Clarification from the agency

• Open Only to current, permanent employees of the Madison VA Medical Center and its outreach facilities, including CBOCs and VCS employees. SF50 MUST BE ATTACHED.

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Choose VA: Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf

The Training Specialist is expected to serve as an Instructional Systems Specialist and provide support for program development activities of Medical Center staff. Educational activities may include, but not limited to, individualized instruction, computer assisted instruction, train-the-trainer sessions, seminars, workshops, and small group learning experiences. Educational resources include designed training modules and supplementary learning and teaching materials. Educational services include needs assessments and analysis, instrument development, statistical analysis, instructional design and development of instructional materials and tests, identification and training of content experts, implementation of designed programs, and program evaluation and revision. Duties include and are not limited to:

Duties include:

• The incumbent identities specialties within the hospital where continuing education is required or desirable.
• Reviews local, national, and VA policies to gather information on education requirements. Works with Human Resources to gather requirements from qualification standards in specialties.
• Address the employee's needs by developing an education plan, targeting identified deficiencies.
• Depending upon the subject matter develops training plans and identifies the most effective training method appropriate to the subject matter and audience.
• Develop or create training materials, to include developing computer-based training courses, present classes, or make arrangements for broadcast training that target deficiencies within each specially.
• When developing program content, the incumbent solicits input from specialty experts, supervisors, division chiefs, and managers to meet the needs of the section and those of the employee.
• If subject matter is beyond the individual's ability to provide adequate coverage, he/she arranges for courses from external sources such as classes offered by the Medical College of Wisconsin, or educational courses offered via special seminar or mail such as those offered by USDA.
• The incumbent makes and coordinates schedules, ensures equipment and rooms are available, and prepares advertisements for classes. The incumbent ensures all pre-requisites are known and complied with prior to attending a subject course.
• Individual develops a system to manage and track employee's training achievements and to report training status to managers and employees to keep them up to date. Collaterally, the incumbent works towards developing a system to provide a personalized list of medical specialty courses, specific to an employee's needs.
• The incumbent trains employees on how to use and access, maintain and update the tracking program. The incumbent ensures supervisors know how to use the tracking system to follow employees' efforts and identify shortfalls.
• Maintain an up-to-date library of educational information on the various occupational specialties within the hospital, to maintain program validity. Make the information available to employees to facilitate employee's desire to pursue new career paths, i.e., a nursing assistant wants to become a registered nurse
• Develops core plans and curriculum for traditional career advancements to use as a resource for employees.
• As a resource, incumbent provides information on support programs such as financial aid programs or the availability of pre-college refresher courses.
• The individual develops policy and procedure to use tracking system and to correlate hospital needs with national/federal laws and accrediting agency's requirements.
• The incumbent analyzes trends reflected in education requests to identify future program needs.
• Serves as a resource for supervisors when developing and implementing PIP (Personal Improvement Plans) and PDP (Personal Development Plans). Provides supervisor with a mechanism for monitoring employee's progress within the PIP or PDP
  • Identifies what employee is looking for
  • Interviews client to determine necessary steps
  • Meets with supervisor or section chief
  • Together with employee, sets goals and makes plans to achieve the goals
  • Assists individual in finding resources to meet goals.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday: 7:30am-4:00pm and may include some evenings.
Telework: Not Authorized
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

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.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• 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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).

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.

• Education. Graduate of a school of practical or vocational nursing approved by the appropriate State agency and/or [accredited by] the National League for Nursing [Accrediting Commission (NLNAC)] at the time the program was completed by the applicant.

OR
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/08/2025

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 at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-9) in the Federal Service that has given you the particular knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of an Training Specialist, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled and experience that demonstrated a practical knowledge of the subject area of the position and of the methods and techniques of instruction. Qualifying specialized experience includes: Teaching or instructing in an adult education program, secondary school, college, military installation or industrial establishment in the appropriate field(s); Supervising or administering a training program; Development or review of training/course materials, aids, devices, etc. and evaluation of training results; Work in the occupation or subject-matter field of the position to be filled that required training or instructing others on a regular basis. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week.

~OR~

• Education: Successful completion of a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related, in a major study - Education or a subject area related to the Training Specialist position. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of the Training Specialist position and must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

~OR~

• Combination: Equivalent combination of successfully completed graduate level education (beyond the second year) and specialized experience, as described above, which may be used to meet total experience requirements for this grade level. The education portion must include graduate courses in Education or a subject area related to the position and such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of the Training Specialist position and must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

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

• Creative Thinking
• Customer Service
• Education and Training
• Information Assurance
• Oral Communication

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 mostly sedentary and involves the use of typical office equipment (e.g., laptop, cellphone, copiers, MiFi, fax machines, etc.). However, the work requires nationwide travel to attend meetings, coordinate program actions and, at times, to present briefings to large and small audiences. Some standing, walking, bending, and carrying of light items such as papers or files would be required which are customary physical demands of the position. There is light physical activity including pushing, pulling, reaching, stooping, and climbing stairs.

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 MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, résumé, 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.