Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

Summary Advanced Medical Support Assistants assigned to Community Care at grade GS-6 are responsible for performing a variety of administrative and clerical duties and is the liaison between the nursing staff - social workers - clinics/labs/OR - and physicians in their assigned area and customers both internal and external to the medical center. Summary Advanced Medical Support Assistants assigned to Community Care at grade GS-6 are responsible for performing a variety of administrative and clerical duties and is the liaison between the nursing staff - social workers - clinics/labs/OR - and physicians in their assigned area and customers both internal and external to the medical center. 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 To qualify for appointment to this position - all applicants must possess the following: Citizenship Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.) Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens according to 38 U.S.C. 7407(a) Experience None Education High school diploma - General Education Development equivalency certificate - or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education Licensure/Certification/Registration None 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 To qualify at this level - candidates must have: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level Examples of credible experience 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 clinical/medical facilities or private hospitals and determines appointment type based on the patient's eligibility status AND Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSAs) In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Advanced knowledge of the technical health care process (including - but not limited to - scheduling across interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or care in the community models and patient health care portals) as it relates to access to care Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures associated with interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or care in the community operational activities that affect patient flow - and patient support care administrative functions to include - but not limited to appointment cycles - outside patient referrals - follow-up care - overbooking - provider availability - etc Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians Ability to collaborate and communicate with a wide range of medical clinicians across multiple disciplines (e.g. - medical doctors - nurse practitioners - physician assistants - psychologists - psychiatrists - social workers - clinical pharmacists - and nursing staff) to accomplish team goal setting to ensure medical care to patients is met Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines - ensuring compliance with established processes - policies - and regulations Ability to communicate tactfully and effectively - electronically - by phone - in person - and in writing - with internal and external customers Note: You must provide detailed information of your experience performed Information such as "I was a Medical Support Assistant" is insufficient to determine your qualifications Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title - duties - month and year start/end dates AND hour worked per week Quality of Experience Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to MSA experience or equivalent administrative clinical support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting at the next lower grade level For all assignments above the full performance level - the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope - administrative independence - complexity/difficulty and a range of varieties Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-06 The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-06 Physical Requirements: Typically - the Advanced Medical Support Assistant must be able to operate a computer terminal and be able to manage multiple activities at one time Work is generally sedentary however - there may be some walking - standing - bending - and carrying of light items Work Environment: The work may be stressful due to the accelerated pace for several hours at a time during peak clinic hours or on days that have a large volume of clinic activity. Duties Duties include but not limited to: Works collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery environment (i.e. - patient aligned care team - or other specialty care Develop/maintain effective and efficient communication with the patient - interdisciplinary team - management team - VA medical centers - and other agencies Schedule appointments notifies his/her supervisor or if an individual patient cannot be scheduled within mandated timeframes Organizes work independently and handles administrative and scheduling problems VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant: The Advanced MSA works collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model within Care in the community The incumbent assists Veterans by explaining community programs - coordinating their care in the community through various avenues - and providing customer service to be the patient's liaison between the VA Medical Center and the community provider Incumbent performs a variety of administrative functions associated with patient care and treatment for Care in the Community services which include inpatient - outpatient - and/or GEC program services Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 8:00am to 4:30pm 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) 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) Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position Functional Statement #: 70891F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized #J-18808-Ljbffr U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs