Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

Veterans Health Administration; Town of Lyons (NY); On-site; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in New York seeks an Advance Medical Support Assistant (GS-6) to support Health Administration Service functions within VANJHS. The role involves coordinating care across clinicians and ensuring timely access for patients.

Applicants may be referred while meeting education requirements; full qualification and licensure may be required post-hire. Strong communication, organization, and health care terminology skills are essential.

Qualifications

• Ability to collaborate with a wide range of medical clinicians to ensure patient care.
• Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines.
• Ability to communicate with internal and external customers in writing and verbally.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with clinicians across disciplines to coordinate patient care and ensure timely access.
• Set priorities and organize work to meet established processes and deadlines.
• Communicate effectively via electronic, phone, in person, and written formats with patients and staff.
• Support care delivery processes, scheduling, referrals, and patient flow optimization.
• Maintain familiarity with healthcare terminology and administrative functions related to patient care.

Skills

Collaborative communication

Prioritization

Written communication

Interdisciplinary knowledge

Medical terminology

Education

High school diploma or GED

Job description

The Advance Medical Support Assistance (AMSA) is a position located in the Health Administration Service (HAS) of VA New Jersey Healthcare System (VANJHS). The VANJHS is an integrated level 1C system comprising of two (comprehensive healthcare) facilities in East Orange and Lyons, and eleven Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) located throughout the state.

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.
• Licensure/Certification/Registration. None.

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: Advanced Medical Support Assistant GS-6

Experience

One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• 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.

Preferred Experience

• 1 year of creditable Healthcare experience equivalent to the GS-4 level in the federal system. This includes roles such as medical assistant, medical receptionist, or clinical administrative support in a hospital or clinic.
• Medical Terminology: Advanced familiarity with medical jargon is required due to the technical nature of physician notes and clinical processes.
• Scheduling & Systems: Hands-on experience with Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems, appointment scheduling software, and managing multi-line phone systems or virtual patient portals.
• Interpersonal Skills: The ability to tactfully and effectively communicate with patients, clinicians, and internal staff.
• Multitasking & Organization: Managing patient flow, check-ins, outside referrals, and scheduling adjustments in high-volume, fast-paced environments.
• Problem Solving: Capacity to independently set priorities and resolve 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-6.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.