Lead Medical Support Assistant

The Lead Medical Support Assistant is responsible for assessing daily workloads, assigning tasks, ensuring team coverage, evaluating training records, and determining the training needs for Medical Support Assistants on interdisciplinary teams. The incumbent assists the unit with complex and non-standard procedures, including managing clinical care flow across multiple departments, specialties, and community resources.

FUNCTIONS OR SCOPES OF PRACTICE.
The incumbent independently executes a range of duties essential to the delivery of healthcare services in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Primary responsibilities include the coordination of daily needs within the assigned team, distributing assigned work within the team, addressing questions and needs from team members, scheduling Veteran medical appointments, greeting patients, and managing phone and mail communications. The incumbent collaborates closely with a multidisciplinary team to coordinate the Veterans' access to their health care services and can resolve non-routine and complex problems. The Lead Medical Support Assistant is responsible for generating multiple reports on a reoccurring basis, determining areas of need, and distributing work to address the needs identified in the report. Common reports the Lead Medical Support Assistant would generate, and review include, but are not limited to: the no-show report, open, active, pending, and unscheduled consults, open slot management report, the Insurance Capture Buffer (ICB) report, recall reminders, open return to clinic orders, unable to schedule report, NEAR, and VA Online Scheduling Appointment Activity (VAOS) reports.

SUPERVISORY CONTROLS.
The supervisor will provide directions in terms of objectives, priorities, and deadlines. The incumbent plans and organizes work with minimal assistance from the supervisor to meet required timeframes for actionable items, reports, and special assignments. The Lead Medical Support Assistant is responsible for carrying out successive steps of work assignments and independently handling scheduling problems and deviations based on personal knowledge of clinic operations and policy and scheduled. The incumbent must coordinate efforts to ensure all aspects of duties are accomplished efficiently, timely, and correctly. The Lead Medical Support Assistant plans and carries out the day-to-day operation of the team independently utilizing the initiative to resolve problems. The incumbent is responsible for maintaining confidentiality of information obtained to carry out required duties.
The Lead Medical Support Assistant is responsible for assessing and providing training to other Medical Support Assistants within the department. Supervision is generally limited to reviewing overall results on daily scheduling reports, insurance data capture, and standards of performance as well as feedback from the clinic team to ensure mission is carried out.

CUSTOMER SERVICE REQUIREMENT.
Meets the needs of all customers while supporting the Health Care System and Service missions. Consistently communicates and treats customers (patients, visitors, volunteers, and all Health Care System staff) in a courteous, tactful, and respectful manner. Provides the customers with consistent information according to established policies and procedures. The incumbent must be able to effectively communicate proactively, under stressful situations with sometimes angry, hostile, dissatisfied patients and/or family members.

Work Schedule: M-F, 0800-1630
Telework: No

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.
To qualify for appointment to this position, all applicants must possess the following:

a. 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).

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

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

d. Licensure/Certification/Registration. None.

NOTE: This provision is not intended to regularize appointments/ placements.

f. 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.

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

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

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-07. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-07

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

GRADE DETERMINATIONS. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, candidates must meet the following grade-determining criteria for placement at grade levels specified.

Lead Medical Support Assistant, GS-07.

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

(2) Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to meeting the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
(a) Advanced knowledge of medical terminology and a wide range of clinical flow processes relating to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or community.

(b) Skill in communicating with individuals to obtain the desired effect and coordinating with a variety of interdisciplinary care team staff.

(c) Ability to utilize numerous advanced patient systems in support of multiple clinics in an interdisciplinary setting.

(d) Ability to organize work, set priorities, and delegate tasks/responsibilities in order to meet deadlines.

(e) Ability to provide staff development and training.

(f) Ability to manage staffing requirements, manage workflow priorities, and adjust the flow of work to meet team and patient needs. This includes the ability to follow-up on pending issues and demonstrate an understanding of the impact of incomplete work across multiple clinics.

(3) Assignment. For all Lead assignments the Lead MSA must spend at least 25% or more of their time performing lead duties. The Lead MSA is responsible for the coordination of Advanced MSA assignments and workflow found in an interdisciplinary unit. The Lead MSA is responsible for daily workload assessments, assigning work, and assuring proper staffing coverage; evaluating training records; and determining training needs of MSAs to provide support across interdisciplinary settings. The Lead assists the unit with complex and non-standard procedures, including clinical flow processes related to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or community resources. Assignments at this level include but are not limited to ensuring accurate and timely scheduling of appointments; providing guidance to staff members, to include changes in policies and procedures; creating and maintaining employee work schedules; and acting as a liaison among Advanced MSA staff, patients, and other interdisciplinary staff to resolve day-to-day conflicts.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.