Supervisory Medical Support Assistant

This Supervisory Medical Support Assistant (SMSA) position is in the Health Administration Service of the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center at the Lake Jackson VA Outpatient Clinic in Lake Jackson, Texas.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

The Supervisory Medical Support Assistant (MSA) position serves as the direct line supervisor for all Advanced Medical Support Assistants (AMSA) and Medical Support Assistants (MSA). The Supervisory MSA works collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model and is a foundational role within the Lake Jackson VA Outpatient Clinic. Duties of this position may include but are not limited to:

• Assigning and evaluating the work of subordinate staff.
• Resolving complex problems to ensure patient services are met.
• Evaluating new products, equipment, and systems in order to make recommendations for improved operations.
• Identifying educational or training needs for subordinate staff.
• Making final decisions on selections for hire.
• Evaluating performance and taking disciplinary action when necessary.
• Extracting and analyzing data in order to provide reports in support of performance measures to senior management.
• Ensuring appointment schedules are maintained by MSA staff.
• Assisting MSA staff with clinic access contingency plans by adjusting appointment times, location, or dates as well as shifting patients to other healthcare providers to maintain efficient patient flow.
• Assuring MSA staff explains the VA's mandate to collect insurance information to Veterans, their families, and other eligible patients.
• Promoting veteran registration utilizing MyHealtheVet (MHV).
• Setting the tone for high quality healthcare services at the VA.
• Ensuring that health/administrative information is secured and integrated into Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS).
• Receiving phone calls in a courteous and timely manner, determining the nature of requests and providing the information desired using privacy rules and established clinic processes.
• Training staff on the requirements of VHA Scheduling Directives and complete and accurate scheduling responsibilities.
• Reviewing of active/pending consults, Electronic Wait List, Recall list and Audiocare communications on a daily basis for accuracy and disposition.
• Participating in the daily team huddles and weekly team meetings and ensuring participation from MSA staff on a rotating basis.
• Communicating and treating customers (patients, visitors, volunteers, and all Medical Center staff) in a courteous, tactful, and respectful manner.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm (subject to change based on facility needs)
Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).
Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.
Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 00711-F
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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

GS-8 Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.

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 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 related to administrative functions in a patient support setting.
• Ability to delegate authority, evaluate and oversee people and programs, accomplish program goals, and adapt to changing priorities.

Assignment. For all supervisory assignments the Supervisory MSA must spend 25% or more of their time providing administrative and technical supervision and perform major duties above those at the FPL that consist of significant scope, complexity, difficulty, and variety. Supervisory MSAs plan and direct programs at medical centers and/or satellite outpatient clinics and have full supervisory responsibility. Assignments at this level 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.

Preferred Experience: Capability to perform a comprehensive range of administrative and supervisory functions for at least one subordinate MSA supervisor or team leader in a patient support environment. Advanced understanding of managing or leading patient support staff in a clinical setting,

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

The full performance level of this vacancy is 7.

Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, puling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment.

Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations

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.
• 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.