Medical Support Assistant

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Columbia Township (MO); On-site; USD 32,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

US Department of Veterans Affairs in Missouri invites applications for a GS-3 to GS-5 patient support position. This role supports clinical staff by handling patient communications, scheduling, and basic medical terminology tasks to facilitate care for Veterans.

Qualifications include U.S. citizenship, high school diploma or GED, and English proficiency. No prior experience required; training is provided to operate scheduling and health records systems within a caring team environment.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of basic medical terminology to assist in patient care.
• Skill in recording patient messages and understanding physician requests.
• Ability to interact with individuals from diverse backgrounds and health care staff.
• Ability to use office automation software to support patient care.

Responsibilities

• Assist in provision of care by understanding medical terminology and communicating with staff.
• Facilitate patient communication and follow-up with clinicians.
• Enter, modify, and retrieve patient information in electronic health records and scheduling systems.
• Schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting.

Skills

Medical terminology

Patient communication

Customer service

Office automation

Education

High school diploma or GED

Tools

Scheduling programs

Electronic health records

Insurance systems

Computer systems

Job description

OUR MISSION:

To fulfill President Lincoln's promise \"To care for those who have served in our nation's military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors\" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate whole health care to Veterans?

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: 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. No experience required.


• Education. High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education.


• Licensure/Certification/Registration. None


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


• 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).

Grade Determinations

GS-3 Grade Level

Experience or Education.

GS-4 Grade Level

Experience or Education.

• (a) Knowledge of basic medical terminology to assist in the provision of care to patients.


• (b) Skill in recording patient messages and understanding physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care in internal or external clinics.


• (c) Ability to meet, communicate, and interact with individuals from varying backgrounds and other health care team members in a courteous and helpful manner in order to facilitate medical care for patients.


• (d) Ability to use, and navigate between, various types of office automation equipment and software (i.e., computer systems, web based scheduling programs; insurance collection system; scanning software, multiple line phone systems; electronic faxing programs) to support patient care.

GS-5 Grade Level

Experience or Education.

• (a) Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients.


• (b) Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution.


• (c) Ability to operate computerized programs and systems in order to enter, modify, and retrieve sensitive medical and patient identifying information (PII) into or from electronic health records, scheduling systems, and/or reports.


• (d) Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting.


• (e) Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work.


• (f) Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external customers.

Preferred Experience: None

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-5. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-3 to GS-5.

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