Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Flint (MI); On-site; USD 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking a Medical Support Assistant for the Flint Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC). The incumbent will handle patient flow, answering calls, greeting patients, and scheduling appointments in a fast-paced healthcare setting.

Qualifications include a high school diploma or GED, English proficiency, and one year of experience equivalent to GS-5. The role emphasizes teamwork, communication, and efficient coordination of care across disciplines.

Qualifications

• Citizenship: US citizen or eligible per VA rules.
• Education: High school diploma or GED; transcript may be required.
• English proficiency: must speak and write proficiently.
• Grandfathering provision applies for existing MSAs in VA.
• No licensure/certification required for entry.
• One year experience equivalent to GS-5 is required.

Responsibilities

• Answer phones and greet patients.
• Relay messages to staff and schedule appointments.
• Coordinate scheduling across care teams and community referrals.
• Communicate with patients and staff in writing and verbally.
• Understand medical terminology and patient flow processes.

Skills

Phone handling

Appointment scheduling

Communication

Interpersonal skills

Medical terminology

Education

High school diploma or GED

Tools

Computer terminal

Job description

The incumbent serves as a Medical Support Assistant in the Clinical Access Management Service for the LTC Charles S. Kettles VA Medical Center. This position is located at the Flint Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) in Flint, MI. 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

• Citizenship. 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).
• Experience. None
• Education. High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education. (A Transcript or proof of High School Diploma/Equivalent is required if basing any or all qualifications on education)
• Licensure/Certification/Registration. None
• English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• Grandfathering Provision: All Medical Support Assistants (MSAs) employed in Veterans Health Administration (VHA) in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard (February 20, 2026) are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series, and grade held, which are a part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:(1) Such employees may be reassigned, promoted, or changed to a lower grade within the occupation.(2) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.(3) If an employee who was converted to Title 38 hybrid status under this provision leaves the occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.

Grade Determinations

In addition to the basic requirements above, applicants must meet the following experience:

Experience.

One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-5 Medical Support Assistant grade level. Duties at this level include, but are not limited to: performing a full range of duties related to the delivery of healthcare services in an inpatient or outpatient setting; answering phones; greeting patients; relaying messages to appropriate staff inside or outside of the unit; scheduling appointments; including interpreting and verifying provider orders to schedule within scheduling guidelines.

AND

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

1. 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.
2. Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians.

Note

You must provide detailed information of your experience performed. Information such as "I was a Medical Support Assistant" is insufficient to determine your qualifications. Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week.

Note: Quality of Experience.

Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to MSA experience or equivalent administrative clinical support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting at the next lower grade level. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity/difficulty and a range of varieties.

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. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-06.

Physical Requirements:

Typically, the Advanced Medical Support Assistant must be able to operate a computer terminal and be able to manage multiple activities at one time. Work is generally sedentary; however, there may be some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of light items. Work Environment: The work may be stressful due to the accelerated pace for several hours at a time during peak clinic hours or on days that have a large volume of clinic activity.