The VA St. Louis Health Care System Telephone Operator (VASTLHCS) position is in the Health Administration Service (HAS). The VASTLHCS is a facility that encompasses acute, sub­ acute, and intermediate inpatient, nursing home, and comprehensive outpatient care at two Divisions, four community based outpatient clinics, four off-site clinics, and one Recovery Center. These facilities operate with full-time, part-time, and consultative physicians.

Duties

St. Louis VA Medical Center is committed to Diversity and Inclusion. Together, we strive to create and maintain a working and learning environment that promotes professional growth and teamwork. We offer an inclusive, equitable, and welcoming environment where we celebrate our individual differences and unite as a team toward a common goal of providing outstanding service to our Nation's Veterans. The purpose of this position is to provide comprehensive telephone and tele-communication support to the VASTLHCS and all associated sites. The Telephone Operator provides a welcoming and positive first impression by processing incoming, outgoing, networked and interoffice calls regarding hospital services, patient information and providing emergency notification information. Major duties include but are not limited to: Manages the administrative and technical activities of telephone communications Operates a complex computerized console 24 hours a day, 7 days a week Receives, interprets and directs incoming and outgoing telephone requests to proper locations Receives routine patient condition inquiries from concerned families and general public Maintains Veteran confidentiality under the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974 and other applicable laws, federal regulations, and Department of Veterans Affairs statutes and policies. Provides customer service to a variety of difficult calls requiring personal involvement on the part of the employee, such as threatening, abusive, or distraught callers. Examples of incoming calls include, but are not limited to: Calls requiring tactful handling of confused, abusive, or threatening individuals; Calls from the public requesting information when the nature of the request is unclear, or the party does not know what office or program is involved; Calls from irate beneficiaries regarding appointments, lack of treatment, etc.; Calls to locate particular physician or medical support personnel when their response is critical; Calls from mentally challenged alcohol or drug addicted persons who require special attention by the operator; and/or Calls from individuals who are in severe life crisis and need mental health assistance or crisis intervention. Responsible for Obtaining enough suitable information from the caller to transfer calls to the appropriate area as a warm hand-off Maintains confidentiality of patient information Maintains an on-call listing for various departments throughout the VASTLHCS, and at times, make contact with the on-call employee Retrieve information from VistA as needed to direct calls in a timely and accurate manner Provides technical assistance and administrative assistance to the Administrative Officer of the Day, the Medical Officer of the Day, the Nursing Supervisor, and other VASTLHCS assigned personnel. Manages multiple phone calls or situations simultaneously while remaining calm in stressful situations Demonstrates good common sense and quick decision-making skills. Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday - 07:30 am - 4:00 pm | 1 weekend per month and rotating holidays Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Telephone Operator/PD09229A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved 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, 06/13/2024. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade anytime in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. However, candidates may be advanced without time restriction to positions up to GS-05 if the position to be filled is no more than two grades above the lowest grade the employee held within the preceding 52 weeks under his or her latest non-temporary competitive appointment. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: General Experience: You must have one year of 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 of education above high school. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. Note: If you are basing your qualifications on education (or a combination of education and experience) you must submit a copy of your transcripts with your application. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Customer ServiceInterpersonal SkillsTechnical 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: Work is primarily sedentary in nature: sitting, standing, and bending. Concentration and sustained performance is required relating to the time factors involved in completing work assignments within time constraints. During peak time periods, employee is exposed to a multitude of constant telephone activity. Position requires working on computer monitors on a daily basis. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address VA St Louis Health Care System 1 Jefferson Barracks Drive St. Louis, MO 63125 US
• Name: Celena Bruce
• Phone: 909-871-7874
• Email: [email protected]