Summary The Charleston SC. Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center (VAMC) is a 97-bed tertiary care facility with a 20 resident Community Living Center (CLC) and six Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC). The Program Support Assistant is the focal point of the support staff for Surgical Service and maintains programs that support local, regional, and national directives, missions, and goals. This position reports to the directly to the Administrative Officer. Responsibilities DUTIES Program Support The incumbent's program responsibilities are primarily those administrative functions required for the support of the contract between the Ralph H. Johnson VAMC and its affiliate, the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) for the use of an operating room at MUSC's Rutledge Tower ambulatory surgical center. The PSA serves as the scheduling clerk and assists the RN Nurse Navigators, Advanced Practice Providers, and Physicians in the documentation and information systems required for the successful coordination and scheduling of the patient in the MUSC Operating Room (OR) and the flow of post-operative documentation back to the RHJ VAMC. Office Support The incumbent's duties also extend to the various subspecialties including, but not limited to Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Neurosurgery, GYN, Orthopedics, Plastics, Audiology, ENT, Speech Pathology, Urology, Podiatry, General Surgery, as well as the activities of the Office of the Chief of Surgery. The Program Support Assistant provides direct program assistance to the Administrative Officer and support to the various section chiefs and supervisors assigned to Surgical Service. Works independently with providers to manage all aspects of specialty care consults and uphold clinical documentation standards. Contracting Officer Representative The incumbent serves as an Assistant Contracting Officer Representative (COR) on the MUSC OR Contract. While in the position, the incumbent is expected to complete COR Level I and COR Level II training and obtain and maintain certification as a Level II COR. In this capacity, the incumbent will assist the Administrative Officer and other Surgical Service Administrative Staff in the composition, preparation, submission of documents necessary to maintain the contract between RHJ VAMC and MUSC. This includes assisting with contract modifications, contract extensions and option years, as needed. The incumbent will be the primary point of contact for issues related to the contract during its execution and will involve the Administrative Officer and other Surgical Service administrative staff as required. The incumbent is the primary person responsible for verifying the accuracy of and certifying incoming invoices from MUSC via the Invoice Payment Processing System (IPPS) and will serve as a back up in this capacity for other contracts. The incumbent will assist the Administrative Officer in the execution and follow-up required as part of the Quality Assurance & Surveillance Plan (QASP) for this contract. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: M-F, 7:30am - 4:00pm Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant/PD106650 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, 10/25/2024. 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-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Knowledge of the VHA and Medical Center mission, operation, regulations, and policies, as well application to medical center specialty care established guidelines. Knowledge of principles, practices, processes and techniques and ability to apply them to a health care delivery system and Broad knowledge of healthcare data systems, Electronic Health Records (EHR) and principles relating to these areas. Skilled in written and verbal communications. Ability to utilize MS Office Suite to develop and edit spreadsheets, documents, and presentations to graphically display data.. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have . 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 . You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Clerical Communications Manages and Organizes Information Teamwork 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, although some slight physical effort may be required. Work area is adequately lighted and climate controlled. The incumbent might be required to move from one geographic location of the facility to another with occasional travel to the Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC) in South Carolina and Georgia. The work places no special physical demands on the employee. Work is typically performed in an office setting with regular visits to areas within the Surgery Service/Specialty Clinic areas, CBOCs and the Medical Center. 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 This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. 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.