The incumbent serves as a Program Support Assistant (PSA) in Medical Service providing full support to the Service to meet the performance standards for the facility. Routine work is performed independently in accordance with the overall objectives of Medical Service and the VA Palo Alto Health Care System (VAPAHCS). Incumbent refers situations beyond his/her scope of responsibility to the Business Manager or to the Chief of Medical Service.

Duties

The position requires excellent communication skills and familiarity with various computer programs, including Microsoft Office Suite, VistA, and CPRS. A high degree of discretion is required due to frequent access to confidential patient information. Good judgment is required in the course of any day to make independent, appropriate decisions, sometimes under urgent circumstances. The incumbent must adhere to all Veterans Administration privacy and information security rules. The incumbent will be required to manage and resolve requests for information from internal and external entities, including Stanford University, VA Palo Alto Medical Service and hospital leadership and will interface with staff and patients in an efficient and compassionate manner. Major duties and responsibilities include, but not limited to: Interacts in a timely and efficient manner with the Medical Service staff and sections. Schedules outpatient clinic appointments using Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA) scheduling options. Monitors both the daily Encounter and Consult reports and assist the physicians in closing out their encounters and consults in a timely fashion according to current VA regulations. Serves as the manager of administrative functions for her/his assigned section/s of Medical Service and as backup coverage for all other sections as required by the Service. Acts as a point of contact for the department for many requests of information or action from within the medical center, patients and patient families, other medical centers and other individuals and organizations. Manages and maintains current information on the academic appointment status of Medical Service staff physicians, resident rotation schedules, leave, absences, and call schedules through communication with administrative staff at the Stanford Department of Medicine. Responsible for in-processing and out-processing of new Medical Service staff including residents, fellows and medical students and coordinates the privileging and credentialing process. Serves as the initial point of contact for customers by phone or in person for Medical Service. Assists the Business Manager and Staff Assistants in service level patient advocate issues, including helping with follow-up to ensure a satisfactory resolution. Responsible for preparation and submission of monthly or quarterly analytical and interpretive reports as required by their assigned Section(s), Medical Service, VAPAHCS, The Joint Commission (TJC) or VA Central Office. Creates and maintains automated staff databases, enters data, and retrieves information as needed for patient care and is responsible for any other reports requested. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant/PD06762A 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, 10/20/2023. 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-06. 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 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: Experience in program administration and management; assistance with day-to-day operational duties; Communicate effectively both verbally and in writing with variety of individuals; Problem solve and apply decision making skills. sustaining processes and procedures to ensure program effectiveness; interpreting, analyzing, and responding to requests for information from internal and external entities; collecting, compiling, managing and reporting program data; preparing correspondence and reports; utilizing automated software (such as Microsoft Word, Excel, etc.). You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Analysis and Problem SolvingCustomer Service (Clerical/Technical)Technical Documentation 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: Work is primarily sedentary. Work will involve some walking (between different offices, and to/from different areas of the Service), standing, bending, and lifting of light objects (such as books, files, papers, etc,), as well as a good deal of work on a computer keyboard. 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.

Contacts

• Address Palo Alto VA Medical Center 3801 Miranda Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94304 US
• Name: Veronica Alvarado
• Phone: (415) 960-5758
• Email: [email protected]