Medical Support Assistant

Summary

The Medical Support Assistants must provide excellent customer service and adhere to VA local, National, and Service policies and procedures. The incumbent must maintain confidentiality agreements, abide by HIPAA laws, always follow the code conduct and exhibit ethical decision making and conduct. Employee must complete and adhere to necessary annual VHA training requirements.

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Duties

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Functions or Scope of Practice.

1. Incumbent serves in an administrative support capacity and assists both the veteran and the professional staff in coordinating scheduled procedures and follow-up appointments. Promotes a positive image of the Medical Center with emphasis on customer service by treating patients, visitors, co-workers and medical center personnel with courtesy and respect responding to customer's needs in a positive and efficient manner.
2. Scans designated forms into Computerized Patient Records (CPRS) using a range of form specific settings. Index scanned images accurately with appropriate assignment of patient's name, document date, and title of document.
3. Incumbent assists in advising staff, and nursing personnel concerning VA regulations, policies, and procedures on patient care administration matters. Employs a cooperative attitude in interactions with co-workers and supervisors, accepting critiques on quality of work in a positive manner as an opportunity to improve.
4. The incumbent communicates and coordinates for the inpatient unit, receiving numerous visitors, telephone calls and messages from patient's families, friends and co-workers. Greets veterans and others, responds to questions, provide instructions to patients about requested tests procedural requirements, and completes administrative processing. Can handle each visitor or caller promptly and courteously, in accordance with provisions of the Privacy and Release of Information Acts. Use proper telephone etiquette, referring callers to the appropriate resource person or department. Answers the nursing call system and relays messages to the nursing staff. Processes the ward mail, including patient mail.
5. The incumbent reports unusual situations to the lead or supervisor.
6. Incumbent obtains all key information needed and initiates medical administrative processing of physician's orders before referring the treatment orders to the nursing staff. Verifies orders electronically, reviewing content of orders and consults and notifies nursing staff of STAT or NOW orders. Arranges ordered evaluations and treatment with other supporting disciplines within the medical center, scheduling timely, preventing scheduling conflicts. Assists in orienting patient and patient's family to the ward surroundings. Notifies nursing personnel and physicians at the time of patient's arrival to floor.
7. Incumbent determines appropriate eligibility codes, reviews admission information, and inputs data for patient transfers from other units, transfers between treating specialties, discharges from hospital care, and bed assignment changes within the unit. Recognizes a discharge or transfer to CLC. Ensures discharges are entered in computer in a timely manner.
8. Incumbent makes initial contact with operator in CODE BLUE situations, fire or other emergencies on the unit. Directs traffic, calls for necessary personnel and equipment, and records and reports results from STAT orders. Ensures telephone capability during emergency situations.
9. Incumbent contact social work service on behalf of patients personal and discharge planning needs. Contacts the travel office to arrange necessary transportation on transfer or discharge also contacts transport service for off-ward diagnostic and treatment procedures. Assist patients and families in contacting Chaplain Service and Voluntary Service as needed or requested.

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VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant:

Work Schedule : 7:30 am-4:00pm PST, Monday-Friday

Telework : Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases

Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.

Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.

Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66 .

Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA

Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)

Functional Statement # : 11242F

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives : Not Authorized

PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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.
• Experience and Education.
  • (1) Experience. None,
  • (2) Education. High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education.
• Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials.
• Physical Requirements . See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.
• English Language Proficiency . Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations : In addition to the basic requirements for employment, candidates must meet the following grade-determining criteria for placement at grade levels specified.

• Medical Support Assistant, GS-03.
  • (1) Experience or Education . None beyond the basic requirements.
  • (2) Assignment . Employees at this grade level serve in a MSA entry-level developmental position. This is an entry level MSA position. It is expected that MSAs at this level will receive guidance from more experienced staff members and require frequent and direct supervision. At this level, MSAs apply general rules and policies relating to clinic functions, staff, and automated data processing methods in support of treatment to patients. They utilize a variety of patient data systems in scheduling patients for treatment and annotate patient records. They perform front desk duties, receive telephone call, and visitors to the MSA unit. They make and cancel appointments, review patient records for necessary information, and review patient demographics and insurance verification. They consult with clinic staff when processing physician scheduling and administrative orders.
• Medical Support Assistant, GS-04.
  • (1) Experience or Education .
    
