Medical Support Assistant - Mental Health

Veterans Health Administration; Minneapolis (MN); On-site; USD 36,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

The incumbent serves as a Medical Support Assistant in the Mental and Behavioral Health Service Line at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System (MVAHCS) at the Minneapolis campus.

This role provides patient support, schedules appointments, and assists clinical staff to ensure smooth care delivery for veterans. It requires effective communication, basic medical terminology knowledge, and proficient use of office systems.

Qualifications

• Citizenship: U.S. citizen; non-citizens may be appointed as allowed by law.
• Education: HS diploma or GED or state/provincial equivalency.
• English: Proficient reading and writing in English.
• Experience: Entry level; higher grades require experience as described.

Responsibilities

• Meet and interact with patients and healthcare team courteously to facilitate care.
• Use office equipment and software to support patient care and data entry.
• Record patient messages and interpret physician follow-up requests.
• Schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting.

Skills

Communication with patients

Office software navigation

Medical terminology knowledge

Message recording

Education

High school diploma or GED

Two years of education beyond high school

Tools

Office software suite

Scheduling systems

Electronic faxing

Job description

The incumbent serves as a Medical Support Assistant in the Mental and Behavioral Health Service Line at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System (MVAHCS) at the Minneapolis campus.

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.
• Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.
• 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:

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.
• Education. One year of education above high school.
• 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. 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.
2. 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.
3. Knowledge of basic medical terminology to assist in the provision of care to patients.
4. Skill in recording patient messages and understanding physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care in internal or external clinics.

GS-5 MSA (Full Performance Level)

• Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.
• Education. Two years of education above high school.
• 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. 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.
2. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients.
3. Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting.
4. Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work.
5. Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external customers.
6. Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit Medical Support Assistant Qualification Standard (va.gov)

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.