Medical Support Assistant (Adv

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 54,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

US Department of Veterans Affairs seeks a Medical Support Assistant (MSA) to support patient care by scheduling appointments and managing electronic orders, consults, and EMR entries. The role involves tracking and responding to orders and coordinating with clinical staff to ensure timely access to care.

Qualified candidates will have at least six months of clerical or customer service experience or one year of education beyond high school, and must demonstrate proficiency in English.

Qualifications

• Six months of clerical, office, customer service, or other administrative work demonstrating the ability to acquire the needed knowledge and skills.
• English language proficiency as per VA Handbook 5005, Part II.
• United States citizenship requirement for VA employment.

Responsibilities

• Schedule patient appointments and manage the workflow.
• Track, review, and respond to electronic orders and consults in the EMR.
• Coordinate with clinicians and staff to ensure timely care delivery.

Skills

Clerical experience

Customer service

Office administration

English proficiency

Education

One year of college or higher

Job description

A Medical Support Assistant (MSA) in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) will perform duties to include scheduling patient appointments, tracking, reviewing, and responding to electronic orders, consults, and other elements in the electronic medical record and medical systems. The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to the Required Documents below. 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 and Education.
  • Experience. Six months experience of clerical, office, [customer service], or other [administrative] work that indicates the ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position; OR,
  • Education. One year above high school; OR,
  • Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable.
• English Language Proficiency. MSAs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3.j

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:

Medical Support Assistant (Advanced), GS-6:

• Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in addition to the basic requirements listed above.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must also demonstrate all of the KSAs below:
  • 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.
  • Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians.

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-06.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019