    
    • (a) Experience . One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.; OR
    • (b) Education . One year of education above high school.
  • (2) Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
    
    
    • (a) Knowledge of basic medical terminology to assist in the provision of care to patients.
    • (b) Skill in recording patient messages and understanding physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care in internal or external clinics.
    • (c) Ability to meet, communicate, and interact with individuals from varying backgrounds and other health care team members in a courteous and helpful manner in order to facilitate medical care for patients.
    • (d) Ability to use, and navigate between, various types of office automation equipment and software (i.e., computer systems, web based scheduling programs; insurance collection system; scanning software, multiple line phone systems; electronic faxing programs) to support patient care.
  • (3) Assignment . This is a developmental level MSA position. It is expected that MSAs at this level will receive minor and less frequent guidance from higher experienced staff members for more difficult tasks. Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: scheduling and rescheduling patients for treatment; interviewing patients for appointments; referring patients to other medical specialty clinics; providing information to patients necessary to resolve VA Handbook complaints; interacting with both internal and external customers; reviewing and documenting medical outpatient and inpatient electronic health records, as well as administrative records; verifying third party insurance and updating information in the Insurance Capture Buffer (ICB) system; obtaining medical information from patients; coordinating information and actions related to patient care and services; and scheduling appointments in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines. MSAs at this level refer all questions regarding medical attention to the appropriate health care team member.
• c. Medical Support Assistant, GS-05.
  • (1) Experience or Education .
    
    
    • (a) Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade; OR
    • (b) Education . Two years of education above high school.
  • (2) Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) . In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
    
    
    • (a) Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients.
    • (b) Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution.
    • (c) Ability to operate computerized programs and systems in order to enter, modify, and retrieve sensitive medical and patient identifying information (PII) into or from electronic health records, scheduling systems, and/or reports.
    • (d) Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting.
    • (e) Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work.
    • (f) Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external customers.
  • (3) Assignment. This is the full performance level for MSAs. At this level, the MSA independently performs a full range of duties related to the delivery of health care services in an inpatient or outpatient setting. Advises clinical staff on current administrative processes. The MSA is responsible for answering phones, greeting patients, relaying messages to appropriate staff inside or outside of the unit, and scheduling appointments, including interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines. Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: scheduling, canceling, re-scheduling patient appointments and/or consults; entering no-show information; monitoring appointment requests from multiple electronic sources; participating in huddles with other MSAs and/or clinic staff to determine the daily needs of the clinic, monitoring both inpatient and outpatient appointments in areas of responsibility; verifying and updating demographics and insurance information when patients check-in for appointments. Coordinates administrative functions relating to emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals and determines appointment type based on the patient's eligibility status (i.e., TRICARE, sharing agreements, collaterals, research patient, VA employee, etc.).

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-05. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-03 to GS-05.

Physical Requirements: The work is mostly sedentary, although some slight physical effort will be required using computers/phones; there may be some light lifting/carrying of files/documents; and walking throughout the service/facility for meetings, etc.

Education

***KSA Recommendation - All qualifying experience you possess must be clearly described in your application package. We will not make assumptions when reviewing applications. Failure to demonstrate your experience and knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) in your application may result in disqualification. It is strongly recommended that you write to each KSA (found below) to demonstrate how you have gained each one in your application package or on a supplemental document

*** Creditable Experience: Knowledge of MSA Practices. To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) associated with current MSA responsibilities [or an equivalent administrative patient support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting]. Experience satisfying this requirement may be paid/non-paid employment as [an] MSA or [an equivalent position in a non-VA hospital or clinic setting].

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit:

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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