Medical Support Assistant

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; North Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

The US Department of Veterans Affairs' Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago seeks a Medical Support Assistant to support inpatient wards and patient care during length of stay. The incumbent admits and discharges VA and DOD patients and assists in daily ward operations.

English proficiency and a high school diploma are required; the position is GS-5 level with duties across inpatient and administrative tasks in a hospital setting.

Qualifications

• U.S. citizenship required; English proficiency essential.
• High school diploma or GED required.
• GS-5 requires one year of experience or two years of education; transcripts required.

Responsibilities

• Admit and discharge VA and DOD patients to hospital wards.
• Facilitate inpatient care during length of stay.
• Maintain medical charts in electronic systems and update patient information.
• Coordinate patient care and scheduling of appointments.

Skills

Computer systems

Medical terminology

Appointment scheduling

Independence

Communication

Customer service

Education

High school diploma / GED

Job description

Incumbent performs as a Medical Support Assistant (MSA) within the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center (FHCC) in the Ward Administration division of the Health Administration Department, with duties and responsibilities in the inpatient wards of the medical treatment facility. The incumbent admits and/or discharges VA and Department of Defense (DOD) patients into/out of the hospital wards and facilitates inpatient care during length of stay. 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

US Citizenship is required. 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).

ENGLISH: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

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.

IN ADDITION TO MEETING THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS LISTED ABOVE, YOU MUST MEET THE GRADE REQUIREMENT BELOW TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION.

GS-5 - This is the full performance level for MSAs. At this level, the MSA is expected to independently perform a full range of duties related to the delivery of healthcare services in an inpatient or outpatient setting.

Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-4 grade level that equips you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position. At this grade level, experience consists of: interacting with internal and external customers; establishing and maintaining medical outpatient and inpatient charts as well as administrative records; verifying third party insurance and updating insurance information in automated systems; obtaining medical information from patients; coordinating information and actions related to patient care and services; and scheduling appointments

OR

Education: Two years of education above high school. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED).

AND

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

1. Ability to operate computerized programs and systems in order to enter, modify, and retrieve sensitive medical and patient identifying information into or from electron health records, scheduling systems, and/or reports.
2. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients.
3. Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting.
4. Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work.
5. Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external customers.
6. Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution.

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-05.

Physical Requirements:

MSA performs work on Inpatient wards, located throughout the FHCC, including, but not limited to: Community Living Center (CLC), Medical Unit, Surgical Unit, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Domiciliary, Mental Health Units (Acute, Geriatric Psych, and Substance Abuse). The work is mainly sedentary but requires some bending, walking, standing, and the carrying of such things as VA and DOD patient records, light sterile supplies, and letter mail.