Supervisory Medical Support Assistant

Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. This vacancy is open to current permanent employees of the San Francisco VA only. This includes employees of the San Francisco VA Community Based Outpatient Clinics.

The Supervisory MSA collaborates with and has an extensive knowledge of all clinical services and programs, to include primary care, specialty care, mental health and ancillary services. The Supervisory MSA is flexible, multi-skilled and creative in solving everyday challenges unique to a remote site. The Supervisory MSA assigns work and daily priorities to all Lead and Advanced MSAs and ensures the goals and mission of the Clinic and Health Care System are being met. S/he is responsible for all performance management functions related to Lead and Advanced MSAs, as well as work study students and volunteers providing support within his/her program.

The Supervisory MSA applies principles, methods and guidelines to evaluate administrative operations in order to determine best practices for organizing administrative work and flow of patients throughout the clinic. S/he must take into consideration the staff ratios and skill mixes needed to accomplish the work. Analysis results in recommendations for improvement and implementation of new systems and processes that are discussed with the rest of the management team for decisions regarding the efficiency of clinic operations. The Supervisory MSA performs duties related to the receipt, intake and indexing of health and administrative information. The Supervisory MSA will interface with personal computer (PC) applications as well as numerous VISTA applications. The Supervisory MSA will also serve as the ADPAC for Oakland VA Clinic.

The Supervisory MSA plans and directs programs in the clinic, supporting primary care, and/or specialty care. The Supervisory MSA is responsible for implementing and enforcing clinic changes. Advises supervisor strategies to manage clinic access and ensure compliant appointment management practices per VA scheduling directive guidelines. Manages CPRS view alerts from providers for action involving patient care follow-up. Ensures subordinate Lead and Advanced MSAs appropriately manage new consults for specialty and/or primary care clinics in CPRS to ensure consults are scheduled timely and within VA guidelines. Ensures patient aligned care teams (PACTs) and other clinical programs have the appropriate equipment, supplies and space to safely accomplish work. Monitors and analyzes Automated Call Distribution (ACD) data to ensure timely phone access for patients and provides feedback and training to staff; identifies developmental and training needs for all staff operating on the ACD system. Disseminates new VA Directives and procedures that impact/relate to front desk and clinic operations and provides training to staff.

The Supervisory MSA anticipates problems and develops systems and processes to ensure the goals and mission of the VA are able to be met. Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: assigning and evaluating the work of subordinate staff; resolving complex problems to ensure patient services are met; evaluating new products, equipment and systems in order to make recommendations for improved operations; identifying educational or training needs; making final decision on selections; evaluating performance, and taking disciplinary action when necessary. Analyzing staffing and workload patterns to ensure appropriate coverage of workload needs. Planning work to be accomplished by subordinates, setting and adjusting priorities. Determining appropriate tours of duty. Supervisory MSA has full administrative and professional responsibility for planning and directing the Lead and Advanced MSAs activities.

Other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm
Telework: This position is not telework eligible
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 662-11720F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the 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 identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• 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

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:

• 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. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• You MUST meet the education described below to meet the BASIC qualifications for this position:
• Education. High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education.
• Licensure/Certification/Registration. None.

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: Supervisory Medical Support Assistant, GS-8

Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade, GS-7. AND

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

(a) Advanced knowledge of managing or leading patient support staff in a clinic. This includes independently utilizing reference sources, decision making, and 13 empowering the team to collaborate and resolve problems within a complex systems environment.
(b) Ability to provide the full range of administrative and supervisory duties to at least one subordinate MSA supervisor or team leader in a patient support setting which includes assignment of work, performance evaluations, selection of staff, and recommendation of awards and/or advancements.
(c) Ability to collaborate, communicate, and demonstrate customer service and interpersonal skills with internal and external customers to ensure quality/continuity of care and ensure compliance with established policies and regulations.
(d) Ability to provide briefings, orientations, staff development, and training in a patient support setting.
(e) Ability to manage fiscal matters, forecast resource and equipment needs, and identify budget needs.

Assignment. For all supervisory assignments the Supervisory MSA must spend 25% or more of their time providing administrative and technical supervision and perform major duties above those at the FPL that consist of significant scope, complexity, difficulty, and variety. Supervisory MSAs at this level plan and direct programs at medical centers and/or satellite outpatient clinics. They have full responsibility for supervising at least one subordinate MSA team leader, supervisor, or equivalent administrative patient support staff in a VA medical inpatient, outpatient, or interdisciplinary setting. Assignments at this level include but are not limited to evaluating the work of subordinate staff; resolving complex problems to ensure patient services are met; evaluating new products, equipment, and systems to make recommendations for improved operations; identifying educational or training needs; making final decisions on hiring selections; evaluating performance and taking disciplinary action when necessary. The employee has administrative and professional responsibility for planning and directing the subordinate lead, supervisor, and MSA's activities. Responsible for extracting and analyzing data to provide reports to senior management in support of tracking measures.

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-08.

Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. It occasionally requires carrying of light objects such as files, books and papers; some walking, standing, and bending. No special physical qualifications are required.

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.

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position:

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:

• Long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV)
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

Resume (and/or curriculum vitae) which must include the following information for each job listed:

• Contact Information: Your name and how best to contact you, including email address and phone number.
• Job Title/Employer Name: For each relevant work experience, be sure to include the Job Title and Employer/Company name.
• Pay Plan and Grades/Step Held: (for Federal positions)
• Duties: Please be as detailed as possible. We recommend that you include information directly related to the position you are applying to.
  • Good examples of specific information can be found in the Duties and Qualifications sections of the announcement.
  • Brief descriptions of job duties should demonstrate your ability to perform the tasks at the required level as stated in the job announcement - If you have performed any of those duties or have any of that experience, we are looking for that detail on your resume.
    • We make no assumptions about prior work experience based on job title.
    • We make no assumptions about prior work experience if you don't include the types of duties or tasks which would qualify you for the position.
  • Experience must be listed on the resume under the position in which the duties were performed.
  • For Federal applicants, this experience must be listed under the proper grade level to count towards qualifications.
• Month & year start/end dates: Include both month and year for each position start and end dates (example: June 2007 to April 2008)
• Full-time or part-time status: Include the average number of hours you worked per week (example: 40 hours per week; 32 hours per week, 20 hours per week, etc.

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
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (Schedule A)
• Disability Letter (VA)
• Long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV)
• Professional Certification
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans' Preference.

Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.

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