Lead Medical Support Assistant

Summary

The incumbent Lead Medical Support Assistant (MSA) position serves as the Lead Clerk for Medical Support Assistant (MSA) staff in their assigned area(s). The Lead MSA interfaces and collaborates with larger healthcare system providers including VA and non-VA specialists, hospitals, diagnostic and treating facilities, and community-based programs. This announcement may be used to fill future vacancies.

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Duties

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Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• Manage staffing requirements, manage workflow priorities, and adjust the flow of work to meet team and patient needs. Follow up on pending issues and demonstrate an understanding of the impact of incomplete work across multiple clinics.
• Provides administrative support to Physicians, Physician's Assistants, Nurses, Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners, Dietitians, Social Works, and other administrative and professional staff throughout the Primary Care Service area. The outpatient program requires administrative scheduling and appointment coordination for diagnostic testing, and consultative appointments for many clinical services.
• Abides by federal privacy and confidentiality regulations and exhibit ethical conduct all times and complete and adhere to necessary annual VHA training requirements.
• Performs a key role in the VHA Network Performance Measures for Revenue, Customer Service, Access to Care, and overall quality of healthcare delivery.
• Assists with implementation of assurance/performance improvement principles and assures administrative functions are carried out in the performance of their duties. Persons in this position may be required to conduct individual quality assurance/process improvement checks/studies.
• Assist with ensuring compliance of Joint Commission requirements specific to his or her job, such as patients' rights, emergency preparedness, information security ethical conduct, and environment of care. Must be able to identify a Joint Commission surveyor and be able to articulate answers to questions they may be asked.
• Assists staff with a variety of clerical duties in one or more outpatient clinics that provide a variety of medical services. Will assist with review of clinic procedures and regulations and have basic medical terminology; skill in operating computer systems and applications such as VistA, CPRS, and Microsoft applications to accurately enter and extract information.
• Performs a variety of administrative functions associated with patient care and treatment in one of several clinics performing a variety of medical services. Employee assist with SOPs, Standard of Work, and training with administrative staff in scheduling areas.
• Incumbent(s) will assist in administrative areas answering questions regarding enrollment, eligibility, and beneficiary travel.

Performs other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule : Monday - Friday 7:30am - 4:00pm; Tour may vary, may include weekend, holidays, evening, etc.

Compressed/Flexible :Not available.

Telework : Not available.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : 00000

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.
• 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 may 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.
• English Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• 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.

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).

Grandfathering Provision: Employees in VHA in this occupation, under a permanent, appropriate, and legal placement on the effective date of the qualification standard, are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade and/or assignment held, including positive education and registration/certification where applicable. For employees who do not meet all the basic or assignment-specific requirements in this standard but met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed, the following provisions apply:

1. Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
2. Employees retained in this occupation under this provision who subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.

Grade Determinations :

GS-7 Experience: In addition to the basic requirements above, all applicants must alsohave one (1) year of credible experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-6)

-AND-

In addition to experience, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

1. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology and a wide range of clinical flow processes relating to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or community.
2. Skill in communicating with individuals to obtain the desired effect and coordinating with a variety of interdisciplinary care team staff.
3. Ability to utilize numerous advanced patient systems in support of multiple clinics in an interdisciplinary setting.
4. Ability to organize work, set priorities, and delegate tasks/responsibilities in order to meet deadlines.
5. Ability to provide staff development and training.
6. Ability to manage staffing requirements, manage workflow priorities, and adjust the flow of work to meet team and patient needs. This includes the ability to follow-up on pending issues and demonstrate an understanding of the impact of incomplete work across multiple clinics.

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

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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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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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.