhance the security of your online application and to ensure you do not enter an incorrect email address.

Applications electronically received after 4:59 p.m., PT, on the last day of filing will not be accepted.

For the foreseeable future, all notices including invitations letters and notices of non-acceptance will be sent electronically to the email address provided on the application. It is important that you provide a valid email address. Please add jsaldana@dhs.lacounty.gov as well as noreply@governmentjobs.com , and info@governmentjobs.com to your email address and list of approved senders to prevent email notifications from being filtered as spam/junk/clutter mail.

Applicants have the ability to opt out of emails from LA County. If you unsubscribe, you will not receive any email notification for any examination for which you apply with Los Angeles County.

Regardless if whether you choose to unsubscribe, you can always check for notifications by logging into governmentjobs.com and viewing your profile box, which saves a copy of all emailed notices.

The acceptance of your application depends on whether you have clearly shown that you meet the Requirements. Fill out your application completely and correctly to receive full credit for related education, and/or experience in the spaces provided so we can evaluate your qualifications for the position. Please do not group your experience. For each position held, give the name and address of your employer, your position title, beginning and ending dates, number of hours worked per week, and description of work performed. If your application is incomplete, it will be rejected.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• ALL information in the application materials is subject to VERIFICATION.
• We may reject your application at any point during the examination hiring process, including after the appointment has been made.
• FALSIFICAITON of any information may result in DISQUALIFICATION.
• Utilizing VERBIAGE form the Class Specifications and Selection Requirements serving as your description of duties WILL NOT be sufficient to meet the requirements. Doing so may result in an INCOMPLETE APPLICATION and you may be DISQUALIFIED.
• Fill out your application completely. The acceptance of your application depends on whether you have clearly shown that you meet the Selection Requirements . Provide any relevant education, training, and experience in the spaces provided so we can evaluate your qualifications for the job. For each job held, give the name and address of your employer, your job title, beginning and ending dates, number of hours worked per week and description of work performed. If your application is incomplete, it will be rejected.

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER: Please include your Social Security Number for record control purposes. Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security Number.

COMPUTER AND INTERNET ACCESS AT PUBLIC LIBRARIES:
For Candidates who may not have regular access to a computer or the internet, applications can be completed on computers at public libraries throughout Los Angeles County. For hours of operations, you may visit their website at https://lacountylibrary.org/reopening/ .

NO SHARING OF USER ID AND PASSWORD:
All applicants must file their application online using their own user ID and password. Using a family member's or friend's user ID and password may erase a candidate's original application record.

ADA COORDINATOR PHONE: (323) 914-7111
CALIFORNIA RELAY SERVICES PHONE: (800) 735-2922
DEPARTMENT CONTACT:
Jaquelyne Saldana, Exam Analyst
jsaldana@dhs.lacounty.gov (Best way to contact due to telework)
(213) 288-7000

For detailed information, please click here

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• Los Angeles County

• (800) 970-5478

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