PATHOLOGISTS' ASSISTANT

Full Job Description

ABOUT THE MEDICAL EXAMINER:
The Department of Medical Examiner investigates and determines the circumstances, manner, and cause of all violent, sudden, or unusual deaths occurring within Los Angeles County.

In 2024, approximately 18,000 deaths were reported to the Department, and we investigated 11,452 of those cases. Each year, we conduct thousands of postmortem examinations, including full autopsies, partial autopsies, and external examinations. This level of activity, along with the complexity and sensitivity of the cases handled—including numerous high-profile investigations—makes the Department one of the largest and most technologically sophisticated medical examiner’s offices in the world. Our work is supported by advanced tools such as postmortem X-ray and CT imaging, which enhance our ability to determine cause and manner of death with accuracy and precision.

Check Out Our Outstanding Benefits!

The County of Los Angeles offers an excellent benefits package that includes a Cafeteria Benefit Plan, Contributory Defined Benefit Retirement Plan, Deferred Compensation & Thrift Plans, and 13 paid Holidays. Click here to see a list of employee benefits.

WHAT YOU WILL DO!
As a Pathologists' Assistant, you will work under the supervision of a licensed pathologist to prepare and perform gross examinations and dissections of anatomic pathology specimens, as well as assist with human postmortem examinations.

Requirements

• 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 (e.i., gynecological and non gynecological) as needed.

• Performs accessioning of specimens as needed.

For more information, please view the classification specification: Pathologists' Assistant

Qualifications

REQUIREMENTS TO QUALIFY:

EXPERIENCE:

No experience required.

CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENT:

A current and valid certification as a Pathologists’ Assistant from the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP)* is required.

*In order to receive credit for the required certification, you must include a legible copy of the official certificate and/or license at the time of filing or within seven (7) calendar days from the date of filing application. Please submit documentation to ealcazar@hr.lacounty.gov and indicate your name, the exam name, and the exam number.

We do not accept password-protected documents. Ensure documents are unlocked before attaching to your application or sending to the exam analyst.

LICENSE:

A valid California Class C Driver License or the ability to use an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job-related essential functions.

WITHHOLD INFORMATION:

No withholds will be allowed for this examination. Requirements must be fully met and indicated on the application by the last day of filing.

PHYSICAL CLASS:

Physical Class 3 – 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.

Additional Information

Once we have identified that you meet our requirements, an invitation for the following assessment process will be sent:

EXAMINATION CONTENT:

This examination will consist of a multiple-choice and/or simulation assessment worth 100%, assessing:

• Professional Potential, Achievement, Coping with Uncertainty, Responsibility, Working to High Quality Standards, Willingness to Learn, Working Relationships, Analyzing Information, Learning Quickly, Generating New Ideas, Using Time Efficiently, Adapting to Change, and Following Instructions

TRANSFER OF TEST COMPONENTS:
If you have taken identical components recently for other exams, your responses may be automatically transferred to this examination. This exam contains test components that might be used on future exams, and your responses could be transferred to that exam.

TEST PREPARATION:
We provide study guides and other test preparation resources to help candidates prepare for employment tests. While the guides may help in preparing for the test, we recommend reviewing all related materials that seem necessary.

• Various information can be found on our website at https://hr.lacounty.gov/job-search-toolkit/. The section dedicated to test preparation is "Employment Test Assistance."
• Online practice tests are available at https://www.shldirect.com/en-us/practice-tests.

ELIGIBILITY AND VACANCY INFORMATION:

Applicants who pass the assessment are placed on a register in the order of their score group for a period of twelve (12) months.

Applications will be processed as they are received and added to the register accordingly. We will use this register to fill vacancies in the Department of Medical Examiner as they occur.

We only accept applications filed online. Applications submitted by U.S. mail, fax, or in person are not accepted. Apply online by clicking on the "Apply" green button at the top right of this posting. This website can also be used to get application status updates.

Please fill out the application completely.

We may verify information included in the application at any point during the examination and hiring process, including after an appointment has been made.

Falsification of information could result in refusal of application or rescission of appointment.

Copying verbiage from the Requirements or class specification as your work experience will not be sufficient to demonstrate meeting the requirements.

Doing so may result in an incomplete application and may lead to disqualification.

We will send notifications to the email address provided on the application, so it is important that you provide a valid email address.

If you choose to unsubscribe or opt out from receiving our emails, it is possible to view notices by logging into governmentjobs.com and checking the profile inbox.

It is every applicant's responsibility to take steps to view correspondence, and we will not consider claims of missing notices to be a valid reason for re-scheduling an exam part.

Register the below domains as approved senders to prevent email notifications from being filtered as spam/junk mail.

• ealcazar@hr.lacounty.gov
• info@governmentjobs.com
• talentcentral@shl.com
• noreply@proctoru.com
• donot-reply@amcatmail.com

Note: New email addresses need to be verified. This only needs to be done once per email address and can be done at any time by logging in to governmentjobs.com and following the prompts. This is to enhance the security of the online application and to prevent incorrectly entered email addresses.

Teletype Phone: (800) 899-4099
Alternate Teletype Phone: (800) 897-0077
California Relay Services Phone: (800) 735-2922
Department Contact Name: Erika Alcazar