Medical Support Assistant

BASIC REQUIREMENTS: a. Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3.g.). b. 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. c. Certification. None required. d. 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. e. 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. g. 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. GRADE DETERMINATIONS: GS-3 MSA (Entry Level) Experience: You must meet the Basic Requirements outlined above. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition you must be able to demonstrate all of the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) listed 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) 1. 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. Examples of experience include but are not necessarily limited to: meet, communicate, and interact with individuals in a courteous and helpful manner in order to give instructions and arrange appointments; utilize computer systems to enter administrative data in patient systems; utilize basic medical terminology to record patient messages and physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care. OR 2. Education: Two years above high school. AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to Basic Requirements and the experience listed above, candidates must be able to 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) 1. Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-4 grade level. Examples of experience include but not be limited 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; 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. OR 2. Education: Four years of education above high school. AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to Basic Requirements and the experience listed above, candidates must be able to 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. All qualifying experience you possess must be clearly described in your application package. We will not make assumptions when reviewing applications. Failure to demonstrate your experience and knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) in your application may result in disqualification. It is strongly recommended that you write to each KSA to demonstrate how you have gained each one in your application package or on a supplemental document. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.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 is primarily sedentary, however, there may be some walking, standing, bending and transporting items under 20 pounds. Works extensively in the hospital computer system.
The Medical Support Assistant (MSA) serves primarily in the Outpatient Specialty departments with the Iowa City VA Health Care System at the Iowa City campus. The incumbent performs duties related to the receipt, intake, and indexing of health and administrative information. Additionally, the incumbent will interface with personal computer (PC) applications as well as numerous Vista applications.