Selectees from this announcement could be considered for any of the areas throughout the facility where Medical Support Assistants are utilized. Individual announcements will not be posted. This announcement will be used to fill ANY open Medical Support Assistant vacancies for up to 90 days after closing. Applicants will be referred as vacancies become available.

Duties

The MSA independently performs a full range of duties related to the delivery of healthcare services in an inpatient or outpatient setting and advises clinical staff on current administrative processes, and support work relating to the care and treatment given to patients in inpatient units, outpatient clinics, patient scheduling call centers, Care in the Community Support Staff (CitC), and ancillary support services. Responsibilities include but not limited to:

Requirements

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. Experience and Education. 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, Education. One year above high school; OR, Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable. 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 3.j. 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, you must meet the grade requirements. Medical Support Assistant, GS-3 Experience: None beyond the basic requirements; AND, Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: Ability to meet, communicate, and interact with individuals in a courteous and helpful manner in order to give instructions and arrange appointments. Ability to utilize computer systems to enter administrative data in patient systems. Ability to learn and utilize basic medical terminology to record patient messages and physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care. Medical Support Assistant, GS-4 Experience: 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. Experience at this level include apply general rules and policies relating to clinic functions, staff, and automated data processing methods in support of treatment to patients. They utilize a variety of patient data systems in scheduling patients for treatment and annotates patient records. They perform front desk duties, receives telephone call, and visitors to the MSA unit. They make and cancel appointments, review patient records for necessary information, and review patient demographics and insurance verification. They consult with clinic staff when processing physician scheduling and administrative orders. OR, Education: Two years of education above high school AND, Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: 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. 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. Knowledge of basic medical terminology to assist in the provision of care to patients. Skill in recording patient messages and understanding physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care in internal or external clinics. Medical Support Assistant, GS-5 Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-4 grade level. Experience at this level include, but are not limited to: scheduling and rescheduling patients for treatment; interviewing patients for appointments; referring patients to other medical specialty clinics; providing information to patients necessary to resolve VA Handbook complaints; interacting with both internal and external customers; reviewing and documenting medical outpatient and inpatient electronic health records, as well as administrative records; verifying third party insurance and updating information in the Insurance Capture Buffer (ICB) system; obtaining medical information from patients; coordinating information and actions related to patient care and services; and scheduling appointments in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines. OR, Education: Four years of education above high school; AND, Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: 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. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients. Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting. Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work. Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external customers. 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, MSA Qualification Standard The full performance level of this vacancy is 05. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of 03 to 05. Physical Requirements: Work is performed in an office setting and is primarily sedentary. May require lifting and carrying of light loads (e.g.files, records etc.) Resume Reminder: Your resume must include the following for each job listed: 1) Job title and grade level/salary. In order to show that you meet the experience requirements, you must document grades you have held and how long you have held them; 2) Duties, examples for each work experience, examples of relevant experiences and accomplishments that prove you can perform the tasks at the level required for the job as stated. You must include enough detailed information to support your specialized experience; 3) Month, day and year start/end dates (e.g. 04/02/2019 to 04/13/2020); 4) Hours worked per week for all jobs listed. 5) Full Name and address of Employer 6) Name of Supervisor or Contact name 7) Complete phone number of Supervisor/Contact. To credit experience, you must provide demonstrated experience. Reiterated knowledge skills and abilities will not be qualifying. Narrative responses to explain tasks completed, accomplishments made, and/or specific instances where the skillset has been applied in work are recommended in the assessment questionnaire

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 James E Van Zandt VA Medical Center 2907 Pleasant Valley Boulevard Altoona, PA 16602 US
• Name: Jantez Taylor-Harrington
• Phone: 305-922-5196
• Email: [email protected]