SUPERVISORY MEDICAL SUPPORT ASSISTANT

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Fort Wayne (IN); On-site; USD 52,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking a Supervisory Medical Support Assistant to lead the Medical Administration Service at VA Northern Indiana Health Care System, serving Marion, Fort Wayne, and five CBOCs within VISN 10.

You will supervise MSAs, manage staff performance, and drive process improvements in patient support workflows. You may take on Acting Service Chief duties and coordinate clinic operations, call center activities, and specialized care teams while ensuring

Qualifications

• Experience supervising or training MSAs or administrative staff.
• Proven ability to manage workload distribution and staff performance.
• Strong understanding of clinic operations and patient support workflows.

Responsibilities

• Supervise Medical Support Assistants and provide training.
• Coordinate scheduling, leave, and timekeeping for staff.
• Serve as primary contact for clinics, inpatient ward administration, and call center.

Skills

Supervisory experience

Team leadership

Clerical/administrative duties

Education

High school diploma or GED

Job description

The Supervisory Medical Support Assistant (SMSA) leads Medical Administration Service at VA Northern Indiana Health Care System, serving Marion, Fort Wayne, and five CBOCs within VISN 10. Duties include supervising/training MSAs, personnel actions, leave and timekeeping, employee issues, workload distribution, and process improvement. The SMSA is the primary contact for clinics, inpatient ward administration, the call center, and specialized care teams; may serve as Acting Service Chief.

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Experience: Six months experience of clerical, office, customer service, or other administrative work that indicates the ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position
• Education: High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State of territorial-level Board of Department of Education
• English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Creditable Experience (1) 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.

(2) 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 a 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.

(3) 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 to 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.

Supervisory Medical Support Assistant, GS-08

Grade Determinations

In addition to the basic requirements for employment listed above, the following experience criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates:

1. Experience:

To qualify, you must posses one (1) full year of experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade level supervising MSAs or equivalent administrative patient support staff in a non-VA medical inpatient, outpatient, or interdisciplinary setting. This experience may include, but is not limited to: assigning and evaluating the work of subordinate MSA staff; resolving complex problems to ensure patient services are met; evaluating new products, equipment, and systems to make recommendations for improved clinic operations; identifying educational or training needs; making final decisions on hiring selections; evaluating performance, and taking disciplinary action when necessary. The employee has full administrative and professional responsibility for planning and directing the MSA's activities. Note: This experience must be clearly demonstrated in your resume.

NOTE: This experience must be clearly demonstrated in your resume. AND

2. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA).

In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all the following KSA

1. Advanced knowledge of managing or leading patient support staff in a clinic. This includes independently utilizing reference sources, decision making, and empowering the team to collaborate and resolve problems within a complex systems environment.
2. Ability to provide the full range of administrative and supervisory duties to at least one subordinate MSA supervisor or team leader in a patient support setting which includes assignment of work, performance evaluations, selection of staff, and recommendation of awards and/or advancements
3. Ability to collaborate, communicate, and demonstrate customer service and interpersonal skills with internal and external customers to ensure quality/continuity of care and ensure compliance with established policies and regulations.
4. Ability to provide briefings, orientations, staff development, and training in a patient support setting.
5. Ability to manage fiscal matters, forecast resource and equipment needs, and identify budget needs.

NOTE: The Specialized Experience and KSAs outlined above must be clearly demonstrated within your resume. Please do not copy or paste the Specialized Experience or KSAs verbatim into your resume. Provide specific examples and details that illustrate how you meet these requirements. Failure to do so may result in your application not being referred to the hiring manager for consideration.

Documentation Requirements for Proof of High School Completion or Higher:

If selected, to meet the basic requirement of high school education or equivalent and prior to a firm job offer being extended, applicants must provide one of the following as verification of the education requirement if not covered under the grandfathering provision:

• Copy of high school diploma OR high school transcript (unofficial or official) OR GED Certificate OR homeschooling completion OR proficiency certificate issued by a State or Territorial Board or Department of Education OR college transcript (official).

Reference:

For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS8.

Physical Requirements:

The majority of work is performed in an office setting, primarily while seated. The position requires some standing, ambulation, bending, and carrying of items such as training manuals. The Advanced MSA is required to sit for long periods of time at a computer terminal typing data while having face to face contact with Veterans and answering the telephone. In addition, there can be increased stress due to the intensity of a patient/customer complaint or concern.