Advanced Medical Support Assistant

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) serves as the liaison between patients, nursing staff, medical staff, outside agencies and other VA Medical Centers in their assigned area and serves customers both internal and external.

The list generated from this announcement can be used up to 90 days to fill any additional vacancies that may arise.

VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/EE9c4XkaELo

Advanced Medical Support Assistant provide administrative support to our clinical colleagues in the care of our Nation's Veterans. Our mission is to provide efficient and effective healthcare services by promoting and enabling the delivery of timely, accurate, accessible health care. VA is committed to cultivating a dedicated workforce of highly skilled employees who understand, believe in and take pride in VA's mission. AMSAs are essential to the success of this mission and may be assigned to any department/service line of the medical center that have a need.

Duties will include but are not limited to:

• Act as the secondary preceptor for new MSA staff.
• Act as a subject matter expert on MSA function/duties
• Fill in as "Acting Lead" when the Lead is absent
• Take over escalated calls from other MSAs
• Assists in training of team members for specific administrative or technical training.
• Participates in team meetings where patient care planning and management of CCAS utilizing VANTS & virtual meetings with contract vendor for coordination of contract Community Care.
• Ability to independently manage position responsibilities with little supervision as well as set priorities and deadlines adjusting the flow and sequencing of the work to meet team and patient needs.
• Processing and record keeping of inpatient medical records.
• Manual and electronic data entry.
• Providing reception to incoming and outgoing customers and communication.
• Utilizes Microsoft Office software to compile data and formulate reports.

Work Schedule: 0800-1630
Compressed/Flexible: Not Available
Telework: Ad-hoc only
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Available
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Available
PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Available

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.
• English Language Proficiency: MSAs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j
• Education. High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education.

Medical Support Assistant (Advanced), GS-6

Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level; Examples of qualifying experience, include but are not limited to, independently performing a full range of duties related to the delivery of healthcare services in an inpatient or outpatient setting. Advising clinical staff on current administrative processes. Performing administrative support duties including answering phones, greeting patients, relaying messages to appropriate medical staff inside or outside of the unit, scheduling appointments, including interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines.

AND

Candidates must demonstrate the KSAs below:
1. Advanced knowledge of the technical health care process (including, but not limited to, scheduling across interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or care in the community models and patient health care portals) as it relates to access to care.
2. Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures associated with interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or care in the community operational activities that affect patient flow, and patient support care administrative functions to include, but not limited to appointment cycles, outside patient referrals, follow-up care, overbooking, provider availability, etc.
3. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians.
4.Ability to collaborate and communicate with a wide range of medical clinicians across multiple disciplines (e.g., medical doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, clinical pharmacists, and nursing staff) to accomplish team goal setting to ensure medical care to patients is met.
5. Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations.
6. Ability to communicate tactfully and effectively, electronically, by phone, in person, and in writing, with internal and external customers. This may include preparing reports in various formats and presenting data to various organizational levels, as well as resolving patient concerns.

Note: You must provide detailed information of your experience performed. Information such as "I was a Medical Support Assistant" is insufficient to determine your qualifications. Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hour worked per week.

Preferred Experience: Previous experience as a medical support assistant, working in a call center and/or performing administrative health care functions.

References: VA Handbook 5005/117, Medical Support Assistant Qualification Standard, GS-679. Published August 1, 2019

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS 6.

Physical Requirements: The work requires frequent lifting and carrying up to 10 lbs, occasionally lifting and carrying 10- 25 lbs. Occasional lifting of 50 lb maximum boxes of paper on and off the transport cart for 5 delivery to units worked. The work requires occasional walking, standing, periods of sitting, intermittent reaching at or above shoulder height, twisting and bending. Requires finger and hand dexterity adequate to handle and manipulate equipment, computer input using a keyboard, stocking of supplies and filing forms. Hearing and visual acuity adequate to receive and transmit messages (personally and via telephone), accurately file and process orders.

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

1. 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
2. College transcript (official)

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.
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the 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.