Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Albuquerque (NM); On-site; USD 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs seeks an Advanced Medical Support Assistant to provide administrative support and liaison services within the Health Administration Service in Albuquerque, NM.

This role coordinates between patients, nursing and medical staff, and external partners, ensuring smooth patient access, scheduling, referrals, and documentation. Candidates must meet basic requirements and GS-06 criteria, with strong organizational and communication abilities to support care

Qualifications

• Experience coordinating care and patient flow within a health setting.
• Ability to access and use health care portals and scheduling systems.
• Ability to communicate with multiple clinicians and external partners.

Responsibilities

• Serve as liaison between patients, nursing staff, medical staff, and external providers.
• Assist with scheduling, referrals, and follow-up care activities.
• Maintain accurate documentation and reports as required.

Skills

Healthcare process knowledge

Interdisciplinary coordination

Medical terminology

Communication skills

Prioritization and organization

Education

High school diploma

GED certificate

Proficiency certificate (Education Dept)

Post-high school education

Grandfathering provision eligible

Job description

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) position serves as administrative support and is a foundational role within the Health Administration 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.

Locations to be discussed during interviews Main Facility: Albuquerque, CBOCs: Artesia, Gallup, Farmington, Raton, Santa Fe, Silver City, and Rio Rancho.

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: Must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f)
• Education:
  • High school diploma or transcript (including homeschooling)
  • General Education Development (GED) certificate
  • Proficiency certificate issued by a State or Territorial Board or Department of Education
  • Post-high school education
  • You do not have one of the education levels listed above, but you were in the Medical Support Assistant occupation (GS-0679) on a permanent appointment with the Department of Veterans Affairs as of February 5, 2026, meeting all qualification requirements as part of the grandfathering provision.
• NOTE: To meet the basic requirement of high school education or equivalent, applicants must provide one of the following as verification of the education requirement if not covered under the grandfathering provision:
  • Copy of high school diploma OR high school transcript (unofficial or official) OR GED Certificate OR homeschooling completion OR proficiency certificate issued by a State or Territorial Board or Department of Education OR college transcript (official)

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.

GS-06: Experience:

One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-05).

In addition, you must demonstrate all of the following 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/.

Physical Requirements:

Moderate lifting, 15-44 pounds; Light carrying, under 15 pounds; Reaching above shoulder; Use of fingers; walking up to 1 hour; Hearing (aid permitted); may be working alone and/or working closely with others.