The primary purpose of this position is to serve as a first level supervisor, providing planning, directing, organizing, and exercising control over nonsupervisory employees assigned Patient Advocate Office. The position is located in the Veteran Experience Service, in the Patient Advocate Office and reports to the Supervisory Health System Specialist [Veteran Experience Officer (VEO)].

Duties

This position performs work as a Patient Representative ensuring patient concerns are heard and addressed to improve the overall experience and quality of care for patients. The core duties of this position include but are not limited to: Plans, organizes, and directs the Activities of the Patient Advocate Office, ensuring staff comply with legal and regulatory Requirements and meets customer needs. Balances workload and provides advice, guidance, and direction on a wide-range of Patient Advocate Office and administrative issues. Attends meetings and disseminate information as related to the department. Ensures that VHA's strategic plan, mission, vision, and values are communicated to the team and integrated into the team's strategies, goals, objectives, work plans, and work products and services. Serves as member of various committees to review patient care and issues of quality improvement. Interprets TVHS' mission, vision, policies, procedures, and available resources/services to the patient and presents the patients concern, opinions, and needs to appropriate staff and management. Trains TVHS staff in skills, programs, and methodologies related to Customer Service, Patient Advocacy, and Patient Centered Care. Works directly with healthcare teams, Service Chiefs, and management to facilitate resolution to problems beyond the capability of front-line staff. Supervisory Probationary Period: Applicants selected for this position may be required to serve a one-year supervisory probationary period. Failure to successfully complete the supervisory probationary period will result in the employee being reassigned to a position in the agency of no lower grade and pay than the one the employee left to accept the supervisory or managerial position. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday | 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM CST Telework: Ad-hoc available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Patient Representative/PD709070 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/31/2024. 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-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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. Examples of appropriate SF-50s include: Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or SF-50s at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old. In addition to the Time-in-Grade Requirements, you must also meet specialized experience to qualify for this position. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE FOR GS-12: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Qualifying specialized experience is defined as: Providing customer service to patients. Assisting patients and staff with resolving problems or complaints. Assisting with identifying problem areas and suggesting solutions or alternatives. Explaining policies and procedures. Keeping accurate records and preparing reports and/or written correspondence. Providing a team formal training and information training related to patient advocacy service, customer service, and techniques. Demonstrating experience as a VHA Patient Representative with detailed knowledge and experience using the Patient Advocate Tracking System-Replacement (PATS-R). **Preferred Experience: Two (2) years of experience performing Patient Advocate duties, such as resolving issues and addressing complex complaints, working with congressional offices, responding directly to their staff assistants on matters involving patient concerns or dissatisfaction, identifying the elements of clinical or administrative practices that contribute to or create an atmosphere for patient dissatisfaction, and recommending changes. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and ManagementCustomer ServiceInterpersonal SkillsOrganizational AwarenessPlanning and Evaluating ***A one-year supervisory/managerial probationary period may be required.*** 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 includes walking, standing, bending, carrying of light items, and occasionally assisting with a wheelchair. In some instances, relationships with patients and caregivers can become intense and the incumbent is constantly exposed to high levels of stress and anxiety. This position demands emotional stability, as the incumbent is deeply involved with many challenging, seriously ill, and/or dying patients and their caregivers. 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.

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 Tennessee Valley HCS - Nashville 1310 24th Avenue South Nashville, TN 37212 US
• Name: Caitlin Clabough
• Email: [email protected]