Telephone Operator

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Marion (IL); On-site; USD 36,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

The Marion VA Medical Center, part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, seeks a full-time Telephone Operator to provide comprehensive telephone and telecommunication support within the Health Administration Service (HAS) at the Marion campus.

The role emphasizes handling hospital calls, directing information, and coordinating emergency notifications. Responsibilities include routing requests, assisting with training, handling challenging calls, and initiating emergency notifications as

Qualifications

• General experience showing clerical/office competencies and ability to perform telephone-related duties.
• Experience handling a variety of calls including emergency and sensitive patient information.
• Volunteering and paid/unpaid experience considered; transcripts may be required.

Responsibilities

• Process incoming and outgoing telephone calls and route them to correct locations.
• Provide technical/administrative support, route calls, and coordinate with emergency services as needed.
• Assist with training of new telephone operators and volunteers.

Skills

Computer Skills

Customer Service

Telecommunications

Job description

Summary

The primary purpose of this position is to provide comprehensive telephone and telecommunication support to the Marion VA Medical Center and all associated sites. This position is organizationally located within the Telephone Operator section of the Health Administration Service (HAS) of Marion VA Healthcare System (MVAHCS). Positions are geographically located at the Marion VA main campus.

Qualifications

GENERAL EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one (1) year of general experience that equipped you with the knowledge - skills - and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. General experience is progressively responsible clerical - office - or other work that indicates ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position to be filled. 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. OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE (Transcript Required): Successful completion of two (2) years of education above the high school level in any field. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business - secretarial or technical school - junior college - college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. One year of full‑time undergraduate study is defined as 30 semester hours - 45 quarter hours - or the equivalent in a college or university or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business - secretarial or technical school. OR COMBINING EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE (Transcript Required): Combination of successfully completed post‑high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. 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. Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Computer Skills Customer Service Telecommunications IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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. 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; religious; 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. Physical Requirements: The work is usually sedentary but may involve some standing - bending - and carrying light items as required. The work is performed in an office setting that is well‑lit - ventilated - and temperature controlled. 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/.

Duties

• ***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION - YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Duties include - but may not be limited to the following: Processes incoming - outgoing - networked - and intraoffice calls regarding hospital services - patient information - and providing emergency notification information
• Receives - interviews - interprets - and directs incoming and outgoing telephone requests to proper locations
• Provides technical and administrative assistance to all services of the hospital and health care system with routing calls to locations - making overhead announcements - and coordinating with emergency services as needed
• Assists with the training of newly hired telephone operators - volunteers - and students - etc
• in department procedures and telecommunications equipment
• Processes a variety of calls including difficult calls (threatening - abusive - suicidal - or distraught callers) requiring appropriate action to ensure callers receive the assistance needed
• Maintains courteous and prompt assistance when directing difficult calls and uses personal judgement to complete these calls
• Initiates emergency notifications for Code emergencies and Rapid Response as needed
• Contacts the appropriate personnel to respond to emergent situations by following established procedures - protocols - and policies
• Performs other related duties as assigned
• Work Schedule: Full time - Monday - Friday tour varies between 7:00am-4:30pm - will be discussed during the interview process
• Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved
• Telework: This position may be authorized for Ad hoc telework
• Ad hoc is defined as occasional - non-recurring telework
• Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.