Information Receptionist

Summary

This position was created for the purpose of providing assistance to Veterans, their families, and visitors at the Wm. Jennings Bryan Dorn Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Employee will be assigned to Community Engagement and Veteran Experience with their primary assignment at the information desk located at the visitor entrance to the medical center or any other area where patients and visitors would seek information, or patients or visitors need wayfinding assistance.

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Duties

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The incumbent serves as the first point of contact for many of our customers by serving at the information desk or any other area where patients and visitors would seek information or standing in strategic locations where patients and visitors need wayfinding assistance as directed by a supervisor.

The incumbent possesses the knowledge to address a wide range of patient and visitor inquiries regarding the Medical Center.

He/she must use critical thinking skills to provide the most useful information or to suggest other productive sources of specific information applicable to the nature and subject of the inquiry.

The incumbent must be able to identify situations of an emergent nature, so the patient's health and well-being are not jeopardized.

All interactions with patients, their representatives and staff are courteous.

The Medical Center has numerous and extensive

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 8:00 am to 4:30 pm

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Information Receptionist/ PD01654A

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required.
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/10/2026.

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-04 position, you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-03 . 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 that you possess one year of time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one year of time-in-grade.

Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

• General Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-03 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of general experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Assisting visitors or patients arranging transportation, wheelchair requests, and escort requests to appointments and clinics; answering telephone inquiries and concerns; and providing information and responding to numerous calls throughout the facility.

OR,

• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level, you must have successfully completed 2 years of education above high school level in any field for which high school graduation or equivalent is the normal prerequisite is creditable. 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.

OR,

• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of general experience and education in equivalent combinations of successfully completed 1 year above high school education and 6 months of general experience directly related to the work of the Information Receptionist position, which may be substituted to meet the experience requirements for the GS-04 position.
• For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at

Preferred Experience; Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, considering the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.

Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations; is sensitive to cultural diversity, race, gender, disabilities, and other individual differences.

Works with clients and customers (that is, any individuals who use or receive the services or products that your work unit produces, including the general public, individuals who work in the agency, other agencies, or organizations outside the Government) to assess their needs, provide information or assistance, resolve their problems, or satisfy their expectations; knows about available products and services; is committed to providing quality products and services.

Selective Placement Factor: Serves as the Information Receptionist in support of the overall mission of the VA Medical Center and enhances the level of patient satisfaction and positive customer satisfaction in day-to-day operations.

Demonstrates the ability to deal effectively with visitors/patients and staff through appropriate interpersonal relations. Approaches patients/families/staff/volunteers with kindness and courtesy.

Makes a concentrated effort to effectively participate as a team member completing assignments and seeking assistance when needed.

Works a tour of duty determined by patient flow requirements and as scheduled by the Lead Ambassador.

Knowledge of methods and procedures to protect information systems and data by ensuring their availability, authentication, confidentiality, and integrity.

Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations; is sensitive to cultural diversity, race, gender, disabilities, and other individual differences.

Knows the organization's mission and functions, and how its social, political, and technological systems work and operate effectively within them; this includes the programs, policies, procedures, rules, and regulations of the organization.

Quality Ranking Factor: Demonstrates the ability to deal effectively with visitors/patients and staff through appropriate interpersonal relations. Approaches patients/families/staff/volunteers with kindness and courtesy.

Makes a concentrated effort to effectively participate as a team member completing assignments and seeking assistance when needed. Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, considering the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.

Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations; is sensitive to cultural diversity, race, gender, disabilities, and other individual differences.

Position can serve as a floater (tour of duty will be as needed upon request) Tour of duties: 6am-230pm, 730am-4pm, 8am-430pm, 830am-5pm.

Employees need to have the ability to push patients who may weigh up to 300lbs and be able to walk 10,000 steps per day

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: 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:

Additional information

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.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency-Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency-Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need an RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

The Ralph H. Johnson VA & its CBOCs are committed to hiring a diverse workforce from various backgrounds and individuals who demonstrate a diversity, equity, and inclusion-related mindset and behaviors. We are strongly seeking candidates who represent the full range of cultural and identity factors, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation/identity, gender identity and expression, age, language, abilities/disabilities, socioeconomic status, religion, spiritual practices, geographic region, and other characteristics.

Receiving Service Credit for 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. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employees credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. 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.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.