Clarification from the agency

1st area of consideration: current permanent James J. Peters VA Medical Center employees. 2nd area of consideration: current permanent VIS 2 employees and current permanent VA employees. 3rd area of consideration: status candidates.

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The Program Specialist PACS Administrator reports to the Chief of Imaging Service and serves as a liaison for the Office of Information and Technology (OI&T), Biomedical Engineering staff and clinical users to ensure the PACS system is configured to optimize imaging including distribution capabilities.

The PACs administrator is responsible for overseeing and maintaining the operational status of the picture archiving and communication system (PACS) and related hardware and software, such as the Voice Recognition System. Additionally, this individual will act as a liaison in digital imaging initiatives within the department and other departments. S/He develops methods and programs to evaluate, monitor and maintain digital imaging and voice recognition systems; serves as team leader in planning, developing, and instructing users in the operation of PACS network elements, the integration of these with related systems, and recommends corresponding upgrades. This position also researches and or/analyzes problems, issues, or program requirements supporting the functions of a digital imaging system; performs complex system administrator functions such as: oversight of RIS (Hospital Information System/Radiology Information System) links necessary to interface with the HIS (Hospital Information System), Application Entity (AE) titles, individual and user group creation, and access management, system filters, exam code dictionaries, DICOM configuration testing, hanging protocols, voice file exchange, and other duties associated with this position.

Receiving technical direction from the VISN Director of Clinical Informatics, the individual is responsible for: overseeing and coordinating existing and new PACS and digital imaging initiatives within the Imaging Service, identifying emerging needs in regards to PACS, ongoing training of staff in use of PACS and Voice Recognition, coordination with the PACS vendor and others involved in the maintenance of the PACS, coordination with modality vendors regarding connections of new imaging equipment to PACS, and day-to-day technical maintenance of the PACS. and associated interfaces.

Incumbent will work collaboratively as part of a team with VISN Director of Clinical Informatics and PACS Administrators at all other VISN 2 sites. Individual will share WHEN-hour on-call responsibilities with other VISN 2 PACS Administrators on a rotating basis.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Maintenance of PACS System Daily Functionality: 60%
• Planning, Oversite and Implementation of New Technology and Initiatives: 20%
• Administration: 20%

In addition,

• Responsible for day-to-day operation of PACS and Voice Recognition equipment, including image workflow, archiving, interfaces, auto routing, and prefetching and other related activities.
• Investigates and troubleshoots specific operational problems related to PACS and digital image distribution within all clinical operational areas, working closely with I.T. staff, vendor personnel, CACs, and others, as necessary.
• Works closely with the Radiology Chief, Chief of IRM, and the VISN Director of Clinical Informatics, in the development of operating standards, policies, and procedures.
• Coordinates activities with PACS Administrators at other VISN 2 Medical Centers.
• Works closely with radiology's quality management personnel to identify and design future needs and efficient workflow processes, which include further integration into operations.
• Works closely with the Radiology Chief, Chief of IRM, and the VISN Director of Clinical Informatics, to oversee and coordinate strategic planning for medical imaging initiatives.
• Responsible for PACS budget preparation and monitoring of the operating budget.
• Oversees activities of vendors in all phases of installation and implementation of new PACS-related systems, as well as interfacing of new imaging equipment to PACS.
• Prepares reports for administration on all aspects of digital imaging operations as appropriate or directed.
• Other duties and functions, as assigned.

Note: A list of all tasks and duties may be found in Position Description document # 38982-O.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Telework: Not Available
Position Title/Functional Statement #: Program Specialist/PD38982-O
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

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
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/28/2023.

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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09.

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-9 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

- Ensuring the PACS system is configured to optimize imaging including distribution capabilities;
- Developing methods and programs to evaluate, monitor and maintain digital imaging and voice recognition systems;
- Serving as team leader in planning, developing, and instructing users in the operation of PACS network elements, the integration of these with related systems, and recommendation of corresponding upgrades;
- Researching and or/analyzing problems, issues, or program requirements supporting the functions of a digital imaging system;
- Performing complex system administrator functions;
- Ensuring compliance with all national security requirements.
NOTE: Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must clearly indicate the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. OR,

• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in a related field of study that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of this position. NOTE: If you select this option, you must submit a copy of your transcript (unofficial or official) with your application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR,
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and graduate-level education (beyond the second year), as described above, which meet the total experience requirements for this grade level. The education portion must have provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position (as described above). NOTE: Copies of transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation..

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

• Administration and Management
• Technology Application
• Technology Management

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 with some walking, standing, bending and carrying of light office items is required. Work is performed in an office setting which is adequately lighted, heated and ventilated.

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/.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

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

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.

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.