Program Support Assistant

Summary

This position is located at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 5, Health Services Area (HSA) 5.2 and serves VA Northern California Health Care System (VANCHCS). VANCHCS is the 8th largest VA Health Care System in the country serving VISN 5. The VANCHCS is a Level 1a complexity healthcare system and ranks among a complex system in the Veterans Affairs serving VISN 5, HSA 5.2.

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Duties

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This position is organizationally located in Nursing Service and reports to the Supervisory Administrative Officer, Nursing Service/Associate Director for Patient Care Services (ADPCS), with a dotted-line reporting relationship to the Nurse Manager, Patient Flow. The position is nonsupervisory and has no direct reports.

The primary purpose of the position is to provide specialized administrative and program support to the Patient Flow team within Nursing Service. The incumbent performs continuing support functions associated with Patient Flow, Staffing Methodology, staffing variance monitoring, Nursing Service recruitment support, education and training coordination, and related administrative processes. The duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

• Regularly reviews and audits Patient Flow information for completeness, accuracy, and consistency and identifies missing, inconsistent, or potentially inaccurate information affecting the reliability of Patient Flow reports and administrative processes.
• Organizes, maintains, and compiles staffing-related information needed by Patient Flow
  and Nursing Service leadership and responds to requests for information within the scope
  of assigned responsibility.
• Prepares or assists in preparing meeting materials; records accurate and detailed minutes; identifies administrative action items arising from meetings; maintains appropriate tracking mechanisms; and follows up with responsible parties concerning outstanding actions and established due dates.
• Maintains, retrieves, reviews, and updates administrative and operational information into various system used in support of Patient Flow and Nursing Service activities.
• Monitors staffing information across nursing units, reviews available data for discrepancies or changes requiring attention, and communicates relevant information to the Nurse Manager, Patient Flow; Chief Nurses; Nursing Supervisors; Nurse Managers; and other appropriate Nursing Service officials.
• Maintains administrative records associated with assigned education, training, and program activities and follows up on incomplete actions or outstanding requirements.
• Provides individual or group instruction, as appropriate, concerning established processes and assists users in understanding system requirements and procedures.
• Coordinates follow-up on identified administrative discrepancies and obtains or verifies information needed to maintain accurate staffing records and supports timely staffing decisions by responsible Nursing leadership.
• Provides status information on outstanding administrative actions to the Nurse Manager, Patient Flow, Supervisory Administrative Officer, or other appropriate officials.

Preferred Experience: At least one year of experience, preferably working with a the Patient Flow Unit, or using information systems such as Bed Management System (BMS), Emergency Department Integration Software (EDIS).

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 08:00am - 04:30pm

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant / PD035200

Requirements

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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
• Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary. Some assignments require walking between offices or work areas, stair climbing, bending, stooping, and carrying lightweight files, documents, or similar materials.
• 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 identification 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 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 or trial 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, 11/06/2026.

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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. 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.

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

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Regularly reviews and audits Patient Flow information for completeness, accuracy, and consistency and identifies missing, inconsistent, or potentially inaccurate information affecting the reliability of Patient Flow reports and administrative processes, Organizes, maintains, and compiles staffing-related information needed by Patient Flow and Nursing Service leadership and responds to requests for information within the scope of assigned responsibility, Prepares or assists in preparing meeting materials; records accurate and detailed minutes; identifies administrative action items arising from meetings; maintains appropriate tracking mechanisms; and follows up with responsible parties concerning outstanding actions and established due dates, Monitors staffing information across nursing units, reviews available data for discrepancies or changes requiring attention, and communicates relevant information to the Nurse Manager, Patient Flow; Chief Nurses; Nursing Supervisors; Nurse Managers; and other appropriate Nursing Service officials. This experience must be well documented in your resume or application package.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Attention to Detail
• Data Management
• Communications

Preferred Experience: At least one year of experience, preferably working with a the Patient Flow Unit, or using information systems such as Bed Management System (BMS), Emergency Department Integration Software (EDIS).

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. Some assignments require walking between offices or work areas, stair climbing, bending, stooping, and carrying lightweight files, documents, or similar materials.

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

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. 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.

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.