Medical Support Assistant

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: 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. No experience required. 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 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

GS-3 Grade Level Experience or Education. None beyond the basic Requirement. GS-4 Grade Level Experience or Education. (a) Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.; OR (b) Education. One year of education above high school.

AND Demonstrate the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) in addition to the experience or education above: (a) Knowledge of basic medical terminology to assist in the provision of care to patients. (b) Skill in recording patient messages and understanding physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care in internal or external clinics. (c) Ability to meet, communicate, and interact with individuals from varying backgrounds and other health care team members in a courteous and helpful manner in order to facilitate medical care for patients. (d) Ability to use, and navigate between, various types of office automation equipment and software (i.e., computer systems, web based scheduling programs; insurance collection system; scanning software, multiple line phone systems; electronic faxing programs) to support patient care.

GS-5 Grade Level Experience or Education. (a) Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.; OR (b) Education. Two years of education above high school.

AND Demonstrate the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) in addition to the experience or education above: (a) Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients. (b) Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution. (c) 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. (d) Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting. (e) Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work. (f) Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external customers.

Preferred Experience

None Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-5. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-3 to GS-5.

Physical Requirements

See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.

VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/EE9c4XkaELo The Primary Care Medical Support Assistant (MSA) generally performs a variety of support duties working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model in this Primary Care setting. The incumbent collaborates with and facilitates the work of physicians, nurses, and other members of the medical facility who provide patient care.

The MSA coordinates and provides diverse and varying degrees of support to unit staff and manages the processing of consults and action required reports to ensure that patients are seen in a timely manner and that workload is correctly entered.

The work requires a practical knowledge of computerized data entry and information processing systems, advanced knowledge of the standard procedures, medical records, and medical terminology specific to the services provided.The duties include but are not limited to: Develops/maintains effective and efficient communication with the patient, interdisciplinary team, VA medical centers, and other agencies.

Interacts in a collegial relationship with and provides support and assistive patient services to physicians, nurses, and other healthcare personnel in the Primary Care outpatient clinics. Receives, schedules, and routes patients seeking care. Receives and makes telephone calls for clinical staff and acts as a receptionist to patients, other professional and clinical staff, and the public. Maintains electronic records and files.

Composes correspondence pertaining to clerical and administrative functions of the clinical service. Participates in team huddles and team meetings to manage and plan patient care. Work Schedule: 8:00am-4:30pm, Monday-Friday 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