The VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System is recruiting for an Advanced Medical Support Assistant. The Advanced Medical Support Assistant will function in Surgical Service.

Duties

The incumbent demonstrates a thorough knowledge of the functions of the Services involved in the OR and works collaboratively with the OR staff which includes surgeons, nurses, SPS employees, EMS employees, and other members of the interdisciplinary team. The clinical administrative duties include tracking and performing administrative action on request for surgery consults, scheduling of patient operative procedures and directing phone inquiries so that patient care is as excellent and efficient as possible. The duties are collaborative and interdisciplinary for all the surgical sections. The incumbent participates in Operating Room Huddle which occurs daily between a multi-disciplinary team. Incumbent is expected to provide information, issues, and scheduling updates in the huddle. He/she supports the OR and is responsible for ensuring requests for surgery are received and scheduling the patients for operative procedures is appropriate. This includes adjusting the schedule for emergent cases and communicating with section points of contact, nursing, and additional OR personnel as needed. The incumbent works collaboratively with the section leaders and OR Nursing to determine the order of the operative procedures. Incumbent is responsible for ensuring data is entered accurately into the Surgical Package when scheduling the procedure. Advanced knowledge of managing patient clinical situations is needed to make decisions and collaborate with the surgical teams and solve problems in the complex OR environment is required. Changes in the schedule must be expedited by communicating with the multidisciplinary team at an independent level. Services to notify by the incumbent include Anesthesia, SPS, PACU Charge Nurse, Same Day Center, Pre-op Nurse, and Surgeons. The schedule is closely monitored to ensure patient flow is optimized, patient care is not compromised, and quality measures are met. The incumbent must work collaboratively with the team to ensure this is completed. The Advanced OR MSA's notify the Ward or Same Day Center when the patient is to be transported for surgery and ensures/follows-up on patient arrival such that the procedure is not delayed. The Advanced OR MSA's check-in patients as needed into the appropriate holding area per protocol. Incumbent also must facilitate communication with the SICU and wards for patient beds. The incumbent must be able to work independently in a fast-paced environment to collaborate with employees from multiple Services, making decisions which affect patient care and flow in the Operating Room. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology is needed in order to appropriately schedule the cases. The incumbent assists communication with the patient's surgical team and ancillary multidisciplinary Services. This includes answering routing phone calls for the appropriate Service/section(s). This includes alerting clinical and supervisory staff when necessary. The incumbent is responsible for following up on special situations which arise with documentation. The incumbent participates in the daily multidisciplinary huddle with SPS, Nursing personnel and the OR Coordinator to prepare for the next day cases to ensure the equipment cases are requested, loaner equipment is ordered, vendor representatives are notified, etc. to ensure the cases will run smoothly. Other Duties as Assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Fridays 8:00am-4:30pm (Variable based on needs of the service and at the supervisor's discretion) Compressed/Flexible:Not Authorized Telework: May be available at supervisor's discretion for highly qualified candidates Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 93187-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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. 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. Certification. None required. Grandfathering Provision. All MSAs employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series, and grade held, which are a part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: Such employees may be reassigned, promoted, or changed to a lower grade within the occupation. Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. If an employee who was converted to Title 38 hybrid status under this provision leaves the occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation. 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. 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. Physical Requirements. The work of this position is primarily sedentary working closely with others or alone. There may be some walking, standing, bending, kneeling, carrying of light items under 20 pounds, reaching above shoulder, driving an automobile, etc. The work environment typically involves everyday risks or discomforts that require normal safety precautions typical of an office, meeting or training room. The work area is adequately lighted, heated and ventilated. The physical requirements of this position are concerned with the mental/emotional and physical ability of the incumbent to satisfactorily perform the duties of the proposed assignment and may include requisite laboratory and other screening as required by VA Directive 5019 Grade Determinations: GS-6 In addition to the basic requirements for employment listed in paragraph 3 above, the following education and experience criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: Experience. One year of experience equivalent to GS-5 grade level. Some examples of these experiences include but are not limited to assignments such as: scheduling, canceling, re-scheduling patient appointments and/or consults; entering no-show information; monitoring appointment requests from multiple electronic sources; participating in huddles with other MSAs and/or clinic staff to determine the daily needs of the clinic monitoring both inpatient and outpatient appointments in areas of responsibility; verifying and updating demographics and insurance information when patients check-in for appointments. Coordinates administrative functions relating to emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals and determines appointment type based on the patient's eligibility status (i.e., TRICARE, sharing agreements, collaterals, research patient, VA employee, etc.) 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. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. This position is above the full performance level. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-6. Physical Requirements: The work of this position is primarily sedentary working closely with others or alone. There may be some walking, standing, bending, kneeling, carrying of light items under 20 pounds, reaching above shoulder, driving an automobile, etc. The work environment typically involves everyday risks or discomforts that require normal safety precautions typical of an office, meeting or training room. The work area is adequately lighted, heated and ventilated. The physical requirements of this position are concerned with the mental/emotional and physical ability of the incumbent to satisfactorily perform the duties of the proposed assignment and may include requisite laboratory and other screening as required by VA Directive 5019

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System 10701 East Boulevard Cleveland, OH 44106 US
• Name: Robert Gallimore
• Phone: (910) 494-1305
• Email: [email protected]