Clarification from the agency

This vacancy is ONLY open to current, permanent Facility and CBOC employees of the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS) employees including satellites. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

The Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) provides specialized and expert administrative patient support while working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model. The AMSA is assigned to one or more of the following Units of the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center: Medical/Surgical, Community Living Center, 6C Hematology/Oncology, Dialysis, Hospice & Palliative Care, Critical Care, Step-down, Emergency Department and/or any other inpatient/outpatient area as needed. The primary duties of the position may include but are not limited to:

• Transcribes and directs a wide variety of physician orders for inpatient and outpatients to include requests for diagnostic tests, medications, treatment activities, etc.
• Transfers patients in the computer between departments, routes information to appropriate departments for action; and follows through to impact timely and efficient care.
• Extracts Encounter Forms/Prescription Profiles for clinic visits; enters appropriate codes from completed Encounter forms; checks in/out clinic visit; issues meal tickets.
• Uses the Electronic Record System to verify physicians' orders and forward requests in a timely manner to ensure proper dosage is provided for the patient.
• Keeps the Pharmacy Service informed of patient movements, i.e., discharge, transfers, etc.
• Identifies various chemical compounds, symbols, and abbreviations comprising medication orders.
• Schedules and notifies nursing personnel of patient appointments with various clinics and Services throughout the medical center. Makes records of patients available to accompany patient if indicated, and ensures all pertinent data is included before releasing records for appointments.
• Coordinates and may schedule return appointments for follow-up outpatient treatment. Ensures that medical records are reviewed and coded prior to transfer out to another VA facility.
• Initiates nursing home referrals, and related forms, when ordered by physician.
• Clears patients for discharge or transfer, with coordination from clinical personnel and Social Workers when required.
• Records telephone messages pertaining to matters such as detailed laboratory reports, x-rays, test results; and recognizes and refers urgent messages to the clinical staff for immediate action.
• Sorts and distributes mail. Serves as the point of contact for the ward; receives and handles most callers, both personal and telephonic.
• Assists patients by contacting volunteers or Social Workers as needed, and Veterans' representatives as requested.
• Discharges and transfers patients to and from the unit.
• Orients new physicians, residents, interns, nurses and nursing students to clerical operations of the unit.
• Inventories and requisitions stock of supplies and forms for the ward.
• Receives and distributes cash to patients and deposits money as required.
• Prepares request for deposit or withdrawal of funds for patients; and purchase orders for as needed.
• Obtains patients' funds for non-ambulatory patients if family members are not present at time of discharge or transfer.

Work Schedule: 24/7 operations; Rotating shifts including weekends and holidays. Schedule will be discussed during the interview.
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 598-01329-F
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• May be required to complete pre-employment physical evaluation.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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.
  • (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.
• Certification. None required.
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.
• English Language Proficiency. Medical Support Assistants must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Policy.

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. To qualify for the GS-06 level, your resume must demonstrate you possess the required experience necessary to possess the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) required for the grade. Be specific when describing the job duties that demonstrate you possess the KSAs listed. Resume must include hours per week for work experience credit.

Medical Support Assistant (Advanced), GS-06

(a) Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level. To qualify for this position, you must demonstrate in your resume that you have experience that includes:

• Entering, modifying, retrieving sensitive information into or from electronic health records, scheduling systems, and/or reports;
• Scheduling medical appointments in a clinical setting;
• Performing patient support work;
• Providing customer service and identifying patient concerns to ensure satisfactory resolution;
• Advanced level of medical terminology.

(b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition, you must demonstrate ALL of the following KSAs in your resume:

1. Ability to collaborate and communicate with a wide range of medical clinicians across multiple disciplines (e.g. medical doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, clinical pharmacists, and nursing staff) to accomplish team goal setting to ensure medical care to patients is met.
2. Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations.
3. Ability to communicate tactfully and effectively, electronically, by phone, in person, and in writing, with internal and external customers. This may include preparing reports in various formats and presenting data to various organizational levels, as well as resolving patient concerns.
4. Advanced knowledge of the technical health care process (including, but not limited to, scheduling across interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or care in the community models and patient health care portals) as it relates to access to care.
5. Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures associated with interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or care in the community operational activities that affect patient flow, and patient support care administrative functions to include, but not limited to appointment cycles, outside patient referrals, follow-up care, overbooking, provider availability, etc.
6. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians.

Preferred Experience:

• Experience with Microsoft Office, typing, and computer skills

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-06.

Physical Requirements:Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, puling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment.

Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Other (1)
• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

Special Note for Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume Document. This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted 'Resume' document upload field.

Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field.

Resume Requirement: Your resume must include the following information: Job title, description of duties, beginning and ending date (month/year) of employment, and average hours worked per week.

SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Eligibility):

• Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee

Examples of appropriate SF-50's include:

• Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
• Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or
• SF-50's at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old.

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• Cover Letter
• Other (1)
• Other (2)
• Performance Appraisal
• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Next steps