Health System Specialist

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/14/2024. Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for entry into this job series, and it is something that can’t be waived. The Individual Occupational Requirement for the Health System Specialist position is: Education: Undergraduate and Graduate Education with a major study in hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration. OR Specialized Experience: You must have progressively responsible analytical or administrative, or clinical management or supervisory experience in the health care field. This work may have been performed in an operating health care facility or a higher organizational echelon with advisory or directional authority over such facilities. Work must have involved a close working relationship with facility managers and analysis and/or coordination of administrative, clinical, or other service activities, and provided knowledge of the following Missions, organizations, programs, and requirements of health care delivery systems Regulations and standards of various regulatory and credentialing groups; and Government-wide, agency, and facility systems and requirements in various administrative areas such as budget, personnel, and procurement. Special Provision for In-service Placement: Successful completion of an agency-sponsored on-the-job training program may be substituted for qualifying experience, provided it included a formal individualized training plan. Such a training program must have been conducted in an operating health care system and included: Assignments providing a knowledge of basic health system administration philosophies, practices, and procedures, and basic government administrative policies and requirements Practical assignments providing an opportunity to apply health system administration skills and principles (as the individual progresses, work assignments must be characteristic of the grade level to which he or she is assigned); and Oversight by an experienced health system administrator with periodic evaluation of the individual’s progress and appropriate adjustment of the training program. 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-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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. In addition to the above IOR and time in grade requirements, you may qualify on the following: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 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 a broad range of clinical and administrative computer systems used by the Department of Veterans Affairs on how to collect data and extract pertinent information for specific assignments (Power Apps, SharePoint, LEAF, VSSC, VistA, etc.) – Ability to analyze complex data and problems and present both oral and written recommendations for improvement, taking into consideration the wide range of factors and requirements that affect the management of the health care system. Knowledge in preparing project papers and reports. – Ability to organize and deliver oral and written briefings to managers to foster understanding and acceptance of findings and recommendations. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Communication Computer Skills Critical Thinking Flexibility Standards 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: Work is mostly sedentary; however, some walking and stair climbing, bending, stooping, and occasional lifting of moderately heavy items such as computers, chairs, multiple folders, books, and binders are required. 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/.
This position is a Health Systems Specialist – Quality Program manager who reports directly to the Chief of Quality, Performance, and Patient Safety service at the Lexington VA Healthcare System. The incumbent works with the Chief of Quality, Performance, and Patient Safety Service, along with the Health Care System Director, executive management, and service line chiefs.