This Lead Medical Support Assistant position is in Primary Care service at VA Boston Healthcare System located at Jamaica Plain, MA campus. This position is full-time at 40 hours per week.

Duties

The incumbent serves as a Lead Medical Support Assistant in Primary Care. The work is accomplished predominantly in the Ambulatory Care setting where there is a diverse and intense activity. Incumbent works in close proximity to the Business Manager, patients, allied support staff and physicians. Incumbent will normally work at one of the locations but is required to work at the other locations as necessary. Duties include but not limited to: Providing administrative support to Primary Care clinics, Subspecialties clinics and Mental Health clinics. Interface with personal computer (PC) applications such as Microsoft applications, as well as numerous Vista applications. Monitors and makes work assignments, provides input on performance, resolves daily workplace issues and maintains efficient workflow. Act as a resource for staff and patients in the absence of the Business Manager and will actively oversee service recovery when Business Manager is unavailable. Oversee patient flow to assure smooth operations and will make on-the-spot adjustments and overall suggestions for improvement. Participate in team huddles and team meetings to manage and plan patient care, setting priorities and deadlines, adjusting the flow and sequencing of the work to meet team and patient needs. The incumbent must be able to create and maintain spreadsheets and independently run reports to back up the Business manager in running local and Primary Care-wide management reports access, consult management and scheduling accuracy. Knowledge of spelling, grammar, medical terminology and appropriate formats to perform typing (computer) duties is required. Performs receptionist duties, recordkeeping, and request record information from the outside non-VA hospitals/providers. Receives telephone call inquiries and directs visitors to their appropriate clinic. Schedules appointments for patients, completes data validation, which includes clinics stop codes and no-shows. Train staff on the requirements of VHA Scheduling Directives and complete accurate scheduling responsibilities. Other duties assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30am - 4:00 pm Telework: Telework Ad-Hoc work can be performed on an as needed basis anywhere other than a VA facility or using VA-leased space (example: home). Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: PD906370 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Notifications: This position is in the Excepted Service. Due to a critical staffing shortage, 38 U.S.C. § 7412 waives the requirement to apply Veterans' preference for this job announcement. Veterans' preference does not apply for other current permanent Federal agency employees. Current federal employees must submit copies of their most recent non-award SF50 (notice of personnel action). The SF50 must identify the position, title, series, grad, step, tenure and type of service (competitive or excepted). In some cases, more than one SF50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held. This position is a NAGE Bargaining Unit position. This position is covered by a special rate. The incumbent may be required to travel to other VA campuses and CBOC's. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/06/2023. 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. 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. Grade Determinations: GS-7 Grade Level Requirement. Experience: In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements, candidates must possess one year of experience equivalent to the [GS-6] grade level [leading or supervising MSAs or equivalent administrative patient support staff in a non-VA medical inpatient, outpatient, or interdisciplinary setting.] and be able to demonstrate [all of] the Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs) as summarized below: i. 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.] ii. [Ability to independently] set priorities and organize [ ] work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations. iii. 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]. iv. 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. [v.] 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. [vi.] Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians. AND Must demonstrate [all of] the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities below: i. [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 resources. ii. Ability to utilize numerous advanced patient systems in support of multiple clinics in an interdisciplinary setting.] [iii.] Ability to organize work, set priorities, and delegate tasks/responsibilities in order to meet deadlines. iv. Skill in communicating with individuals to obtain the desired effect [and coordinating with a variety of interdisciplinary care team staff]. [v.] Ability to provide staff development and training. [vi.] 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. References: VA Handbook 5005, PART II, APPENDIX G45 Medical Support Assistant VA Qualification Standard. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-7. Physical Requirements: The work requires some physical exertion such as prolonged periods of standing, bending, reaching, crouching, stooping, stretching, and lifting moderately heavy items such as papers, books, manuals, record boxes and boxes of computer paper. Computers are used and therefore keyboarding is required. The work includes walking from area to area when covering other employees. Applicant may at times be exposed to stressful situations.

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.

Contacts

• Address VA Boston Healthcare System 940 Belmont Street Brockton, MA 02301 US
• Name: Julia Murdoch
• Phone: 508-513-7803
• Email: [email protected]