The Telephone Operator works as part of the Benefits and Enrollment Section of the Business Office for the Iowa City VA Health Care System.

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Major duties and responsibilities include: Operating one of four-console telephone systems within the main facility; receiving and placing local, long-distance and Federal Telephone Service (FTS) calls; placing all international calls and recording appropriate information for billing purposes; screening incoming calls, extending authorized calls to appropriate extensions in compliance with federal and local regulations and policies. Providing excellent customer service for incoming callers and in-house callers and answers questions of callers using various directories and transferring calls as requested. Providing local and national directory assistance service to personnel to expedite calls. Referring staff reporting telephone malfunctions to their Automated Data Processing Application Coordinator (ADPAC) during normal working hours or if non-emergent, to the Administrative Officer of the Day (AOD) if after hours and emergent; assisting AOD in reaching appropriate personnel for emergent after-hours telephone malfunction needs. Keeping inpatient locator file current on those discharges that have cleared the facility through Inpatient Information Desk and adding names of patients as they are admitted. Arranging and completing conference call connections, including patient admissions, surgical consents, death interviews and Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) recorded calls operating the recording system and tracking them through log entries. Establishing procedures for and transmits digital and voice messages via the radio page system. Receiving pagers requiring repairs, performing minor repairs and returning them to service or prepares to have them sent for repairs. Issuing new and spare pagers, reprograming alternative pagers. Monitoring all supplies for paging system. Maintaining records and paperwork for pager inventory and activity. Monitoring disaster and medical alert panels. Notifying responsible personnel in the event that any alarm on the panel is activated. Correctly and appropriately transmitting oral messages via the overhead paging system. Performing other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30am to 4:00pm or 8:00am to 4:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved

Requirements

Qualifications

IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION AT THE GS-4 LEVEL YOU MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING: GENERAL EXPERIENCE: You must possess at least one year of general experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) needed to successfully perform the duties of the position and that is typically in or related to this Telephone Operator position to be filled. General experience includes 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. (THIS EXPERIENCE MUST BE SUPPORTED BY YOUR RESUME TO BE CREDITABLE.) ~OR~ SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE: You must have successfully completed two years of education above the high school level. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college, or university. One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university, or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business, secretarial, or technical school. One full year of graduate education is considered to be 18 semester hours. (COPY OF TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED AT TIME OF APPLICATION) ~OR~ COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: You must possess equivalent combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and specialized experience to meet total qualification requirements at the GS-4 level. (THIS EXPERIENCE MUST BE SUPPORTED BY YOUR RESUME TO BE CREDITABLE AND COPY OF TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED AT TIME OF APPLICATION) You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)Information ManagementTechnical CompetenceTelecommunications IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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. 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; religious; 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. Physical Requirements: The work requires minimal physical effort and is mainly performed in an office setting, there is slight physical effort required such as standing, walking, bending, sitting but efforts primarily consist of talking on the telephone and typing. The work is normally performed in an office setting. The work area typically is adequately lighted, heated and ventilated. The telephone operator room is a secure area and only authorized personnel are allowed to be in the work area. The incumbent observes established safety standards and practices as defined in current policy. 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

IMPORTANT: 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: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office (ed.gov).

Contacts

• Address Iowa City VA Health Care System 601 Highway 6 West Iowa City, IA 52246 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]