The primary purpose of this position is to provide the services and perform the duties inherent in switchboard operations of the medical facility. The work involves routing the calls to their proper destinations and providing telephone and organizational information to callers. The switchboard operates 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. The employee is required to work shifts, nights, weekends and holidays as scheduled.

Duties

Major Duties include, but are not limited to, the following: Responsible for monitoring various Medical Center alarms and initiating emergency call procedures as required. Maintains an accurate listing of patients, as well as key employees and other records incidental to the telephone system. Operates the audio and radio paging systems to contact staff members. Establishes connects for conference calls for key medical center personnel as requested. Must regularly handle a variety of difficult calls requiring extensive seasonal involvement. Responsible for retrieving and/or updating relevant information in computerized databases using detailed procedural instructions and established guidelines pertaining to customers assistance, record keeping, and call receiving, placing, and monitoring. Screen each call to identify the needs of patients and more such as, mental Illness, alcohol or drug abusers who will require special attention from operator. Prepares and records long distance and local information regarding the facility's communications management system and other special telephone studies utilizing toll tickets and summary sheets, as required. Provides primary or alternate routing service for high precedence calls; handles calls of varying precedence and preempting circuits if necessary. Work Schedule: Shifts vary and will be discussed upon interview and/or selection Compressed/Flexible: May be available at manager's discretion Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#:Telephone Operator/PD07555A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: 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 Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement,01/25/2024 . You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: General Experience: Applicants must have one year of experience in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: performing work related to clerical and administrative skill set i.e. operating a multi-line phone system, maintaining databases and other file systems OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have completed two years above high school OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of experience and education beyond high school. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Customer ServiceManages and Organizes InformationTechnical Competence 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 primarily sedentary but will involve periods of walking throughout the facility to interface with other services, bending, stooping, lifting, and carrying. The incumbent is exposed to CRT/PC screen radiation sometimes for long periods of time. Reasonable accommodation may be considered in determining an applicant's ability to perform the duties/functions of the position.

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 Ralph H Johnson Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 109 Bee Street Charleston, SC 29401 US
• Name: Lois Auge
• Phone: 706-002-0094 X20094
• Email: [email protected]