Supervisory Medical Support Assistant

Summary

The position serves as a Supervisory Advanced Medical Support Assistant in the San Francisco VA Health Care System (SFVAHCS). Time will be dedicated to the Eureka CBOC. The Supervisory Advanced Medical Support Assistant is responsible for managing and supervising all the appointment management services of the clinics and supervises all Lead and Advanced Medical Support Assistants (MSAs).

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Duties

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VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant:

The Supervisory Advanced Medical Support Assistant collaborates with and has an extensive knowledge of all clinical services and programs, to include primary care, specialty care, mental health and ancillary services. The incumbent is flexible, multi-skilled and creative in solving everyday challenges unique to a remote site.Other assignments at this level include, but are not limited to:

• assigns work and daily priorities to all Lead and Advanced MSAs and ensures the goals and mission of the Clinic and Health Care System are being met.
• is responsible for all performance management functions related to Lead and Advanced MSAs, as well as work study students and volunteers providing support within his/her program.
• applies principles, methods and guidelines to evaluate administrative operations in order to determine best practices for organizing administrative work and flow of patients throughout the clinic.
• must take into consideration the staff ratios and skill mixes needed to accomplish the work.
• Analysis results in recommendations for improvement and implementation of new systems and processes that are discussed with the rest of the management team for decisions

regarding the efficiency of clinic operations.

• performs duties related to the receipt, intake and indexing of health and administrative information.
• will interface with personal computer (PC) applications as well as numerous VISTA applications.
• will also serve as the ADPAC for Medical Practice or Specialty Clinics.
• plans and directs programs in the clinic, supporting primary care, and/or specialty care.
• is responsible for implementing and enforcing clinic changes. Advises supervisor strategies to manage clinic access and ensure compliant appointment management practices per VA scheduling directive guidelines.
• Manages CPRS view alerts from providers for action involving patient care follow-up.
• Ensures subordinate Lead and Advanced MSAs appropriately manage new consults for specialty and/or primary care clinics in CPRS to ensure consults are scheduled timely and within VA guidelines.
• Ensures patient aligned care teams (PACTs) have the appropriate equipment, supplies and space to safely accomplish work.
• Monitors and analyzes Automated Call Distribution (ACD) data to ensure timely phone access for patients and provides feedback and training to staff; identifies developmental and training needs for all staff operating on the ACD system.
• Disseminates new VA Directives and procedures that impact/relate to front desk and clinic operations and provides training to staff. Anticipates problems and develops systems and processes to ensure the goals and mission of the VA are able to be met.
• assures that the Clinical Program has the
• appropriate equipment, supplies, equipment repairs, space, etc., manages requests for services and resources needed by the Clinical Programs.
• Routinely prepares correspondence that addresses issues involving these clinics.
• Establishes and manages clinic profiles for all clinics within the area of responsibility. Incumbent functions as the administrative process and policy expert, advising medical and administrative staff relative to creating new clinic profiles or making changes to established profiles.
• provides support in the preparation of Clinical Programs projects, reports, surveys, evaluations, and graphs.
• Prepares and analyzes clinic access data from various sources, to include VISTA, VSSC and Clinic Practice Module, in order to provide reports and recommendations to supervisor and Clinic Leadership.
• Gathers data maintained on multiple databases, synthesizes, analyzes, and presents the data in a clear and logical format. Often this data must be first manipulated in a spreadsheet prior to incorporating it into recurring reports
• works under the supervision of the Administrative Officer and will handle all but the most difficult and sensitive areas independently.
• plans and organizes work with general input from the supervisor regarding deadlines for completion of analysis, reports or special assignments; only referring highly technical problems to his/her supervisor.

Work Schedule : Monday-Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm PST

Telework : Not Authorized

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : 11720F

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives : Not Approved

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): 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.
• 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.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• 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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• 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 :

• Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3.g.).
• Experience and Education.
  
  
  • Experience . Six months experience of clerical, office, [customer service], or other [administrative] work that indicates the ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position;
  • OR Education. One year above high school;
  • OR Experience/Education Combination . Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable.

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 : Supervisory Advanced Medical Support Assistant, GS-8

Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the [GS-7] grade level [leading or supervising MSAs or equivalent administrative patient support staff in a non-VA medical inpatient, outpatient, or interdisciplinary setting.]

Assignment : For all supervisory assignments the Supervisory MSA must spend 25% or more of their time providing administrative and technical supervision and perform major duties above those at the FPL that consist of significant scope, complexity, difficulty, and variety. Supervisory MSAs at this level plan and direct programs at medical centers and/or satellite outpatient clinics. They have full responsibility for supervising at least one subordinate MSA team leader, supervisor, or equivalent administrative patient support staff in a VA medical inpatient, outpatient, or interdisciplinary setting. Assignments at this level include but are not limited to evaluating the work of subordinate staff; resolving complex problems to ensure patient services are met; evaluating new products, equipment, and systems to make recommendations for improved operations; identifying educational or training needs; making final decisions on hiring selections; evaluating performance and taking disciplinary action when necessary. The employee has administrative and professional responsibility for planning and directing the subordinate lead, supervisor, and MSA's activities. Responsible for extracting and analyzing data to provide reports to senior management in support of tracking measures.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities : Candidates must demonstrate [all of] the KSAs below:

(a) Advanced knowledge of managing or leading patient support staff in a clinic. This includes independently utilizing reference sources, decision making, and 13 empowering the team to collaborate and resolve problems within a complex systems environment.

(b) Ability to provide the full range of administrative and supervisory duties to at least one subordinate MSA supervisor or team leader in a patient support setting which includes assignment of work, performance evaluations, selection of staff, and recommendation of awards and/or advancements. 13

(c) Ability to collaborate, communicate, and demonstrate customer service and interpersonal skills with internal and external customers to ensure quality/continuity of care and ensure compliance with established policies and regulations.

(d) Ability to provide briefings, orientations, staff development, and training in a patient support setting.

(e) Ability to manage fiscal matters, forecast resource and equipment needs, and identify budget needs.

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

Title 38 or Hybrid Title 38 Occupation official qualification standards of the position as stated in VA Handbook 5005/53, Part II, Appendix G45.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-8.

Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. It occasionally requires carrying of light objects such as files, books and papers; some walking, standing, and bending. No special physical qualifications are required.

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

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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