Program Support Assistant (OA)

Summary

The incumbent serves as a Program Support Assistant in the Pathology and Laboratory (P&LM) Service at the VA Central CA, Fresno, CA. Primarily responsible for providing clerical support and works closely with histology technicians, provides quality and timely analysis and reporting of patients results, in compliance with a variety of accrediting and regulatory agency requirements.

Learn more about this agency

Duties

Help

Major duties to include but not limited to the following:

• The incumbent uses VistA, CPRS, Microsoft Office, and other VA software systems daily to enter pre-operative patient information, generate pathology and autopsy reports, conduct computer searches, and produce data tables and spreadsheets. Proficiency in these systems is central to the position.
• Maintains organized files of all patient surgical, cytopathology, and autopsy pathology reports so that they are easily retrievable upon request, and manages a wide variety of other report files and records.
• Performs a wide variety of clerical functions including data entry into VistA, logging and accessing pathology specimens, maintaining organized patient report files, distributing mail, and answering telephone inquiries. A typing speed of at least 40 wpm is required.
• Answers telephone inquiries, gathers information necessary to accomplish the mission of the P&LM Service, clarifies terminology, and communicates with pathologists, histotechnicians, and clinical staff regarding report information and scheduling
• Determines the daily workload of the histology lab, develops plans to efficiently and effectively accomplish the work, separates cases for each pathologist, prints worksheets, and identifies special stains needed on specimens
• Works independently under broad supervisory guidance, uses initiative to resolve problems, plans and carries out steps necessary to complete assignments with little or no specific instruction, and conforms to service- and station-level memorandums.

Work Schedule: Monday to Friday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm

Telework Eligible: Not eligible for Telework

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant (OA)/ PD002840

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this 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.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• 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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year probationary 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, 10/09/2026.

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-5 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-4. 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.

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.

NOTE: Minimum typing proficiency of 40 words per minute is required.

GS-5 Grade Requirements:

You may qualify based on your experience as described below:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-4 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 administrative regulations and operating procedures; Knowledge of person computers for word processing, data storage and retrieval of information and records from data bases contained in internal and external computer program sources; printing and vast knowledge of computer software programs for data management and formulating reports, documents, and correspondence and maintain various departmental records; Ability to prepare reports, documents, and correspondence and maintain various departmental records; Skills in analyzing and summarizing information such as medical records and other documents for use in reports; Knowledge of fund control data sufficient to place supply orders and monitor supply levels; Basic knowledge of Medical Terminology; Knowledge of correct grammar, letter style, format, spelling, syntax; Knowledge of HIPPA rules and regulations regarding information sharing with facilities outside of the VA network; ability to communicate orally and in writing with academic and medical professionals of varying levels for the purpose of relaying or retrieving information; Knowledge of the overall health care systems functional and organization relationships; Familiar with the requirements of the College of American Pathologist and various accreditation agencies to assists laboratory management in maintain continuous readiness. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Accountability
• Attention to Detail
• Clerical
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Oral Communication
• Planning and Evaluating
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• 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. Typically the employee sits comfortably to do the work. However some walking, bending, carrying of light items (10 lbs) such as papers, books, etc. is required. Use of computer, keyboard and monitor as a primary tool to accomplish the varied functions of this position is required. No special physical demands are required.

Incumbent must be able to travel freely throughout the medical center as well as stand for short periods of time. There is minimal exposure to volatile materials, and exposure to infectious disease agents, biohazardous materials, and body fluids.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at

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: 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

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/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

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members : Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

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.

Help

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.

Review our benefits

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.