Supervisory Medical Support Assistant

Veterans Health Administration; Mayagüez (PR); On-site; USD 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

The Supervisory Medical Support Assistant for Outpatient Clinics is based in the Health Administration Service at the VA Caribbean Healthcare System, guiding MSA staff across primary, mental health, and specialty clinics.

Strong leadership and staff development are essential, with emphasis on process improvement, patient flow, and collaboration across clinic teams to ensure high-quality patient care.

Qualifications

• High school diploma, GED, or proficiency certificate.
• English proficiency in spoken and written English.
• Citizen of the United States or eligible non-citizen per VA policy.

Responsibilities

• Assign and evaluate work of subordinate MSA staff.
• Resolve complex problems to ensure patient services are met.
• Evaluate new products, equipment, and systems to improve clinic operations.
• Identify educational or training needs for staff.
• Make final hiring decisions and evaluate staff performance.

Skills

Staff supervision

Leadership

Performance evaluation

Customer service

Clinical operations knowledge

Education

High school diploma

GED

State proficiency certificate

Job description

The Supervisory Medical Support Assistant for Outpatient Clinics is located within the Health Administration Service (HAS) at the VA Caribbean Healthcare System. The incumbent has many operational managerial/supervisory duties and responsibilities within the service. These duties responsibilities are carried out in support of the Health Administrative Service programs in the Primary Care Clinic, Mental Health Clinic, and Specialty Care Clinics or the outlying outpatient clinics (OPCs).

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. 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).

Education. High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or 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).

Grade Determinations

GS 08

Experience

One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS 07).

Experience include but are 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.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)

Advanced knowledge of managing or leading patient support staff in a clinic. This includes independently utilizing reference sources, decision making, and 13 empowering the team to collaborate and resolve problems within a complex systems environment.

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.

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.

Ability to provide briefings, orientations, staff development, and training in a patient support setting.

Ability to manage fiscal matters, forecast resource and equipment needs, and identify budget needs.

Preferred Experience

Strong leadership and supervision experience, with the ability to effectively manage, evaluate, and develop staff members while maintaining compliance with VA supervisory rules and HR regulations.

Ability to extract, interpret, and report data to support performance improvement initiatives and guide operational decision making, including knowledge of qualitative and quantitative analysis methods for evaluating program effectiveness.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across multidisciplinary teams and manage multiple competing priorities in a dynamic clinical environment.

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 08. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS 08.

Physical Requirements

The work is primarily sedentary; however, the Supervisory Medical Support Assistant must be able to meet the physical demands associated with both administrative and supervisory responsibilities.

The position requires prolonged periods of sitting, extended computer use, and sustained concentration while reviewing reports, performance data, staff studies, and analytical documents.

Regular walking, standing, bending, and carrying light items (such as files, manuals, office supplies, or portable electronic devices) is required.

Supervisory duties require the incumbent to move throughout multiple clinic areas to monitor operations, address patient flow issues, and meet with employees, clinical staff, and leadership.

This includes traveling between the Primary Care Clinic, Mental Health Clinic, Specialty Care Clinics, and outlying outpatient clinics (O