This Program Specialist (Patient Safety Program Support Specialist) position is located at the VA Illiana Health Care System, Danville, IL, a Complexity Level 3 VHA facility. The primary purpose of the position is point of contact for patient safety policies and activities developed by the National Center for Patient Safety (NCPS), functioning under the direction of the Patient Safety Manager.

Duties

Duties Include: Serves as a specialist in the patient safety office to help build and implement patient safety systems, as well as promote the culture of safety throughout the hospital facility. Performs statistical calculations for assigned reports and performs trend analyses. Information resulting from these calculations is arranged and submitted in a format which is clear, concise and accurate to the Patient Safety Manager or Patient Safety Specialist. Performs focused studies as requested. Information and quantitative data from historical sources, site visits or other sources are gathered and the results presented in a clear, concise and accurate manner. Implements and maintains trend analysis systems, demonstrating skills in collecting, compiling, computing data, as well as presenting information in a concise and useable manner. Responsible for determining priorities when assigned work projects. These priorities are based not only on service specific considerations, but on medical center-wise concerns. Frequently must take community resource availability under advisement when making such decisions. Provides support for the development, maintenance, and operation of the VHA's patient safety process at the facility level. This includes working with all levels of staff within the facility, including top level management, and Root Cause Analysis (RCA) team members. Assists with training and implementation of the patient safety and RCA process to clinicians, management, and all relevant support personnel within their facilities and associated facilities and operations (e.g., home care). Assists with oversight, monitoring, and ensuring compliance with The Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs). Assists with monitoring Patient Safety Alerts/Advisories, and facilitates the investigation, tracking, and documentation of compliance in appropriate databases. Must have the attitude that building the culture of safety is paramount, and the foundation upon which safe operations are based. Such a culture takes time to build and requires constant nurturing and reinforcement to maintain. Participates in the development of innovative approaches to the establishment, enhancement, modification, and/or improvement in a variety of programs including quality assessment and patient safety. Attends meetings and other events to represent that Patient Safety Program when necessary to represent program objectives, provides updates on projects or initiatives, and address other patient safety concerns as needed. Provides direct support to the PSM, and accepts duties as assigned. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30am-4:00pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized 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 Specialist (Patient Safety Program Support Specialist)/PD080640 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): 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, 12/05/2023. 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-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. For a GS-9 position your must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. 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: GS-7 Level Specialized Experience: Must possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-5) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience includes: Skills with information management systems, including database management, and database analysis and reporting; Ability to apply analytical, evaluative methods and techniques to issues concerning the efficiency and effectiveness of program operations carried out by administrative personnel; Skill in both oral and written communication, as well as the art of negotiation; Provide clear, logical and concise explanations of information; Knowledge of spreadsheets, graphics/visual displays of data, word processing software to store and retrieve electronic documents and files, activating printers, inserting/deleting text, formatting letters, reports and memoranda. OR GS-7 Education: Must have successfully completed 1 full year of graduate level education. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work and be directly related to the duties of this position. OR Must have completed a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree and have Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A). S.A.A. must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled and demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work and be directly related to the duties of this position. TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED S.A.A. is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership. 1. Class standing -- Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses. 2. Grade-point average (G.P.A.)-- Applicants must have a grade-point average of: a. 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; b. 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum. 3. Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society OR GS-7 Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-7 level. To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 60 semester hours that you earned). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-7. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position. TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED GS-9 Level Specialized Experience: Must possess 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-7) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience includes: Skills with information management systems, including database management, and database analysis and reporting; Ability to apply analytical, evaluative methods and techniques to issues concerning the efficiency and effectiveness of program operations carried out by administrative personnel; Recognition of the different functions and motivation of various employees and groups in health care delivery systems; Skill in both oral and written communication, as well as the art of negotiation; Provide clear, logical and concise explanations of information; Knowledge of spreadsheets, graphics/visual displays of data, word processing software to store and retrieve electronic documents and files, activating printers, inserting/deleting text, formatting letters, reports and memoranda. Designing and developing training presentations, plans, instructions, materials and aids. Developing and implementing quality and process improvement procedures and to perform auditing functions. OR GS-9 Education: Successfully completed a Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work and be directly related to the duties of this position. TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED OR GS-9 Combination: Must possess a combination of graduate education and specialized experience as described above. TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Analytical ReasoningCommunicationManages and Organizes InformationOrganizational Performance AnalysisProject Management 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. 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

Physical Requirements: Field work is required within the facility, as well as the Community Based Outpatient Clinics. Some travel is required. Position requires walking, standing, stooping, sitting and minimal lifting. No other special physical demands are required of this work.

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 Danville VA Medical Center 1900 East Main Street Danville, IL 61832 US
• Name: Amber Penry
• Phone: 217-554-3203
• Email: [email protected]