Supervisory Medical Support Assistant

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 75,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking a Supervisory Medical Support Assistant to lead inpatient administrative operations across Palo Alto Health Care System inpatient programs.

You will supervise MSAs, ensure patient flow, manage staff performance, and coordinate with cross-disciplinary teams to optimize veteran care and hospital efficiency. The role requires leadership, strong communication, and a commitment to data integrity and privacy.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED or equivalent required.
• Citizenship: US citizen per VA policy.
• Education/foreign-education equivalency rules apply for credit.
• Grandfathering provision may apply for current VA employees.
• Experience and KSAs include supervisory duties and collaboration across teams.

Responsibilities

• Direct daily administrative, clerical, and technical support operations for inpatient wards and clinics.
• Supervise workflow to ensure timely patient access and efficient inpatient care delivery.
• Coordinate administrative operations with nursing, providers, and other staff.
• Apply procedures, regulations, and policies affecting inpatient operations.
• Orient staff to processes, requirements, and data-capture procedures.
• Lead implementation of Daily Management System and high reliability practices.

Skills

Supervisory duties

Staff coordination

Customer service

Communication skills

Data analysis

Budget forecasting

Education

High school diploma or GED

Foreign education evaluation

Tools

VATAS

VistA

Data reporting systems

Job description

Summary

The Supervisory Medical Support Assistant leads inpatient administrative operations and supervises Lead - Advanced - and Medical Support Assistants across Palo Alto Health Care System inpatient programs. Oversees staffing - scheduling - patient-care workflows - performance management - hiring - training - discipline - data analysis - and reporting to ensure efficient - high-quality Veteran services and continuous operational improvement.

Summary

The Supervisory Medical Support Assistant leads inpatient administrative operations and supervises Lead - Advanced - and Medical Support Assistants across Palo Alto Health Care System inpatient programs. Oversees staffing - scheduling - patient-care workflows - performance management - hiring - training - discipline - data analysis - and reporting to ensure efficient - high-quality Veteran services and continuous operational improvement.

Qualifications

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
• Education: High school diploma - General Education Development equivalency certificate - or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education
• Foreign Education: To be creditable - education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials
• Licensure/Certification/Registration: Not Required 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)
• Grandfathering Provision: Employees in VHA in this occupation - under a permanent - appropriate - and legal placement on the effective date of the qualification standard - are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade and/or assignment held - including positive education and registration/certification where applicable
• For employees who do not meet all the basic or assignment-specific requirements in this standard but met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed - the following provisions apply: (1) 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
• (2) Employees retained in this occupation under this provision who subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation Grade Determinations: GS-8 Supervisory MSA: 1) Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level leading or supervising MSAs or equivalent administrative patient support staff in a non-VA medical inpatient - outpatient - or interdisciplinary setting AND 2) Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: 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
• 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
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 - Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-08.
  
  

Duties

• Duties include - but are not limited to: Direct daily administrative - clerical - and technical support operations for assigned inpatient wards and clinics
• Supervise ward and clinic workflow to support timely patient access - effective patient flow - and efficient delivery of inpatient services
• Coordinate administrative operations with nursing - providers - technical staff - and other interdisciplinary team members
• Interpret and apply applicable administrative procedures - regulations - and policies affecting inpatient clinic and ward operations
• Orient staff to inpatient administrative processes - workflow requirements - and data-capture procedures
• Identify operational barriers and implement or recommend process improvements affecting ward and clinic support functions
• Lead implementation and use of the Daily Management System (DMS) and related High Reliability Organization (HRO) practices within assigned areas
• Oversee accurate and timely capture of inpatient workload - Veteran demographic - insurance - and other required data in VistA and related systems
• Establish and monitor quality-control processes to identify - correct - and prevent incomplete or inaccurate workload and administrative data
• Coordinate timely correction of data errors with ward/clinic leadership and relevant cross-service partners to prevent loss of workload credit or funding
• Train and monitor subordinate staff on data-capture requirements - documentation standards - and associated system processes
• Develop and analyze workload - quality - operational - and performance reports
• identify trends and report findings to Nursing Service leadership
• Conduct audits - surveys - and assessments of administrative - clerical - and technical support processes
• Recommend process - resource - or operational changes based on data analysis - workload trends - and performance findings
• Ensure subordinate staff comply with applicable privacy - release-of-information - medical-records management - and information-security requirements
• Safeguard protected paper and electronic Veteran information from unauthorized access - disclosure - loss - alteration - or deletion
• Provide staff guidance on appropriate record-request - release-of-information - and records-management procedures for VA and non-VA sources
• Monitor completion of required release-of-information documentation and authorizations
• Supervise front-line administrative staff who serve as a primary point of contact for Veterans - families - and interdisciplinary health care team members
• Establish and monitor customer-service practices that support professional - respectful - Veteran-centered communication
• Resolve or appropriately escalate complex Veteran and family concerns affecting patient access - administrative services - or inpatient care coordination
• Support efficient patient movement and coordination from ward/clinic arrival through establishment of the plan of care
• Exercise full first-level supervisory authority over assigned GS-03 through GS-07 Medical Support Assistant staff - including Lead MSAs - Advanced MSAs - and MSAs
• Assign work - establish priorities - evaluate performance - and ensure adequate staffing coverage for assigned wards and clinics
• Develop work schedules - approve leave - and manage time-and-attendance functions using VATAS
• Adjust staffing and workload assignments based on patient volume - operational demands - and health care system priorities
• Participate in recruitment - selection - onboarding - and retention activities with the servicing Human Resources Management Office
• Issue performance standards - communicate performance expectations - complete evaluations - and address performance deficiencies - including use of Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs) when appropriate
• Address employee conduct and performance concerns
• recommend or take corrective and disciplinary actions consistent with applicable policy - labor agreements - and delegated authority
• Represent management in labor-management activities and respond to employee concerns - grievances - and workplace issues
• Lead administrative and technical operations across assigned inpatient wards - clinics - or specialty programs
• Participate in operational huddles and interdisciplinary meetings to align administrative support services with patient-care needs
• Conduct leadership rounding and follow up on operational - staffing - workflow - patient-access - and customer-service issues identified
• Coordinate competing administrative requirements and clinical-support priorities to maintain a Veteran-centered - efficient inpatient environment
• Establish priorities - manage deadlines - and independently adjust work processes and staff assignments to meet operational and patient-care demands
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 0730 - 1600 Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: PD10959F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized