This Advanced Medical Support Assistant serves in the Nursing Service at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System and must be able to work at either of the Little Rock and North Little Rock campuses based on needs of the service.

Duties

If you are not a current, permanent VA employee or Federal employee from another agency, you should apply CBST-12086636-23-KCG The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) is assigned to one or more of the following Units of the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center: Medical/Surgical, Community Living Center, 6C Hematology/Oncology, Dialysis, Hospice & Palliative Care, Critical Care, Step-down, Emergency Department and/or any other inpatient/outpatient area as needed. The AMSA must be knowledgeable of and support the facility Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Programs by properly executing assigned duties in a professional manner. The AMSA must possess good communications skills and a positive attitude with supervisor, professional staff, patient and their family, other medical center personnel and peers. Duties of this position may include but are not limited to: Provides specialized and expert administrative patient support while working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model Initiates a variety of clerical duties associated patient care and treatment Makes routine administrative decisions regarding administrative functions of the ward/unit and Department of Veterans Affairs policies Verifies physicians' orders through the electronic record system and forwards request in a timely manner to ensure proper dosage is provided for the patient Keeps Pharmacy Service informed of patient movements, i.e., discharge, transfers, etc.. Identifies various chemical compounds, symbols, and abbreviations comprising medication orders Transcribes and directs a wide variety of physician orders for inpatient and outpatients to include requests for diagnostic tests, medications, treatment activities, etc., transferring patients in the compute between departments, routes information to appropriate departments for action; and follows through to impact timely and efficient care Extracts Encounter Forms/Prescription Profiles for clinic visits; enters appropriate codes from completed Encounter forms; checks in/out clinic visit; issues meal tickets Schedules and notifies nursing personnel of patient appointments with various clinics and services throughout the medical center Makes records of patients available to accompany patient if indicated and ensures all pertinent data is included before releasing records for appointments Coordinates and may schedule return appointments for follow-up outpatient treatment Ensures that medical records are reviewed and coded prior to transfer out to another VA facility Initiates nursing home referrals, and related forms, when ordered by physician Clears patient for discharge or transfer, with coordination from clinical personnel and Social Workers when required Records telephone messages pertaining to matters such as laboratory reports, x-rays, test results; and recognizes and refers urgent messages to the clinical staff for immediate action Sorts and distributes mail Serves as point of contact for the ward; receives and handles most callers, both personal and telephonic Assists patients by contacting volunteers or Social Workers as needed and Veterans' representatives as requested Orientates new physicians, residents, interns, nurses and nursing students to clerical operations of the unit (ex. patient location, patient files, computer capabilities and entry, formats for ordering medical tests, discharge summary dictation instructions and requirements for completion of records to the reading room; completion transfer forms by physician when patient transfer between divisions, services or levels of care). Inventories and requisitions stock of supplies and forms for the ward Receives and distributes cash to patients and deposits moneys as required Types purchase orders for incidentals for patients; and various forms to secure indigent services, newspapers, work orders, etc. Prepares requests for deposit or withdrawal of funds for patients; and purchase orders as needed Obtains patients' funds for non-ambulatory patients if family members are not present at time of discharge or transfer Performs extended shift work on a rotating basis to assist clinical staff with administrative procedures during other normal tours of duty. (Work schedule may include irregular tours, evenings, weekends and holidays to meet the need of the service in providing administrative coverage to wards Work Schedule: Rotating shifts/weekends/holidays Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 598-00463-F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

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 and Education. (1) Experience. 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, (2) Education. One year above high school; OR, (3) Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable. Certification. None required Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. English Language Proficiency. Medical Support Assistants must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Policy. 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. To qualify for the GS-06 level, your resume must demonstrate you possess the required experience necessary to possess the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) required for the grade. Be specific when describing the job duties that demonstrate you possess the KSAs listed. Resume must include hours per week for work experience credit. Medical Support Assistant (Advanced), GS-06 (a) Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level. To qualify for this position, you must demonstrate in your resume that you have experience that includes: Entering, modifying, retrieving sensitive information into or from electronic health records, scheduling systems, and/or reports; Scheduling medical appointments in a clinical setting; Performing patient support work; Providing customer service and identifying patient concerns to ensure satisfactory resolution; Advanced level of medical terminology. (b) Assignment. The Advanced MSA provides specialized and expert administrative patient support while working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model. Work involves specialized administrative judgment and the flexible use of a wide range of clinical flow processes relating to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or care in the community resources. Recommends changes to existing clinic procedures based on current administrative guidelines. Expertise in utilizing numerous advanced patient systems in support of multiple clinics involved in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model. Coordinates with the patient care team to review clinic appointment availability (utilization) to ensure that clinic schedules are closely monitored to effectively support the needs of the clinics, and makes adjustments as necessary. MSAs at this level develop and/or maintain effective and efficient communication with the patient, interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model teams, VA medical centers, and other agencies (e.g., assist with communications during the inpatient to outpatient discharge; communicate with non-VA medical facilities; prepare correspondence to notify patients of normal lab results; manage a system for follow-up care such as consults, tests, etc.). (c) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition, you must demonstrate ALL of the following KSAs in your resume: 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. Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations. 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. 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. 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. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians. References: VA Handbook 5005/117 Part II, Appendix G45 VA Qualification Standard for Medical Support Assistant, GS-0679. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-06. Physical Requirements: Work is sedentary but also demands standing, walking, bending, twisting, and carrying light items.

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.

Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs.

Contacts

• Address John L McClellan Memorial Veterans' Hospital 4300 West Seventh Street Little Rock, AR 72205 US
• Name: Kathy Girndt
• Phone: (501) 297-2221
• Email: [email protected]