Clarification from the agency

This job is open to current permanent employees of the Veterans Administration including other federal employees. **External Applicants please apply to CBTD-12907125-26-BAS ** NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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The incumbent has full program authority to administer the Cancer Registry program at this facility, makes recommendations for program changes to the Cancer Committee, the Cancer Committee Chairperson, the Cancer Liaison to the American College of Surgeons and to the Cancer Conference/Tumor Board Chairperson.

The duties of this include but are not limited to the following:

• Plan, organize, actuate, and control all activities in the Oncology Patient Registry Program.
• Coordinate all activities associated with the Cancer Program at the VA Medical Center
• Provide advisory and technical services to administrative, medical, and ancillary professional staff
• Ensure compliance with Cancer Committee policies, American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer accreditation, VA Oncology Program, and NCI SEER Program requirements
• Administer the Cancer Registry program and making program change recommendations
• Serve as an integral part of the Cancer Program
• Identify reportable diseases using the VISTA Oncology Program
• Conduct thorough chart reviews of CPRS medical records to identify and code information related to cancer diagnosis, diagnostic procedures, extent of disease, and treatment
• Monitor and document lifetime follow-up for disease progression, recurrences, and treatments
• Ensure collected data accurately reflects the cancer experience
• Comprehend and monitor compliance with cancer staging documentation standards
• Submit cancer registry data quarterly to the VA Central Cancer Registry and annually to the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB).
• Voluntarily submit data to the State of Maine Cancer Registry.
• Ensure the registry is prepared for ACOS/COC Approvals Survey and maintain necessary documentation.
• All other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday,8:00am-4:30pm
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).
Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.
Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Telework: Not Authorized
Virtual/Remote Work: This position is eligible for Remote/Virtual work. However, this position may fall under the Presidential Memorandum titled "Return to In-Person Work" which requires you to go into the office. By applying to this position, you are acknowledging that you maybe be required to report in person to a designated location deemed by management".
Functional Statement #: F2582
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Notification :

1. This position is in the Excepted Service.
2. This position is covered by locality-based comparability pay.
3. Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.
4. Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held.
5. Narrative responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) may be required from the selectee in order to proceed with the appointment.

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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.
• 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). 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.
• 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 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 trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• English Language Proficiency. MRT (Cancer Registrar) candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

Experience and Education:

Experience. One year of experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology and general understanding of the health record. Six months of the required one year of experience must have provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) needed to perform MRT work. OR,

Education. Two years above high school with a minimum of 12 semester hours directly related to MRT work (e.g., courses in medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, and introduction to health records). OR,

Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying. The following educational/training substitutions are appropriate for combining education and experience: (a) Six months of experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology and general understanding of the health record and one year above high school with a minimum of six semester hours of health information technology courses. (b) Successful completion of a course for medical technicians, hospital corpsmen, medical service specialists, or hospital training obtained in a training program given by the Armed Forces or the U.S. Maritime Service under close medical and professional supervision. Training may be substituted on a month-for-month basis for up to six months of experience, provided the training program included courses in anatomy, physiology, and medical record techniques and procedures. The position requires six additional months of experience that indicates knowledge of medical terminology and general understanding of the health record.

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations:

GS-9, MRT (Cancer Registrar) Coordinator,

Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

(a) Knowledge and understanding of ACoS and/or facility requirements for administering, monitoring, and reporting compliance of the cancer program to the governing bodies.
(b) Ability to interpret data to set, evaluate, and adjust the cancer program and/or facility goals and objectives.
(c) Ability to inform cancer registry staff on the technical components of the cancer database, coordinate workflow and monitor data for accuracy and quality measures.
(d) Ability to multitask.
(e) Ability to communicate with individuals from various disciplines regarding the facility requirements of the cancer program.
(f) Ability to analyze and interpret data for use in facility strategic planning.
(g) Ability to develop cancer program/cancer registry policies and procedures to ensure patient-centered care for cancer patients in accordance with governmentwide, agency, and facility requirements.

Assignment. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), range of variety, and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. MRTs (Cancer Registrar) function as the coordinator of all activities associated with the cancer registry and cancer program. Provides technical direction to program clerks and technicians who assist with the cancer registry. Performs analysis of work processes to identify reasonable and efficient measurement of the quality of the work and identify areas of possible improvement. Prepares routine and special statistical reports, narratives and graphic representations requiring use of registry data. Conducts special studies and surveys for identifying opportunities to improve patient care. MRT (Cancer Registrar) are subject matter experts on ACoS and/or facility standards pertaining to setting and monitoring goals, presenting statistical and written reports to identify resource needs and process improvement opportunities, and participating in strategic planning. Serves as a liaison between the cancer committee and internal and external entities. Serves as a core member on cancer committees to ensure that the discussions are consultative, address patient management issues, and contain applicable staging schema. MRT (Cancer Registrar) are subject matter experts on registry and cancer program issues.

Preferred Experience: Minimum three (3) years Oncology Data Specialist (ODS)/cancer registry experience preferred. Strong understanding and proficiency in using electronic health records and cancer registry software. Prior experience with cancer accreditation preferred. Certified Oncology Data Specialist or obtain certification within two (2) years of employment.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-9.

Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary with considerable computer and keyboard work. The work includes some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of light items such as files, papers and books.

How you will be evaluated

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

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED

Area of Consideration-Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order:
1. Current permanent VA employees of the facility.
2. All other VA employees.
3. Current permanent Federal employees of other agencies.

Note: Veterans' Preference is not applicable to VA employees or employees of other Federal agencies.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

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.

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.

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.