Medical Support Assistant

Summary This position is located in Nursing, Mental Health, Southern Nevada Healthcare System, North Las Vegas NV 89086. This job will close when we have received 50 applications, which may be sooner than the closing date. Responsibilities Major Duties - Responsible for delivering administrative support for staff. Is responsible for the processing of hospital admissions, registration of patients; entering workload date and validation. Will develop and hone skills to be able to verify patients address, telephone and responsible caregiver upon admission to unit. Assures accuracy and completeness. Continually monitors patient flow, identifies existing and potential problems areas or delays in processing a Veteran's medical care request. Initiates action with the clinical staff to expedite the case and ensure the smooth flow of patient care from reception though disposition. - Answers patient call light, either in person or electronically, and ensure patient requests are passed along to the appropriate nursing staff (e.g., Charge Nurse, Primary Nurse, Nursing Assistant, etc.). - Make necessary arrangements for emergency transfers to and from VA and private hospitals and prepares necessary paperwork in a prompt manner for cost containment. - Provide reception and support at the front desk by greeting visitors, answering phone calls, forwarding phone calls to staff, and taking messages for them. The MSA will answer the phone with a salutation, state name, location of the unit, and ask how he/she may be of service. - Accurately communicates a variety of Physician's orders involving patient activities and routes information to appropriate departments, i.e., dietary, pharmacy. - Responsible for scheduling appointments, including interpreting, and verifying provider orders in accordance with Veterans Health Administration (VHA) national scheduling guidelines, as assigned. Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: scheduling, canceling, re-scheduling patient's appointments and/or consults; monitoring inpatient appointments for areas of responsibility; ensuring encounter forms are completed in order to obtain appropriate workload credit; verifying and updating demographics; processing all emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals; accurately assures physician orders are entered into CPRS properly; relates to staff, patients and family members in a patient centered care manner. - Communicates with all departments and Nursing Officer (NOD) to coordinate the admission of patients. Notifies appropriate personnel and supporting departments of a patient admission, transfer, discharge, or death. - Review's patient chart prior to arrival on unit for the presence of admission orders and the need for special equipment and procedures (i.e., isolation, specialty beds, telemetry). Notifies primary nurse and obtains equipment needed for patient care (i.e., telemetry). Notifies telemetry personnel of admission and necessary information when telemetry is required. - Demonstrates and adheres to all aspects of Veteran Centered Care concepts, Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect, Excellence (ICARE), and the Code of Conduct in daily work/interactions with others. - Interacts with patients, supervisors, staff, volunteers, visitors, and non-VA personnel reflecting a working knowledge of cultural differences in language communication style, physical limitations, and other diversity-related factors. - Files documents as needed (e.g., patient information, scanning and review correct location in CPRS, etc.). - Responds in a timely manner to special requests by the Nurse Manager/Assistant Nurse Manager and prioritizes urgent matters appropriately. - Place's page/phone call requests for medical, nursing, and ancillary staff, as well as for emergencies (i.e., code blue, etc.). - Scans forms/documents for inclusion in the electronic medical record (CPRS). - Maintains up to date phone list of frequently called numbers for use on the unit, along with the emergency cascade call list. - Enters maintenance requests into appropriate computer application system and follows up on the completion of those requests. Notifies appropriate personnel if request is an emergency. Develops record keeping system for maintenance requests and keeps up to date. - Sets up or reprocess Reusable Medical Equipment (RME) as applicable and be certified annually on the specific equipment for which they are responsible (e.g., cleaning of Vocera® devices, wheelchair, telemetry units, other medical equipment, etc.). - Performs other duties as assigned within the scope of the position. Work Schedule: To Be Determined. Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement#: 593-11618-F, 593-11619-F, 593-11494-F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements 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 dentification 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: 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. Certification. None required. 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. GS-05 Medical Support Assistant (Full Performance Level) Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-4 grade level; OR, Education. Four years of education above high school. AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate ALL of the KSAs below: 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. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients. Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting. Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work. Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external customers. Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution. 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). Preferred Experience: Clerical 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. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit full performance level of this vacancy is GS-5. Physical Requirements: 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 hours or on days that have a large volume of activity. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. Education 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 You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this 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. You may be required to serve a probationary period. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. 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. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 2-year probationary 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 probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Effective May 7th, 2025, PCIF/PIV offices will no longer accept Driver's licenses or state-issued Identification (ID) cards that aren't REAL ID compliant.