Medical Support Assistant-Health Informatics

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Fort Meade (SD); On-site; USD 42,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

The VA Health Informatics team is hiring a Medical Support Assistant to aid the implementation and ongoing operation of the new Electronic Health Record system. You will help with data entry, scheduling, and workflow optimization to ensure accurate information management during the EHR adoption.

This entry-level to development role requires US citizenship, a high school diploma or GED, and proficient English.

Qualifications

• U.S. citizenship or eligibility for appointment under VA rules.
• High school diploma, GED, or equivalent certificate.
• Proficient written and spoken English.
• No experience required for GS-3; minimal experience for higher grades.

Responsibilities

• Assist with data entry and maintenance in EHR systems.
• Schedule appointments and manage workflow to support patient care.
• Coordinate communications between patients and clinical staff.
• Support information management during EHR adoption and transition.

Skills

Medical terminology

Customer service

Office software

Scheduling

Communication

Independent work

Education

High school diploma or GED

Transcripts required

Tools

Scheduling programs

Electronic health records

Office automation software

Job description

A Medical Support Assistant in the Health Informatics department plays a critical role in supporting the implementation and integration of the new Electronic Health Record (EHR) system. They assist with data entry, scheduling, and workflow optimization, ensuring smooth transitions and accurate information management throughout the EHR adoption process.

Position can be based out of either listed locations

KSA Recommendation - 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 to each KSA (found below) to demonstrate how you have gained each one in your application package or on a supplemental document.

Creditable Experience:

Knowledge of MSA Practices. To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) associated with current MSA responsibilities [or an equivalent administrative patient support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting]. Experience satisfying this requirement may be paid/non-paid employment as [an] MSA or [an equivalent position in a non-VA hospital or clinic setting].

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. No experience required.
• 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
• Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.
• English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f)

GRADE DETERMINATION

GS-3 MSA (Entry Level)

You must meet the Basic Requirements outlined above.

GS-4 MSA (Developmental Level)

Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.

OR

Education. One year of education above high school. (Transcripts Required)

AND

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.

In addition to Basic Requirements and the experience listed above, candidates must be able to demonstrate all of the KSAs below:

1. Knowledge of basic medical terminology to assist in the provision of care to patients.

2. Skill in recording patient messages and understanding physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care in internal or external clinics.

3. Ability to meet, communicate, and interact with individuals from varying backgrounds and other health care team members in a courteous and helpful manner in order to facilitate medical care for patients.

4. Ability to use, and navigate between, various types of office automation equipment and software (i.e. computer systems, web based scheduling programs; insurance collection system; scanning software, multiple line phone systems; electronic faxing programs) to support patient care.

GS-5 MSA (Full Performance Level)

Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.

OR

2. Education. Two years of education above high school. (Transcripts Required)

AND

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.

In addition to Basic Requirements and the experience listed above, candidates must be able to demonstrate all of the KSAs below:

1. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients.

2. Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution.

3. Ability to operate computerized programs and systems in order to enter, modify, and retrieve sensitive medical and patient identifying information (PII) into or from electronic health records, scheduling systems, and/or reports.

4. Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting.

5. Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work.

6. Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external customers.

Preferred Experience:

Medical Terminology, critical thinking skills, ability to multi-task and work with multiple interruptions throughout the day.

Reference:

Please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-5. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-3 to GS-5.

Physical Requirements:

You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.