Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

US Department of Veterans Affairs; Albuquerque (NM); On-site; USD 38,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) position is an administrative support role within the VA Community Care Service, acting as a liaison among patients, nursing staff, medical staff, outside agencies, and community providers across VA Health Care Systems. It is a GS-6 level position with emphasis on administrative duties, patient coordination, and ensuring smooth patient flow.

Applicants may be tentatively selected if education/certification requirements are pending but must meet all

Qualifications

• Must have high school diploma or GED or equivalent certificate.
• No prior experience required.
• Must be a United States citizen.
• Must be proficient in English (spoken and written).

Skills

Advanced health care process knowledge

Interdisciplinary care coordination

Medical terminology

Collaboration with clinicians

Prioritization and organization

Effective communication (written and a

Education

High school diploma or GED or state/provincial equivalency

Job description

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) position serves as administrative support and is a foundational role within the Community Care Service. This position serves as the liaison between patients, nursing staff, medical staff, outside agencies, community providers, and other VA Health Care Systems in their assigned area.

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.
• 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.
• Experience and Education: No experience required. Must have high school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education. - Higher that high school education will meet this requirement. High school is the minimum required.

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

In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met for this position.

Advanced Medical Support Assistant GS-6:

Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-5)

***KSA Requirement***

All qualifying experience you possess must be clearly described in your application package. We will not make assumptions when reviewing applications. Failure to demonstrate your experience and knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) in your application may result in disqualification. It is strongly recommended that you write each KSA (found below) to demonstrate how you have gained each one in your application package or on a supplemental document.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.

In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following technical KSAs:

• 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.
• 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.

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

Work is generally sedentary in nature with some walking, standing and bending. Occasionally requires moderate physical activity, e.g., carrying light items such as books and papers or lifting stacks of boxes or records. Work is typically performed in an office setting; adequately lighted, quiet, and controlled atmosphere.