This position is located in Health Administration Service at the Raymond G. Murphy VA Medical Center. The incumbent serves as a Telephone Operator at the New Mexico VA Health' Care System. The incumbent works in the Health Administration Service with direct accountability to the Supervisor of the Support Services section (within the Health Administration Service).

Duties

The incumbent of this position is responsible for a variety of technical and administrative duties in performing a combined operation of the NMV ARCS telephone, information and emergency service. These duties require considerable personal involvement and an individual knowledge of the complex organizational structure; i.e., functions and responsibilities of nil services. Operations are 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. There are over 40 services, which include: Medical, Surgical, Behavioral Health Care, Nursing, Logistics, Engineering, Primary Care, Medical Leadership, Administrative Offices, Voluntary Services, Therapies, Spinal Cord Injury and Disorders and many more. The major technical function is the operation of a telephone console with a primary rate interface (PRI) 24 channel digital circuit with 4 incoming units (92 lines) for incoming calls and 4 outgoing units (92 lines) for outgoing calls and personal direct numbers. The major administrative duties include support of travel claim processing and Veteran enrollment in text messaging appointment reminders. The administrative duties require skills in searching data bases, data entry for text messaging, high levels of accuracy in review of travel claims and text messaging opt-in and opt-out documents, and high productivity. Incumbent places and receives local, in-house, outside operator assisted, international and long distance calls over commercial circuits. Incumbent receives and Is responsible for independently providing answers to the variety of complex telephone inquiries regarding services available throughout the NMVAHCS, hospitalized patients, physicians, vendor inquiries, and other employees of the facility. Incumbent screens calls to determine the proper locations Where the call is to be directed. Callers often times do not know how to request desired services, the medical terms needed to describe what they are looking for, often do not have the name of the service or individual they are seeking requiring calm queries of the caller to determine more about the request. Callers may be emotional due to their situation and desire to get immediate answers. Care must be taken to closely screen calls directed to the services, in order support transfer to the correct location, to reduce interruptions to patient care and reduce the need for the caller to call back a second time. Incumbent support the operations and enrollment of Veterans to receive appointment reminders through text messaging. This requires the incumbent to access a VistA data base. Duties require the ability to perform multiple functions throughout tour of duty. Incumbent is responsible for the paging service upon request, relays messages or makes telephone connection for parties requiring this service. For this purpose the incumbent must utilize the overhead paging system, Motorola two-way radio to police or engineering, or paging through paging vendor systems. Incumbent is responsible for the updated entries in the computer for access to pager information and other inquiries Incumbent must maintain a record of all long distance or international assisted calls Work Schedule: Various shifts Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Telephone Operator/PD50158A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Personnel

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/04/2023. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-03 General Experience: You must have six months of general experience in progressively responsible clerical, office, or other work that indicates ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position to be filled. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have one year above high school. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of experience and education beyond high school. GS-04 General Experience: You must have one year of general experience in progressively responsible clerical, office, or other work that indicates ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position to be filled. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have two years above high school. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of experience and education beyond high school. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: ClericalCompliance InspectionCustomer Service (Clerical/Technical) Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: The work is usually sedentary in nature. Concentration is required in determining priorities. Standing and walking is necessary to consult manuals, directives, and to assist visitors. The work is performed in a well-lighted, temperature-controlled room and normal safety precautions are required. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Raymond G Murphy Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 1501 San Pedro Drive, Southeast Albuquerque, NM 87108 US
• Name: Francisco Olmedo
• Phone: (562) 256-2012
• Email: [email protected]