Lead 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.

01Basic Requirements

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. None. Education. High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education. 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).

02Grade Determinations

Lead Medical Support Assistant, GS-07 Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade GS-06.

Examples of creditable experience include but are not limited to: Coordinating with the patient care team to review clinic appointment availability (utilization) to ensure that clinic schedules are closely monitored to effectively support the needs of the clinics, and makes adjustments as necessary; participating in team huddles and team meetings to manage, plan, problem solve, and follow-up with patient care by sharing information and collaborating with the interdisciplinary team; setting priorities and deadlines, adjusting the flow and sequencing of the work to meet team and patient needs; enters appropriate information into the electronic record; monitors pre- appointment information and/or requirements to assure readiness for patient visit/procedure; manages patient systems to verify and validate accuracy and resolve issues; evaluating patient information and clinic schedule lists to determine whether the patient requires an immediate appointment.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs).

In addition to meeting the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (a) 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. (b) Skill in communicating with individuals to obtain the desired effect and coordinating with a variety of interdisciplinary care team staff. (c) Ability to utilize numerous advanced patient systems in support of multiple clinics in an interdisciplinary setting (d) Ability to organize work, set priorities, and delegate tasks/responsibilities in order to meet deadlines. (e) Ability to provide staff development and training. (f) 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. Creditable Experience. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) associated with current MSA responsibilities or an equivalent administrative patient support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting.

Experience satisfying this requirement may be paid or non-paid employment as an MSA or an equivalent position in a non-VA hospital or clinic setting. Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience is creditable according to its relationship to a full-time workweek. For example, an individual employed 20 hours per week, or on a half-time basis, would receive credit for 1 full-time workweek for each 2 weeks of service. Quality of Experience.

Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to MSA experience or equivalent administrative clinical support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting at the next lower grade level of the position being filled.

For all assignments above the full performance level (FPL), the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity, and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

03Physical Requirements

The work is mostly sedentary. It typically requires sitting with sustained periods of concentration.There will be some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of relatively light objects. The position may also require stooping, reaching, lifting, pulling, and other moderate exertion or strain. Incumbent may occasionally have to walk some distance to a meeting.

Major duties include, but are not limited to: Daily workload assessments, assigning work, and assuring proper staffing coverage; evaluating training records; and determining training needs of AMSAs to provide support across interdisciplinary settings. Assists the unit with complex and non-standard procedures, including clinical flow processes related to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or community resources.

Ensures accurate and timely scheduling of appointments; providing guidance to staff members, to include changes in policies and procedures Creating and maintaining employee work schedules; and acting as a liaison among AMSA staff, patients, and other interdisciplinary staff to resolve day-to-day conflicts. Assure coverage of all areas of responsibility; conducting ongoing reviews to ensure quality of work; ensuring accurate and timely scheduling of appointments.

Provide guidance to staff members to include changes in policies and procedures; distributing and balancing workload; orienting and providing on-the-job training for new and current employees; ensuring all training requirements are met; organizing the work structure of his/her assigned areas. Act as liaison between AMSAs and other staff in order to resolve day to day conflicts.

Assists in collaboration of an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model and performs all related duties: customer service and other duties assigned for the proper and timely treatment of patients and assure appointment schedules are maintained by all scheduling staff. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Not availaable Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 911590