Medical Support Assistant-Intermittent

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Omaha (NE); On-site; USD 36,000 - 48,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Parental Leave

Child Care Subsidy

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Omaha, NE seeks a Medical Support Assistant to serve as the initial contact for inpatient ward units.

The role involves coordinating patient admissions, verifying orders, and handling data entry in electronic health records within an interdisciplinary care team. The position requires knowledge of medical terminology, strong communication, and the ability to operate scheduling systems and office software to support patient care.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of basic medical terminology to assist in patient care.
• Ability to record patient messages and physician requests for follow-up care.
• Ability to interact professionally with individuals from varied backgrounds.
• Ability to operate computerized programs and schedule patients in a clinical setting.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialized administrative patient support within an interdisciplinary team.
• Coordinate patient admissions and verify clinical orders.
• Review clinic utilization and request medical records from facilities.
• Manage multiphone lines and computer-based scheduling systems.
• Document information into the electronic health record and ensure chart readiness.

Skills

Medical terminology

Customer service

Data entry

Clinical messaging

Communication with diverse teams

Education

High school diploma / GED

Tools

Electronic health records (EHR)

Scheduling systems

Office automation equipment

Job description

Summary This position is an intermittent work schedule - which is periodic and irregular so that a tour of duty cannot be regularly scheduled in advance. The Inpatient Medical Support Assistant (MSA) functions an initial point of contact for the VAMC inpatient ward units. Duties included - but not limited to: coordination of patient admissions. Verification of doctor's orders and treatment orders. This position requires a knowledge of computerized data entry - and software related to patient care.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement - 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/28/2026. Medical Support Assistant

Basic Requirements

• Citizenship: Citizen of the United States
• (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance to 38 U.S.C.
• 7407(a)
• Experience and Education: Experience: None
• OR 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
• Grandfathering Provision: Employees in VHA in this occupation - under a permanent - appropriate - and legal placement on the effective date of the qualification standard - are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade and/or assignment held - including positive education and registration/certification where applicable
• For employees who do not meet all the basic or assignment-specific requirements in this standard but met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed - the following provisions apply: 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
• Employees retained in this occupation under this provision who subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation
• NOTE: This provision is not intended to regularize appointments/placements
• Foreign Education: To be creditable - education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials
• 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 Determinations: Creditable Experience: 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
• Part-Time Experience: Part-time experience as an MSA or equivalent administrative patient support in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting is creditable according to its relationship for the full-time workweek
• For example - an MSA employed 20 hours a week - or on a 1/2-time basis - would receive one full-time workweek of credit for each two weeks of service
• 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 range of varieties as described in this standard - at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time
• In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements - candidates must possess the required specialized experience and be able to demonstrate all Knowledge - Skills and Abilities (KSAs) as summarized below
• GS-3 Grade Experience or Education (Entry Level): None beyond the basic requirements
• GS-4 Grade Experience (Developmental Level): One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.
• OR Education: One year of education above high school
• AND Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSAs): Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: Knowledge of basic medical terminology to assist in the provision of care to patients
• Skill in recording patient messages and understanding physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care in internal or external clinics
• 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
• 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 Grade Experience (Full Performance Level): One year of experience equivalent to the GS-4 grade level
• OR - Education: Two years of education above high school
• AND Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSAs): Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients
• Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns - and refer to the appropriate staff - as necessary - to ensure a satisfactory resolution
• 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
• Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting
• Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work
• Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person - electronically - and/or by telephone - with internal and external customers
• References: See Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO) website for VA specific qualification standards: VA Qualification Standards - Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO)
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-5 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.

Duties

• VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/EE9c4XkaELo Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Major duties include (but not limited to): Provide specialized and expert administrative patient support while working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model
• - Recommend changes to existing clinic procedures based on current administrative guidelines
• - Expertise in utilizing numerous advanced patient systems in support of multiple clinics
• - Coordinate with the patient care team to review clinic utilization
• - Request medical records from community healthcare facilities
• - Work with the multiphone line system and have working knowledge of computer systems and phone etiquette
• - Knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians
• - Adjust the flow and sequencing of the work to meet team and patient needs
• - Assist the team to reinforce the plan of care and self-help solutions
• - Document appropriate information into the electronic record
• - Monitors pre-appointment information and/or requirements to assure readiness for patient visit/procedure
• - Manage patient systems to verify and validate accuracy and resolve issues
• - Maintaining office supplies - copying and storing necessary forms - maintaining office equipment
• - Ensure timely filing of patient paperwork in their chart - requesting records Other duties as assigned
• - Work Schedule: Intermittent work schedule
• - Intermittent employment is defined as non-full time employment
• - Schedule may include days - nights - and weekends
• - Duty days and hours will be discussed with supervisor
• - Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized Pay: The salary range will be prorated based upon intermittent hours worked
• - Competitive salary and regular salary increases
• - When setting pay - a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade)
• - Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment - up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth - adoption - or foster care placement of a child
• - Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment - full time employees with a total family income below $144 -000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66
• - Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• - Functional Statement #: 000000