Medical Support Assistant

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Grand Island (NE); On-site; USD 42,000 - 59,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs seeks a Medical Support Assistant (MSA) to serve as the first point of contact for units, clinics, and patients.

Responsibilities include scheduling appointments, tracking and processing electronic orders and consults, and supporting patient care through data entry and system navigation. The role requires knowledge of patient information systems, ability to navigate scheduling programs, and strong communication with a diverse patient population.

Qualifications

• Possess basic medical terminology knowledge for patient care.
• Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting.
• Competence in entering and retrieving data in electronic health records.
• Excellent communication with diverse patients and staff.

Responsibilities

• Schedule patient appointments for clinical units and clinics.
• Track and respond to electronic orders and consults in medical systems.
• Review and process patient information and related data.
• Serve as initial point of contact for patients, clinics, and staff.

Skills

Medical terminology

Customer service

Scheduling

Electronic health records

Communication

Office equipment proficiency

Education

High school diploma or GED

One year of education above high school

Job description

The Medical Support Assistant (MSA) with the Pathology and Lab Service Department functions as serving as an initial point of contact for the units, clinics, patient. Duties included, but not limited to: scheduling patient appointments, tracking, reviewing, and responding to electronic orders and consults in the organizational medical systems. This position requires a practical knowledge of computerized data entry, information processing systems and software related to patient care. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/28/2026.

Medical Support Assistant Basic Requirements:

Citizenship: Citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance to 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).)

• Experience: None.

OR

• 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.

Grandfathering Provision:

Employees in VHA in this occupation, under a permanent, appropriate, and legal placement on the effective date of the qualification standard, are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade and/or assignment held, including positive education and registration/certification where applicable. For employees who do not meet all the basic or assignment-specific requirements in this standard but met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed, the following provisions apply:

1. 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 the standard.
2. Employees retained in this occupation under this provision who subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.

NOTE: This provision is not intended to regularize appointments/placements.

Foreign Education:

To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials.

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).

Grade Determinations:

1. Creditable Experience: To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) associated with current MSA responsibilities or an equivalent administrative patient support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting. Experience satisfying this requirement may be paid/non-paid employment as an MSA or an equivalent position in a non-VA hospital or clinic setting.
2. Part-Time Experience: Part-time experience as an MSA or equivalent administrative patient support in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting is creditable according to its relationship for the full-time workweek. For example, an MSA employed 20 hours a week, or on a 1/2-time basis, would receive one full-time workweek of credit for each two weeks of service.
3. Quality of Experience: Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to MSA experience or equivalent administrative clinical support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting at the next lower grade level. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty), and range of varieties as described in this standard, at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time.

In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements, candidates must possess the required specialized experience and be able to demonstrate all Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs) as summarized below.

GS-3 Grade Experience or Education (Entry Level):

None beyond the basic requirements.

GS-4 Grade Experience (Developmental Level):

One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade. OR Education: One year of education above high school. AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:

1. Knowledge of basic medical terminology to assist in the provision of care to patients.
2. Skill in recording patient messages and understanding physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care in internal or external clinics.
3. 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.
4. 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 Experience (Full Performance Level):

One year of experience equivalent to the GS-4 grade level; OR Education: Two years of education above high school. AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:

1. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients.
2. Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution.
3. 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.
4. Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting.
5. Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work.
6. Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external customers.

References:

See Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO) website for VA specific qualification standards:VA Qualification Standards - Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO).

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-5

You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.