The Director’s office of VA Boston Healthcare System is recruiting for interns for the Brockton, Jamaica Plain, and West Roxbury MA campuses through the Pathways Internship Program. This program allows students to join VA in career positions that emphasize long-term training and development.
The program offers opportunities in a variety of areas such as the following:
- Human Resources and Administration
- Operations, Security, and Preparedness
- Medical/Health Areas
It is designed to provide students enrolled in a wide variety of educational institutions with paid work opportunities in agencies to explore Federal careers while still in school. The Internship provides students with work experience directly related to the curriculum studies or career goals while offering eligibility for non-competitive conversion to permanent employment upon completion.
For more information on Internship opportunities within the Department of Veterans Affairs, please visit the program website.
Position: Student Trainee (Medical/Health)
Duties
The Health Systems Administrative Internship is an intensive introduction to hospital administration and management. The Intern serves in a training capacity, learns the appropriate rules/regulations used in conducting Department of Veterans Affairs business, and familiarizes him/herself with administrative and clinical operations. Interns will be assigned to one of the following tracks: Quality Management, Nursing Administration, Clinical Operations, Clinic Practice Management, and Hospital Operations. In collaboration with his/her Supervisor/Mentor, the Intern will outline goals for the internship and develop a plan of action outlining deliverables for a number of hands-on, problem solving projects. Projects will be determined by the needs of the Medical Center, and the Intern will work closely with hospital management/service chiefs and other key personnel in the formulation and completion of projects. Assignments are of considerable complexity, depth, and variety which require the application of independent judgment and exercise of initiative. This position requires an understanding of the critical balance between administrative and clinical functions in healthcare delivery, and the ability to coordinate and control programs and resources to achieve this balance.
Conditions of Employment:
- You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
- You must be at least 16 years old (by closing date of this vacancy announcement)
- Selective Service Registration-required males (over 18) born after 12/31/59
- Must be accepted for/currently enrolled in a qualified educational institution
- 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:
- Full-time, Monday- Friday; Work schedule will be set between the hours of 7:00am and 5:00pm.
- This Internship appointment will be full-time for the summer months and then may change to part-time to accommodate the selectee’s academic schedule.
- This Internship appointment ends 120 calendar days after completion of the degree program.
- Resume must state expected graduation date (month and date).
- This position is not a bargaining unit position.
- This position is covered by locality-based comparability pay.
- Travel and relocation expenses are not authorized.
- Selectee may be required to work at any Boston Healthcare System campus, as needed.
- Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Internship Program Requirements: To be eligible for this internship, ALL of the following requirements must be met:
- Student Status: The applicant must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment in an accredited two-year or four-year college or university, graduate or professional school (go to www.ope.ed.gov/accreditation/to verify accreditation status). Individuals who are enrolled must be taking at least a half-time academic, vocational, or technical course load leading to a degree, and the applicant must provide evidence of enrollment/acceptance. If enrolled half-time, the applicant must also provide the school’s policy on what is defined as half-time enrollment. Additionally, the student must maintain either a full-time or part-time work schedule in order to remain eligible under the Pathways Program.
- Grade-Point Average (G.P.A.): Students must possess an acceptable G.P.A. as defined by the educational institution to be eligible for appointment and to remain eligible for participation in the Program. At the time of appointment and upon request, students must demonstrate an overall Grade-Point Average of 2.0 or above on a 4.0 scaled as recorded on the official transcript.
Grade Level: You may qualify at the GS-7 grade level based on education and/or experience as described below:
- Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.
OR, - Education: Applicants may substitute education for the experience required. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have completion of one (1) full academic year of graduate level education or eligibility under the Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A.) Provision and completion of a bachelor’s degree. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED)
OR, - Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond a bachelor’s degree. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED)
Selective Placement Factor: This position includes a Selective Placement Factor (skill, knowledge, ability or other worker characteristic basic to – and essential for – satisfactory performance of the job). Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration. The Selective Placement Factor for this position is: Possession of an integrated knowledge of clinical medicine and healthcare system administration to formulate solutions to hospital issues that directly affect the hospital’s operation and ability to deliver optimum patient care.
Preferred Experience: The Health Systems Administrative Internship is an intensive introduction to hospital administration and management. Preferred candidates are those enrolled in a Master of Health Administration, Master of Public Health, or a Master of Business Administration program, with major study in hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration.
Physical Requirements: Work is mostly sedentary, but there is a moderate amount of walking involved, with infrequent bending, lifting, and stooping. Vision should be sufficient to read from a computer screen for prolonged periods without excessive fatigue. Data input into the computer requires prolonged used of a keyboard.
How to Apply:
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes a resume and transcript. For more information and to apply visit here.
