Medical Support Assistant - Surgical Care

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Minneapolis (MN); On-site; USD 37,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Center in Minneapolis, MN invites applications for a Medical Support Assistant at the entry level in the Surgery Care Service Line. The position supports patient care, schedules appointments, and processes messages under supervision.

Candidates must meet basic requirements including U.S. citizenship and a high school diploma. The job offers opportunity to advance to GS-5 with appropriate experience and education.

Qualifications

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

Responsibilities

• Enter, modify, and retrieve patient information in electronic health records and scheduling systems.
• Schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting.
• Communicate effectively with internal and external customers.
• Support patient care through clerical and administrative duties.

Skills

Communication

Office software

Medical terminology

Patient communication

Education

High school diploma or GED

Tools

Scheduling programs

Electronic health records

Job description

This is at the entry level of the MSA position. The incumbent serves as a Medical Support Assistant in the Surgery Care Service Line. S/he works at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Care Center, Minneapolis, MN.

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. 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)

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

OR

• 2. Education. One year of education above high school.

AND

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.

• 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.

OR

• 2. Education. Two years of education above high school.

AND

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.

• 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.