Advanced Medical Support Assistant - Primary Care

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking an Advanced Medical Support Assistant to support physicians, nurses, and the broader care team in a high-volume clinical setting. This role functions as a key information source for patient flow and administrative guidance to ensure smooth operations.

Applicants should have a high school diploma or GED and no required prior experience. A strong understanding of medical terminology and collaboration across disciplines are essential for success in

Qualifications

• Advanced knowledge of the health care process as it relates to access to care.
• Familiarity with policies and procedures affecting patient flow and care administration.
• Proficiency with medical terminology used by clinicians.
• Ability to collaborate with a wide range of medical staff to achieve team goals.
• Skill in setting priorities and organizing tasks to meet deadlines.
• Effective communication with internal and external customers in writing, by phone, and in person.

Responsibilities

• Perform technical support duties that facilitate physician and nurse workflow.
• Serve as a chief source of patient care and patient flow information.
• Provide administrative guidance to the patient care team.

Skills

Healthcare process knowledge

Care delivery policies

Medical terminology

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Prioritization & organization

Written & verbal communication

Education

High school diploma / GED

Job description

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (A/MSA) is responsible for performing a variety of technical support duties that facilitate the work of physicians, physician assistants, nurses, nursing assistants, and other members of the medical facility who provide direct patient care. A/MSAs are considered chief sources of patient care and patient flow information. The A/MSA is a key member of the patient care team providing crucial administrative advice and guidance.

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

Grade Determination

Medical Support Assistant (Advanced), GS-06

Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS5-Full Performance).

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (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.

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

Grandfathering Provision: 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).

Physical requirements: The work is sedentary. Typically, the employee sits comfortably to do the work. However, there may be some walking, standing, bending, carrying of light items such as papers, books, small parts, or driving an automobile, etc. No special physical demands are required to perform the work.