This position is located in the Surgical Service at the VA Saint Louis Health Care System, Veterans Integrated Service Network 15 (VISN 15), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), in St. Louis, Missouri. The Program Support Assistant (PSA) functions as a member of a diverse, multi-professional team and provides clerical and administrative support services to assigned programs (General Surgery and Vascular).

Duties

Responsible for a wide variety of duties associated with the effective execution of General and Vascular Surgery activities within the Surgery Service for the VA St Louis Health Care System (VASTLHCS). Works in tandem with Surgery Staff as a unified team to manage administrative support for assigned programs. Provides cross-coverage to other Surgical sections as needed. Establishes internal procedures and mechanisms to receive, consider, and respond to patient inquiries, complaints, and requests for assistance. Continuously monitors program activities, reports, coordination with professional staff, etc. and identifies potential problem areas and trends requiring further study. Develops and maintains databases and reports - securing, researching, organizing, and /or tracking data and statistical information in support of the Surgical Service program operations. Collects and enters applicable data into database. Performs project tracking, prepares briefing charts and reports, and ensures required metric reporting is completed. Reviews documents, reports and applications for omissions and inconsistencies, and ensures data entry is complete and accurate in accordance with guidelines. Presents reports to staff, management, and leadership for informational purposes and to support recommendations for future activities. Establishes and maintains an effective suspense control system - taking into consideration complexity, nature and extent of coordination and urgency of suspense. Actions originate from a variety of sources, including VA, VHA, and local levels. Monitors the timing and sequence of the actions in various stages of completion within the program to meet fluctuating deadlines and suspenses. Ensures appropriate coordination for and follows up on all responses. Receives and screens telephone calls/visitors and directs contact as appropriate. Responds to routine matters independently and answers most questions using established business practices and policy or standard operating procedures. Enters requests for documentation and clinic modification/cancelations. Provides follow-up on requests for information. Receives and reviews incoming correspondence and requests for information, determining which can be handled independently, forwarding the remainder with appropriate notations to the relevant party. Follows up independently as necessary to ensure reply is made and actions are completed. Receives/distributes electronic or other messages as necessary to appropriate staff members for completion. Schedules surgical operation appointments, prepares appointment confirmation letters, and enters appointment data. Maintains the appointment calendar, schedules appointments, reminds supervisor/staff members of the subject matter prior to meetings, and makes administrative arrangements as required for their assigned sections. Monitors staff time and attendance. Serves as a timekeeper and maintains service record cards for physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, registered nurses, and technicians. Assures that the information is kept up to date and notifies supervisors when leave or FMLA limits are exceeded. Posts staff/contracted physician time and attendance daily utilizing VA computerized timekeeping software. Processes corrected timecards when necessary. Tracks daily attendance, overtime, and unscheduled hours per employee, and posts exceptions in a timely manner. Audits physician timecards on a quarterly basis. Maintains timekeeper training in accordance with regulations. A qualified typist is required to perform office automation duties. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:00 am - 3:30 pm Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant (OA) - Gen Surg/Vascular/PD10006A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/12/2023. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: . OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have . OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond . You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:ClericalDecision MakingInformation ManagementExperience 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 primarily sedentary. Work Environment: The work is performed in an office environment 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

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

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 VA St Louis Health Care System 1 Jefferson Barracks Drive St. Louis, MO 63125 US
• Name: Terra Morris
• Phone: 3146524100 X54929
• Email: [email protected]