Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

Summary

The purpose of this position is to serve as Advanced Medical Support Assistant assigned to Mental Health Service at the San Diego VA Healthcare System, San Diego, CA. The incumbent will be communicating with people from various backgrounds and must be able to use professional courtesy and tactfulness when processing the telephone calls and requests for scheduling.

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Duties

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VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant:

• The incumbent accesses the patient's computerized medical record system (CPRS) to review and retrieve medical information including but not limited to laboratory reports, allergy information, past medical history, and other pertinent medical information needed to schedule patient's imaging appointment.
• Incumbent will also communicate directly with the patient to obtain required information to determine if patient meets the criteria to receive the requested imaging procedure.
• Based upon the protocol, the incumbent determines the patient's pre-appointment requirements and restrictions.
• Prior to the patient's scheduled appointment, the incumbent communicates directly with the patient to inform of the appropriate restrictions and instructions required of the procedure, including but not limited to the patient's requirement to obtain current labs, need to fast, need to take pre-medication to advert an allergic reaction to contrast.
• The incumbent performs receptionist duties to include check-in of patients and registration of imaging procedure. He/she must screen/receive phone calls and visitors in a courteous and timely manner, determine the nature of requests and provide the information desired using privacy rules and established processes.
• Incumbent is required to create and coordinate the daily appointment schedules for one or more imaging outpatient clinics.
• The incumbent explains the VA's mandate to collect insurance information to Veterans, their families, and other eligible patients.
• As front-line contact with patients and staff, the incumbent sets the tone for perception concerning quality of healthcare services at the VA.
• The incumbent must be able to answer multi-line phone system to schedule patients, and must possess the ability to multi-task, and concurrently schedule patients over the phone and face-to-face, as well as coordinate all relative paperwork, electronic documents, etc.
• Schedules appointments accurately in a timely manner. All appointments will be made with the patient's input, either in person or by phone.
• The incumbent must be conscientious regarding patient confidentiality.
• The incumbent must possess working knowledge of clinic processes and services to function in and interact with various clinics throughout the hospital.
• This position provides medical administrative support and is an integral member of the Mental Health team to effectively carry out day-to-day administrative operations of the clinic.
• The incumbent orients staff to basic administrative policies and procedures dealing with outpatient scheduling and other administrative topics.
• The incumbent must provide excellent customer service to include both internal and external customers and must adhere to VA local, National and Service policies and procedures.
• Additional duties, tasks, and responsibilities may be assigned to meet the needs of the Service.

Work Schedule : Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm (No weekends or holidays.)

Telework : Not available.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : 000000

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives : Not authorized.

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the 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 1 or 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: None.
• Education: High school diploma OR high school transcript (unofficial or official) OR General Education Development equivalency certificate OR homeschooling completion OR proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education OR college transcript (official).
• Licensure/Certification/Registration. None
• Grandfathering Provision . 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).
• English Language Proficiency: MSAs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3.j.

Grade Determinations : Medical Support Assistant (Advanced), GS-6 Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level that equips the candidate with the following:

• 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;
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients;
• Schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting;
• Work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work;
• Communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external customers;
• Customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): Candidates MUST demonstrate ALL of the KSAs below:

• (1) 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.
• (2) Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations.
• (3) Ability to communicate tactfully and effectively, electronically, by phone, in person, and writing, with internal and external customers. This may include preparing reports in various formats and presenting data to various organizational levels, as well as resolving patient concerns.
• (4) 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.
• (5) 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.
• (6) Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of the language utilized by clinicians.

Preferred Experience:

Reference: VA Handbook 5005/117, Part II, Appendix G45, dated August 1, 2019. Medical Support Assistant Qualification Standard GS-0679. For more information on this qualification standard, please visit

Physical Requirements: The Advanced Medical Support Assistant work is mostly sedentary; however, some walking; standing, and carrying light items are required. Light filing, sometimes involving working close to the floor, is involved. Wrist and back protection can be provided to minimize the risks associated with prolonged use of automated data processing equipment.

Education

There is no educational requirement/supplement for this grade level.

Additional information

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.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

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.

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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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.