Health System Specialist - Veteran Experience Coordinator

Position Overview

The position is in the VA Central Iowa Health Care System (VACIHCS). The VACIHCS is a VA healthcare system with a large education program and a regional referral center. VACIHCS operates five Community Based Outpatient clinics located in Mason City, Carroll, Marshalltown, Knoxville and Fort Dodge, Iowa. Comprehensive health care is provided through emergency, primary, specialty, residential, and rehabilitation and extended care.

Major Duties & Responsibilities

• Duties will include, but may not be limited to the following: Program Development and Management - (40%) Build and sustain a culture of patient-centeredness, recognizing its impact on overall patient satisfaction and care perception. Serve as a strategic, proactive coordinator committed to reinforcing patient-centered program goals. Develop and manage programs using data that reflects the voices of Veterans, family members, caregivers, survivors, and staff. Navigate multiple data sources such as PATS, Veteran Signals, SAIL, SHEP, Press Ganey, and the All-Employee Survey to inform program development. Foster clear communication among patients, families, caregivers, survivors, staff, community members, and facility leadership to support positive experiences. Support and coordinate proactive patient experience training and initiatives (e.g., Own the Moment, patient-centered care training, customer service training, New Employee Orientation, supervisory training). Identify training needs and obtain tools to develop, implement, and manage programs that promote a patient-centered culture. Ensure programs also address employee needs that support sustaining a patient-centered environment. Program Planning - (20%) Engage fully with leadership and staff to promote shared ownership of the Patient Experience across the healthcare system.- Assist committees and program offices in developing and managing patient experience-supportive programs. Support management in planning, organizing, developing, directing, and evaluating operations related to Patient Experience. Report and document routine summaries of patient and family concerns to inform improvement strategies and service recovery efforts. Communicate relevant information concisely, accurately, and in a timely manner to appropriate parties. Report significant patient experience issues to leadership, designated committees, and service lines. Review comprehensive analyses and recommend appropriate actions. Recommend and/or ensure follow-up procedures are implemented effectively, efficiently, and on time. Collaborate with facility services and programs to review, assess, and recommend improvements to policies and procedures affecting patient and employee experiences. Participate in leadership meetings, including Joint Commission activities and audits, as the lead representative for Patient Experience. Provide data, insights, and information related to patient experience and facility practices during leadership engagements. Program Implementation - (20%) Manage the Patient Experience program, which may include related services such as transportation, customer service, and patient advocacy. Establish criteria for internal reviews and apply information gathered to support program improvement. Monitor and analyze changes in patient experience and satisfaction that impact program implementation. Develop communication materials for patients, families, caregivers, survivors, and staff (fact sheets, brochures, booklets, etc.). Conduct workshops, seminars, and meetings with staff at all levels to explain or improve patient experience practices. Present ideas in innovative, engaging ways to increase understanding of Patient Experience programs and reduce resistance. Implement mechanisms to evaluate the impact of materials, trainings, and initiatives. Identify areas needing further development and adjust program strategies accordingly. Program Evaluation - (20%) Continuously evaluate program efforts, impact, and overall effectiveness. Use key data sources such as PATS, Medallia, SAIL, and SHEP to assess program performance. Develop and/or support local practices for program and initiative evaluation. Lead or participate in committees or workgroups that conduct program evaluations. Use evaluation outcomes to help determine resource allocation for Patient Experience efforts. Work Schedule: Monday- Friday; 7:00a.m - 3:30p.m. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist - Veteran Experience Coordinator/PD304540 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.

Qualifications & Requirements

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/27/2026. 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. In order to qualify for this position you must meet one of the Individual Occupational Requirement as stated below: Individual Occupational Requirement: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: 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 Government-wide, agency, and facility systems and requirements in various administrative areas such as budget, personnel, and procurement. OR, Inservice 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. OR, Education Substitution: successfully completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR three (3) full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, Or LL.M in the related field of the position to be filled (i.e., hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration). The education portion must include courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. Education must have been obtained in an accredited college, or university. OR, Combination Education and Specialized Experience: equivalent combination of successfully completed graduate level (beyond a master's degree) and specialized experience as described above to meet total experience requirements. The education portion must include graduate courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do to the work of this position (i.e., hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration). NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. Experience must be clearly indicated in your resume. 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/.