Lead Medical Support Assistant

Description:

The incumbent serves as a Lead Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) in Care in the Community (CITC) at the Martinsburg VA Medical Center in Martinsburg, WV. The incumbent's work impacts the administrative aspect of patient care, including access, scheduling/coordinating appointments using advanced clinic access principles, collecting, and updating demographic and insurance information, patient processing and customer service.

Requirements:

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:

Citizenship.

All applicants are required to be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified candidates in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g.)

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.

Physical Requirements.

The work is mostly sedentary and is performed in an office setting.

English Language Proficiency.

Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3.j.


Grade Requirements.

a. Creditable Experience

(1) Knowledge of Medical Support Assistant Practices.

To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) associated with current Medical Support Assistant responsibilities or an equivalent administrative patient support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting. Experience satisfying this requirement may be paid/non-paid employment as [an] MSA or [an equivalent position in a non-VA hospital or clinic setting].

(2) Quality of Experience.

Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to Medical Support Assistant experience or equivalent administrative clinical support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting at the next lower grade level.

For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty), and a range of varieties as described in this standard, at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time.

(3) Part-Time Experience.

Part-time experience as an Medical Support Assistant or equivalent administrative patient support in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time workweek.

For example, an Medical Support Assistant employed 20 hours a week, or on a 1/2-time basis, would receive one full-time workweek of credit for each two weeks of service.

Grade Determinations.

In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following education and experience criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

Lead Medical Support Assistant, GS-7

a. Experience.

One year of experience equivalent to the GS-6 grade level.

b. Assignment.

The Lead Medical Support Assistant is responsible for the coordination of Advanced Medical Support Assistants, assignments and workflow found in an interdisciplinary unit. The Lead Medical Support Assistant is responsible for daily workload assessments, assigning work, and assuring proper staffing coverage; evaluating training records; and determining training needs of Medical Support Assistants to provide support across interdisciplinary settings.

The Lead Medical Support Assistant assists the unit with complex and non-standard procedures, including clinical flow processes related to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or community resources.

Assignments at this level include but are not limited to: ensuring accurate and timely scheduling of appointments; providing guidance to staff members, to include changes in policies and procedures; creating and maintaining employee work schedules; and acting as a liaison among Advanced Medical Support Assistant, staff, patients, and other interdisciplinary staff to resolve day-to-day conflicts.

For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty) and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time.

c. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.

Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs 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.

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).

Preferred Experience:
Ability to operate computerized programs and systems.
Knowledge of Medical Terminology.
Ability to scheduled medical appointments.
Ability to work independently .
Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically and by telephone.
Great customer service skills.

References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G45.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-07.