Medical Support Assistant - Prescott Arizona

Summary

Located in the inpatient clinical wards, admissions and emergency department; the Medical Support Assistant (MSA) is responsible for initiating and carrying out a variety of administrative duties in support of patient care within in-patient units/ wards, admissions and emergency department. The MSA is responsible for the overall management, coordination and administration of all hospital admissions and accommodation activities.

Responsibilities

• Medical Support Assistants (MSAs) are assigned to the Ward Administration Section of Health Administration Service (HAS) located in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). MSAs are responsible for performing a variety of technical support duties that facilitate the work of physicians, physician assistants, nurses, nursing assistants, ancillary staff and other members of the medical facility who provide direct patient care. MSAs are considered the chief sources of patient care coordination and patient flow information and are responsible for a range of duties which include interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA National Scheduling Directive guidelines. The incumbent in this assignment supports all Inpatient Wards of a Medical Center and can be assigned to work on any Inpatient Wards which includes but is not limited to all Medical and Surgical Wards, all Psychiatric wards, ICU, SAARTP, and CLC (Community Living centers).

Work Schedule: Full Time, 40 Hours a week. Exact work schedule to be discussed during the interview.
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status

No

Promotion Potential

5

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to a background/security investigation
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

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.
• Must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Policy.
• Six months experience of clerical, office, customer service, or other administrative work that indicates the ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position or one year above high school or equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable.

Grade Determinations:

GS-3 MSA (Entry Level)
Experience or Education. None beyond the basic requirements.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:
1. Ability to meet, communicate, and interact with individuals in a courteous and helpful manner in order to give instructions and arrange appointments.
2. Ability to utilize computer systems to enter administrative data in patient systems.
3. Ability to learn and utilize basic medical terminology to record patient messages and physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care.

GS-4 MSA (Developmental Level)
Experience or Education. One year of experience in clerical, office, customer service, or other administrative work that indicates the ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position OR two years of education above high school.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:
1. Ability to meet, communicate, and interact with individuals from varying backgrounds and other health care team members in a courteous and helpful manner in order to facilitate medical care for patients.
2. Ability to use, [and navigate between], various types of office automation equipment and software (i.e. computer systems, web based scheduling programs; insurance collection system; scanning software, multiple line phone systems; electronic faxing programs) to support patient care.
3. Knowledge of basic medical terminology to assist in the provision of care to patients.
4. Skill in recording patient messages and understanding physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care in internal or external clinics.

GS-5 MSA (Full Performance Level)
Experience or Education. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-4 grade level OR 4 years of education above high school.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:
1. Ability to operate computerized programs and systems in order to enter, modify, and retrieve sensitive medical and patient identifying information (PII) into or from electronic health records, scheduling systems, and/or reports.
2. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients.
3. Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting.
4. Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work.
5. Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external customers.
6. Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution.

References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/117, PART II, APPENDIX G45, MEDICAL SUPPORT ASSISTANT QUALIFICATION STANDARD.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-5. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-3 to GS-5.

Physical Requirements: The work of the positions is primarily sedentary; however, some walking, standing, bending stooping and carrying of small items such as files may be required.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Additional information

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

If you are unable to apply online view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance

Other

Drug test required

No

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

VA Form 10-2850c Application for Associated Health Occupations can be found at: http://www.va.gov/vaforms/search_action.asp?FormNo=2850&tkey=&Action=Search.

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please use this checklist to ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• Cover Letter
• 10-2850c Application for Associated Health Care Occupations
• Performance Appraisal
• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript