Med Support Assistant (Advanced)

US Department of Veterans Affairs; Augusta (ME); On-site; USD 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

US Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Maine Healthcare System, Augusta location, seeks an Advanced Medical Support Assistant to support Community Care services. This role emphasizes scheduling, patient support, and coordination with clinicians in a fast-paced clinic setting.

Applicants must meet basic federal requirements, including education at high school level, US citizenship, and English proficiency. The full performance level is GS-6, with duties focusing on access, referrals, and patient

Qualifications

• High school diploma, GED, or proficiency certificate required.
• 1 year of experience equivalent to GS-05 in federal service with clinic scheduling.
• Knowledge of health care scheduling processes and patient flow.
• Ability to work with multiple inputs (in person, phone, messages) and resolve issues.
• Familiarity with medical terminology and clinical workflows.

Skills

Advanced healthcare process knowledge

Interdisciplinary care coordination

Medical terminology

Clinical collaboration

Prioritization and organization

Professional communication

Education

High school diploma / GED

Job description

This Advanced Medical Support Assistant position is in Community Care services at the VA Maine Healthcare System, located at the Augusta, Maine location. 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: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• English Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d).
• 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 Determinations:

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.

AND Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs):

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

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

Documentation Requirements for Proof of High School Completion or higher:

If selected, to meet the basic requirement of high school education or equivalent and prior to a firm job offer being extended, applicants must provide one of the following as verification of the education requirement if not covered under the grandfathering provision:

• Copy of high school diploma, GED Certificate, OR proficiency certificate issued by a State or Territorial Board or Department of Education OR college transcript.

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-6.

Physical Requirements:

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