Advanced Medical Support Assistant

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Northampton (MA); On-site; USD 41,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking an Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) to provide comprehensive administrative support across Environmental Health, Compensation and Pension (C&P) examinations, and Employee Health services.

The role requires experience with clinic scheduling, high-volume appointment management, and collaboration with clinicians to ensure efficient patient care in a federal healthcare environment. On-site position with GS-06 level responsibilities.

Qualifications

• One year above high school education or six months clerical/administrative experience.
• Proficiency in English for direct patient care.
• Ability to collaborate with clinicians and manage patient flow.

Responsibilities

• Provide administrative support across three departments: Environmental Health, C&P, and Employee Health.
• Coordinate scheduling and clinic operations to ensure timely patient care.
• Support C&P examinations and Environmental Health and Employee Health processes.

Skills

Team collaboration

Prioritization

Communication

Healthcare administration

Scheduling

Education

One year above high school

Tools

Scheduling software

Job description

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) assigned to Environmental Health, C&P, and Employee Health is responsible for providing comprehensive administrative support across three key areas: Military Environmental Exposure Registry, Compensation and Pension (C&P) examinations, and Employee Health services. This role requires an understanding of the procedures and protocols associated with each department and ensures seamless coordination and management of associated tasks.

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.
• Education or Experience: One year above high school; OR 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 Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable.
• English Language Proficiency: Medical Support Assistants appointed to direct patient care positions must be proficient in spoken and written English.
• Grandfathering Provision: All MSAs employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series, and grade held, which are a part of the basic requirements for the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: (1) Such employees may be reassigned, promoted or changed to a lower grade within the occupation. (2) 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 this standard. (3) If an employee was converted to Title 38 hybrid status under this provision leaves the occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.

Grade Determinations

Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) GS-06:

Experience: One (1) year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level in Federal service (GS-05).

Experience includes: Clinic experience in a hospital or doctor's office setting to include scheduling a high volume of appointments annually. High level customer service skills as evidenced by daily interaction and communication with clinicians, patients, families and coworkers. Evidence of work in a clinic setting with multiple inputs (in person, telephone, instant message communications) that need timely and professional resolution. Evidence of specific computer scheduling programs or software utilized in a clinic or hospital. In addition to 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.

And

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA):

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

1. 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.
2. Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians.

References:

VA Handbook 5005/117 Medical Support Assistant Qualification Standard GS-0679, dated August 1, 2019. http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/Directives-Handbooks/Documents/5005.pdf . This can be found in the local Human Resources Office.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-06.

Preferred Experience:

1-2 years experience in Environmental Health, Compensation & Pension, and Employee Health. Familiarity with Military Environmental Exposure Registry, Compensation and Pension (C&P) examinations, and Employee Health processes.

Reference:

For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements:

The work requires some physical exertion such as prolonged periods of standing, bending, reaching, crouching, stooping, stretching, and lifting moderately heavy items such as papers, books, manuals, record boxes and boxes of computer paper. Computers are used and therefore keyboarding is required. The work includes walking from area to area when covering for other employees. Applicant may at times be exposed to stressful situations with Veterans.