Medical Support Assistant-Rehabilitation & Extended Care Service

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Saint Cloud (MN); On-site; USD 36,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Rehabilitation & Extended Care Service

Job summary

The US Department of Veterans Affairs, St. Cloud VA Health Care System, seeks a Medical Support Assistant (MSA) to serve as the first administrative contact for patients and families in the Rehabilitation Department.

This role provides day-to-day administrative support, handles patient messages, scheduling, and coordination with clinic staff, contributing to smooth patient care and efficient office operations.

Qualifications

• Ability to meet, communicate, and interact with individuals from varying backgrounds and health care team members.
• Ability to use and navigate office automation equipment and software to support patient care.
• Knowledge of basic medical terminology to assist in patient care.
• Skill in recording patient messages and understanding physician requests for follow-up care.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the first administrative point of contact for patients and families.
• Provide administrative support to clinic staff and patients.
• Operate office equipment and scheduling systems to support patient care.

Skills

Interpersonal communication

Office navigation

Medical terminology

Message taking

Education

High school diploma or GED

Two years of education above high school

Tools

Office automation software

Job description

Position Overview

This position is in the Rehabilitation & Extended Care Service (REC) Line at the St. Cloud VA Health Care System and is the first administrative point-of-contact for patients and family members. The Medical Support Assistant (MSA) position involves technical work concerned with the day-to-day administrative functions within the Rehabilitation Department. The position provides administrative support to clinic staff members and patients.

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.

Certification

None required.

Grandfathering Provision

All MSAs employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series, and grade held, which are a part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:

• (1) Such employees may be reassigned, promoted, or changed to a lower grade within the occupation.
• (2) 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.
• (3) If an employee who was converted to Title 38 hybrid status under this provision leaves the occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.

Foreign Education

To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs.

English Language Proficiency

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

Physical Requirements

See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.

Grade Determinations

GS-3 MSA (Entry Level)

1. Experience or Education: None beyond the basic requirements.

GS-4 MSA (Developmental Level)

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

2. Education: One year of education above high school. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED).

3. 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)

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

2. Education: Two years of education above high school.(TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED).

3. 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 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.