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.
I. 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: 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) Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable.
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).
Experience:
(a) Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-04 grade level
OR
(b) Education: Four years of education above high school leading to a Bachelors Degree.
II. GRADE QUALIFICATIONS:
(a) Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-04 grade level
OR
(b) Education: Four years of education above high school leading to a Bachelors Degree.
Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with active professional laboratory practice. Examples of specialized experience are: Assisting with clinic access contingency plans by adjusting appointment times, location, or dates as well as shift patients to other healthcare providers as conflict with staffing and/or coverage occurs; updating demographic information, scheduling appointments, collection insurance information, data entry, administratively managing consultation requests, and electronic wait list, and notifying the patient of his/her appointment; developing and maintaining specific reports used by the patient care team to monitor, track and trend care delivery as well as participating and leading quality improvement efforts focused on cost, access, quality and customer satisfaction; etc...
Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:
1. Ability to operate computerized programs and systems in order to enter, modify and retrieve 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 phone, 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.
C. SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE: You may substitute education for specialized experience if you possess the following :At least four (4) years of Education above high school or a Bachelors Degree
(You must submit copies of transcripts as proof)
The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-6.
Physical Requirements: The Medical Support Assistant work is mostly sedentary; however, some walking; standing, and carrying light items are required. Light filing, sometimes involving working close to the floor, is involved. Wrist and back protection can be provided to minimize the risks associated with prolonged use of automated data processing equipment.
References: VA Handbook 5005/117, Part II, Appendix G45, dated August 1, 2019. Medical Support Assistant Qualification Standard GS-0679.
http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/Directives-Handbooks/Documents/5005.pdf this can be found in the local Human Resources Office.