Advanced Medical Support Assistant

01Basic 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. Candidates 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.

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). Medical Support Assistant (Advanced), GS-06: Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs).

In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: (a) Advanced knowledge of the technical health care process (including, but not limited to, scheduling across interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or care in the community models and patient health care portals) as it relates to access to care. (b) Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures associated with interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or care in the community operational activities that affect patient flow, and patient support care administrative functions to include, but not limited to appointment cycles, outside patient referrals, follow-up care, overbooking, provider availability, etc. (c) Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians. (d) Ability to collaborate and communicate with a wide range of medical clinicians across multiple disciplines (e.g., medical doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, clinical pharmacists, and nursing staff) to accomplish team goal setting to ensure medical care to patients is met. (e) Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations. (f) Ability to communicate tactfully and effectively, electronically, by phone, in person, and in writing, with internal and external customers.

This may include preparing reports in various formats and presenting data to various organizational levels, as well as resolving patient concerns. Assignment. For all assignments above the FPL, the higher-level duties must be 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.

At the advanced level, the Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) (AMSA) performs difficult and responsible specialized and expert administrative patient support while working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model. Work involves specialized administrative judgment and the flexible use of a wide range of clinical flow processes relating to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or care in the community resources.

Recommend changes to existing clinic procedures based on current administrative guidelines. Expertise in utilizing numerous advanced patient systems in support of multiple clinics involved in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model. Coordinates 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.

MSAs at this level develop and/or maintain effective and efficient communication with the patient, interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model teams, VA medical centers, and other agencies (e.g., assist with communications during the inpatient to outpatient discharge; communicate with non-VA medical facilities; prepare correspondence to notify patients of normal lab results; manage a system for follow-up care such as consults, tests, etc.).

Other assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: processes incoming patient secure messaging through MyHealthyVet and coordinates with care team as appropriate; participates 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; identifies incomplete encounters and communicates findings to providers; as needed; assists the team to reinforce the plan of care and self-help solutions; 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; evaluates patient information and clinic schedule lists to determine whether the patient requires an immediate appointment; informs team members about shared patients (i.e., those who receive their care at multiple VA centers or those who receive care in the community).

02Preferred Experience

Familiarity with basic data management skills, preferably with closing open encounters using VistA and CPRS. ADPAC support services to include PIV sponsorship. Basic healthcare administrative technical skills to schedule, cancel, and delete appointments in VistA. Time and attendance skills with timekeeping in VATAS. Subject matter expertise with VA standardized policies for memo formatting; competence with MS Word and MS Teams; and basic skills with MS Excel.

Competent with daily use of, and prompting skills, using AI Tools. 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-06.

03Physical Requirements

Light lifting: under 15 pounds; straight pulling (up to 1 hour); pushing (1 - 2 hours); reaching above shoulder; use of fingers; walking (up to 3 hours); standing (up to 3 hours); repeated bending (up to 1 hour); ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; near vision and far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other; both eyes required for depth perception; ability to distinguish basic colors, ability to distinguish shades of color, hearing (aid permitted); climbing stairs; mentally alert, both legs required for operation of motor vehicle; and frequent keyboarding to operate a computer.

VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/EE9c4XkaELo Duties are but not limited to: The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) provides specialized administrative and patient support services within the Mental Health Division. The position supports patient access to care, clinic operations, and interdisciplinary healthcare teams to ensure timely, efficient, and quality services for Veterans.

04Key Responsibilities

Coordinates and schedules patient appointments using Advanced Clinic Access principles. Maintains and manages clinic schedules, patient records, referrals, and administrative documentation. Serves as a primary point of contact for Veterans, families, caregivers, and staff, providing exceptional customer service and resolving concerns. Monitors clinic access, patient flow, provider availability, and compliance with scheduling directives.

Assists with staffing coordination, workload distribution, training, reporting, and quality assurance activities. Conducts audits, surveys, workflow reviews, and data validation to improve operational efficiency and compliance. Generates and analyzes workload and performance reports to support management decisions. Collaborates with interdisciplinary clinical teams to coordinate patient care and ensure continuity of services.

Acts as a resource for staff, assists with special projects, and provides coverage during staffing shortages. Serves as a timekeeper or backup timekeeper and maintains personnel records, supplies, and administrative resources. Supports outreach initiatives, including Veteran Justice Outreach, Suicide Prevention, and Mental Health Social Work programs. Identifies process improvement opportunities and develops solutions related to patient access, customer service, clinic operations, and revenue cycle activities.

Work Schedule: Monday- Friday, 8am- 4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 102216 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorize