Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

Veterans Health Administration; Waco (TX); On-site; USD 38,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

The Veterans Health Administration is seeking a Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) to provide expert administrative and patient support within the Surgical Care clinical section. The role coordinates outpatient services, manages scheduling, records, and communication, and supports interdisciplinary teams to ensure efficient, patient-centered care for Veterans.

Applicants pending completion of educational or certification requirements may be referred and tentatively selected, but may not be

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• Citizenship and English proficiency required.
• Ability to work with diverse medical staff across disciplines.
• Experience in a healthcare setting is preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate outpatient services and patient access workflows.
• Manage scheduling, medical records, and communications.
• Support interdisciplinary teams to ensure patient-centered care.

Skills

Advanced health care scheduling

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Patient communication

Record management

Data entry and reporting

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Tools

VistA Scheduling Enhancement (VSE)

Job description

The Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) provides expert administrative and patient support within the Surgical Care clinical section. Coordinates outpatient services, manages scheduling, records, and communication, and supports interdisciplinary teams to ensure efficient, patient-centered care for Veterans.

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. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• 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:

• GS-06 Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.
• Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate 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. 8 This may include preparing reports in various formats and presenting data to various organizational levels, as well as resolving patient concerns.

Preferred Experience:

• Demonstrated scheduling experience utilizing VistA Scheduling Enhancement (VSE) or equivalent patient scheduling systems.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Demonstrated excellent customer service skills, particularly in a health care or patient-facing setting.

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, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.