Summary Serve as an Education Specialist for the Continuing Medical Education Program at the VA Caribbean Healthcare System. This facility is a multi-mission healthcare system focused on patient care, teaching, and research. The Continuing Education Specialist is responsible for reviewing, updating, and making recommendations regarding policies which affect the continuing education activities, as well as for the assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation of medical education activities. Responsibilities Duties consist of the following, but are not limited to: Responsible for program/project implementation for large education programs dealing with complex issues that involve a diversity of important considerations. Oversees the training function that includes the process for implementation of the ongoing CE activities, including CME rounds, CE conferences, CE online courses, CE workshops, and other multidisciplinary education programs. Monitors the educational programs related to provider staff competence, to include periodic review of documentation of competence based on established criteria and initiation of training to meet competence need when warranted. Maintains program requirements/validation criteria for assigned organizations. Establishes administrative controls aimed at ensuring remedial actions are completed as proposed. Coordinates with staff specialists involved in preparing educational proposals, correspondence, and compilation of reports. Serves as a fund control point official for multiple Control Points related to the CE budget and advises the Continuing and Hospital Education Committee on CE spending. Manage multiple simultaneous programs that are complex in nature. Assists with the development of strategies for effective communication of program information. Coordinates educational program/projects activities such as meetings, conference, information gathering, and conducting negotiations for various aspects of the program/project. Determines minimum standards or adequacy and legal and regulatory compliance requirements. Establishes program/project goals and objectives and identifies results indicative of successful program accomplishments. Establishes the criteria and conditions by which to judge multiple program/projects, their effectiveness, and plans, or in judging curricula for broad educational areas. Coordinates continuing education program/projects activities such as meetings, conferences, information gathering, and negotiations, and/or promotes those programs/projects through participation in agency operational or planning meetings or similar activities, where the incumbent publicized educational program accomplishments and solicits support and cooperation necessary to ensure program success. Compiles an annual educational needs assessment that leads CE planning. Incumbent works with inter professional staff and its committees to identify CE learning opportunities and needs of clinical staff. He/she develops formal methods of obtaining, utilizing, and documenting both medical educational needs and the overall evaluation of programs given. Provides technical and clerical support to program implementation; supports program announcement, room coordination and set up, and prepares reports when required. Coordinates continued education on these programs when requested, and collects data, including evaluations and recommendations for program improvement. Assists and/or supports the reservation of training rooms assigned to the Education Center through LEAF Site. Provides support to administrative personnel of the Education Center and to the Education Manager by processing incoming and outgoing materials such as correspondence, electronic mail, reports, memoranda, requests, and other forms of written communication in both Spanish and English. Actively supports the team in special projects and assignments. 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 8:00am-4:30pm 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#: Education Program Specialist/PD13414-O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment 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, 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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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. Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in spoken and written English. Must be proficient in spoken Spanish. Selective Placement factor Must have Knowledge and experience with the implementation, execution and evaluation of continued Education Programs for adults, as well as conducting Educational Needs Assessments in a complex healthcare facility. QUALITY RANKING FACTOR: Experience applying employee development concepts, principles, and practices related to planning, evaluating, and administering training, organizational development, and career development initiatives. This occupational series has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) which is a minimum qualification requirement. To be considered for the position, you must ensure that the experience is reflected in your resume and/or if applicable, transcripts must be uploaded to support education requirement or substitution. Education Program Series 1720 Individual Occupational Requirements Basic Requirements: Degree: that included or was supplemented by at least 24 semester hours in a field related to the work of the position to be filled, of which at least 9 semester hours must have been in education courses. or Combination of education and experience -- at least 24 semester hours in a field related to the work of the position to be filled, of which at least 9 semester hours must have been in education courses, plus appropriate experience or additional education. The experience must reflect the level and kind described in C below. or Four years of experience that demonstrated a thorough understanding of the principles and practices underlying the work of this series. This experience must have been of such character and diversity to demonstrate that the applicant possesses an understanding of the field comparable to that normally acquired through successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university. or At least 1 full academic year of professional teaching experience. This experience is defined as full and primary responsibility, under general supervision, for instruction of assigned students in an accredited school or institution. This includes responsibility for preparing and presenting lessons and for evaluating students' progress, including a determination of the students' success or failure according to established criteria. Serving in an assistant capacity to a professor without the authority to determine the students' success or failure to meet course requirements does not meet this criterion. In addition to the IOR above you must also meet the requirement below. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Design, development, and evaluate training programs; Create training plans, guide on the course methods selection, materials, and aids; Mastery of a wide range of communications technology is essential, this includes, but is not limited to personal computers, and knowledge of a wide range of software such as word processing, spreadsheets, power point, video conferencing distance learning; and web-based training and education; Coordinate educational program/projects activities such as meetings, conference, information gathering, and conducting negotiations for various aspects of the program/project; Experience applying employee development concepts, principles, and practices related to planning, evaluating, and administering training, organizational development, and career development initiatives. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree.. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond 1 year of graduate-level education. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and Management Analytical Reasoning Interpersonal Skills Selective Placement Factor Technology Application 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: No special physical exertion is required. The work is primarily performed while sitting though some work may require periods of standing. The regular and recurring work of the position involves sitting at a desk, conferences, meetings, etc., and occasional visits to activity work sites. 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/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.