Medical Support Assistant

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center, Business Office, seeks a Medical Support Assistant (MSA) to perform clerical and administrative duties that support physicians, nurses, and other clinical staff. The role may work in the Call Center, Urgent Care, or within an interdisciplinary care team on occasion.

Applicants must have a high school diploma or GED. The position requires one year of creditable experience or two years of education beyond high school, plus KSAs in

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED or equivalent.
• One year of creditable experience at a lower grade.
• Two years of education above high school.

Responsibilities

• Perform clerical and administrative work to support clinical staff.
• Assist physicians, nurses, and other professionals with patient needs.
• May work in Call Center, Urgent Care, or interdisciplinary care teams.

Skills

Medical terminology

Customer service

Electronic health records

Scheduling appointments

Independent work

Communication skills

Education

HS diploma or GED

Two years education beyond high school

Job description

This position is in the Business Office at the VA Medical Center. The Medical Support Assistant (MSA) is responsible for performing a variety of technical support duties that facilitate the work of physicians, physician assistants, nurses, nursing assistants, and others. The MSA performs clerical and administrative work. The incumbent may work in the Call Center, Urgent Care, or in an interdisciplinary care team within a primary care team or specialty clinic on an infrequent basis. 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.

Experience or Education

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

Medical Support Assistant, GS-05.

Experience

One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade;

OR

Education

Two years of education above high school.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)

In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate, in their resume, the following KSAs:

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

Licensure/Certification/Registration

None.

Grade Determinations

Medical Support Assistant, GS-05.

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.

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).

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-5.

Physical Requirements

The work is mostly sedentary. It typically requires sitting with sustained periods of concentration. There will be some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of relatively light objects. The position may also require stooping, reaching, lifting, pulling, and other moderate exertion or strain. Incumbent may occasionally have to walk some distance to a meeting.