Program Support Assistant

Summary

This position is under the Surgical Service and is located in the Surgical Services Office of the Chief (OOC) which is under the umbrella of Chief of Staff. The Program Support Assistant (PSA) is responsible for orientation, training and documentation compliance for all Surgical Service Providers, Residents, Medical Students, and Health Technicians.

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Duties

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Duties include but not limited to the following:

• Assist with general question and provides assistance for routine computer problems
• Assists Surgical Service as needed to ensure dictation and documentation are performed within established timeframes
• Ensures that the competency policies and SOPs are updated and current
• Reviews equipment instructions provided by the manufacturers and develops policy/procedures relating to the operations/maintenance of the equipment
• Distributes and monitors pagers, keys, phone codes, computer access etc for Residents/Providers
• Orders supplies and communicates with the Administrative Support Assistant (ASA) for support in acquiring supplies requiring approval from higher authority
• Responsible for calling patients to reschedule or cancel appointments, updating the Recall Reminder, Electronic Wait List, and consults in CPRS as required
• Use the authorized telephone note in CPRS to document communication with patients regarding scheduling
• Provide legally blind letters, off work notices for patients
• Submit medication refill requests
• Manage the minutes and make preparations for all meetings involving the section and staff
• Assists in the planning, review, and reporting of data/statistical results of program/project studies
• Performs a basic analysis of the data and generates a variety of reports
• Reviews documents, reports, and/or applications for omissions and inconsistencies, and ensures data entry is complete and accurate
• Maintains an electronic log for all Release of Information requests, ensuring they are completed correctly
• Establishes protocols for incoming data, organizes computerized data sets and retrieves computerized data
• Other Duties as assigned

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 0800-1630

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant / PD114230

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved

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
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• 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 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 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, 09/18/2026.

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 education as 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: independently performing complex administrative and program support tasks such as coordinating clinic or program operations, managing data collection and reporting systems, processing consults and scheduling activities, and serving as a key liaison between clinical staff, trainees, and administrative offices.

Preferred Experience : Experience as a VATAS Timekeeper, TMS Administrator, PIV Sponsor, SFFX Manager

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

• Accountability
• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• 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 position requires walking; standing; bending; carrying of light items such as papers, books, etc. and prolonged periods of sitting. In addition, the incumbent must be able to handle difficult problem solving situations. No special physical demands are required to perform the work.

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.