Kim Morel, CSC Docket No. 2022-2546

BackgroundKim Morel appeals the determination of the Division of the Agency Services (Agency Services), which found that she was below the minimum requirements in experience for a Qualifying Examination for Secretarial Assistant 3, Non- Stenographic.

By way of background, the appellant was appointed provisionally, pending a qualifying examination (PAQ), in the Secretarial Assistant 3, Non-Stenographic title effective January 1, 2022. Agency Services processed a qualifying examination for the appellant on March 25, 2022, to determine if she possessed the necessary qualifications for the subject title and she failed. The requirements for Secretarial Assistant 3, Non-Stenographic are five years of experience in secretarial and administrative clerical work. Successful completion of a clerical training program with a minimum of 700 classroom training hours or thirty semester hour credits in Secretarial Science from an accredited college or university could be substituted for one year of experience. The appellant has not yet been returned to her permanent title, Admitting Officer.

On her qualifying examination application, the appellant indicated that she possessed an Associate’s degree in Business Administration. She also listed positions as Admitting Officer, Secretarial Assistant 2 Non-Stenographic, and Principal Clerk Transcriber. No out-of-title work was found. She was credited with three years, eight months of applicable experience as a Secretarial Assistant 2, Non-Stenographic.

DPF-43,9 * Revised 7/95

Therefore, since the appellant lacked one year, four months of applicable secretarial and administrative clerical experience, she did not pass the qualifying examination for the subject title.

Appellant's argumentOn appeal, the appellant argues that she has secretarial training in the form of an Associate’s degree in Business Administration, with 12 credits in classes titled Computer Applications, International Business, and Human Relations in Business. She also lists her three positions and provides expanded duties for each. In addition, she adds her PAQ position as Secretarial Assistant 3, Non-Stenographic with duties.

CONCLUSION

At the outset, it must be underscored that a Qualifying Examination requires the candidate to demonstrate on her application that she possesses the necessary experience for the subject title to effect a lateral transfer to the title. Additionally, in order for experience to be considered applicable, it must have as its primary focus full-time responsibilities in the areas required in the announcement. See In the Matter of Bashkim Vlashi (MSB, decided June 9, 2004).

A review of the appellant’s application reveals that she does not meet the experience requirements for Secretarial Assistant 3, Non-Stenographic. As to education, the appellant wants credit for her Associate’s degree in Business Administration, which she argues is related to Secretarial Science. In that regard, the Commission utilizes the U.S. Department of Education’s current Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) as reference authority to determine if degrees and/or coursework fall within a specific academic discipline. CIP codes generally apply to all levels of certificates and degrees. CIP describes Business Administration as a program that generally prepares individuals to plan, organize, direct, and control the functions and processes of a firm or organization. This includes instruction in management theory, human resources management and behavior, accounting and other quantitative methods, purchasing and logistics, organization and production, marketing, and business decision-making. Secretarial Science is defined as a program that generally prepares individuals to perform the duties of administrative assistants and/or secretaries and stenographers. This includes instruction in business communications, principles of business law, word processing and data entry, office machines operation and maintenance, office procedures, public relations, secretarial accounting, filing systems and records management, and report preparation. Accordingly, a degree in Business Administration is not the same as Secretarial Science. In addition, there was no substitution of less than thirty college credits for experience. Only successful completion of a clerical training program with a minimum of 700 classroom training hours or thirty semester hour credits in Secretarial Science from an accredited college or university could be substituted for one year of experience.

Next, when an applicant indicates extensive experience in titles established under the State Classification Plan, it is appropriate to utilize the job specifications to determine the primary focus of the duties of incumbents serving in career service titles. In her prior positions with the State, the appellant presented a list of duties that contained some aspects of secretarial and administrative clerical work. However, each position can have only one primary focus. The duties performed most of the time and the importance of those duties, or the preponderance of the duties, identify the primary focus of the position. The description of duties listed on appeal does not support that the primary foci of her positions as listed on her qualifying examination and application and attachment were secretarial and administrative clerical work. Rather, the primary focus of all her experience as an Admitting Officer was to determine eligibility and arrange for admission of patients to a hospital. This is a professional title and work performed is at the professional level. Indeed, no secretarial work was indicated. Secretarial work involves working for an executive, including scheduling appointments, giving information to callers, reading and routing incoming mail, locating files, typing, filing, greeting visitors and conducting them to the executive or appropriate person, arranging travel schedules, placing outgoing calls, recording minutes of staff meetings, making copies of printed matter, and preparing outgoing mail. See In the Matter of Rosemarie Baylies (MSB, decided April 6, 2005). The appellant did not include her provisional position on her application. Even if she had and it was accepted, this was only three months of experience, from January 2022 to March 2022, and the appellant would still fall one year, one month short. The primary focus of the appellant’s experience as a Principal Clerk Transcriber was very difficult clerical work, and again, contains no secretarial duties. As such, it could not be credited.

Accordingly, Agency Services correctly determined that the appellant did not pass the subject qualifying examination. Therefore, she has failed to support her burden of proof in this matter.

ORDER

Therefore, it is ordered that this appeal be denied.

ClosingThis is the final administrative determination in this matter. Any further review should be pursued in a judicial forum.