Summary The Advanced Medical Support Assistant works at the St. Louis Health Care System in Diagnostic Imaging Specialty Clinics of Nuclear Medicine, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Emission Tomography, Positive Computerized Axial Tomography, Ultrasound, Interventional Radiology and studies under fluoroscopy. The work impacts the administrative aspect of patient care, scheduling appointments utilizing clinic access principles; managing electronic waiting list; recall delinquency List and customer service. Responsibilities The Advanced MSA works collaborative in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model and performs receptionist duties, customer service and other duties assigned for the proper and timely treatment of Veterans and maintains appointment schedules for one or more outpatient clinics. He/she must assist with clinic access contingency plans by adjusting appointment times, location, or dates as well as shift patients to other healthcare/clinic providers as conflict with staffing and/or coverage occurs. Major Duties include, but are not limited to the following: Reviews pending appointments for accuracy and disposition Notifies supervisor when clinic access is less than desirable Organizes and implements quality assurance monitors Ability to screen/receive phone calls in a courteous and timely manner Assures timely completion of assigned workload and clinic responsibilities Directs work of clinical support section in the absences of the supervisor Notifies supervisor if Veteran cannot be scheduled within mandated clinic timeframes Ability to complete daily reminder calls for clinic appointments, review of any cancelled appointments Coordinates administrative services for Veterans, family members, caregivers, and general public Ensure that all necessary health and administrative information are integrated into Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) Sends documents to scanning and uploading to Release of Information or the Diagnostic Imaging ADPAC Ability to determine the nature of requests and provide the information using privacy rules and established clinic processes Develops and maintains effective working relationships with all clinical, ward and administrative staffing to determining priorities Interprets and applies a complex body of pertinent laws, regulations, directives and policies Ability to distribute and balance the workload amongst employees in accordance with established workflow or job specialization Skill requires a high degree of judgment, fact-finding and coordination with people at various levels, patients, management, VISN Responsible for completion of assigned reports, rosters, and maintenance of supplies and forms Knowledge of required frequent changes to VA directives, regulations and local policies to ensure compliance and standardization Conducts special audits, studies, or surveys to be utilized in the development of procedures, and to assist employees in collecting data Gathers and submits patient workload data to the Supervisor for validation and monitors activity in clinical areas Conducts patient/employee surveys, interviews, observes workflow and guides patients through hospital system Inputs data, document complaints and provides follow-up and suggests resolutions to supervisor Incumbent must be able to interpret and communicate requirement of VHA Scheduling Directives and complete accurate scheduling Ability to assist in processing Veterans with travel payment vouchers for the Beneficiary Travel Program and Eligibility section Additional duties or task assigned by the supervisor to ensure efficient daily operation with the service line and hospital Work Schedule: Monday through Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Requirements 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. You may be required to serve a trial period. 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. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). 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. 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. Experience and Education 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 Education: One year above high school; OR Experience/Education Combination: 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). Grade Determinations: GS-6 - Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: 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. Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations. 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. 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. 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. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians. Preferred Experience: i year of Medical Support assistance, Medical Terminology, and Imaging Technology. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: Advanced Medical Support Assistant must be able to operate a computer terminal and be able to manage multiple activities at one time. Work is primarily sedentary; but also requires some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of light items. Work Environment: The work may be stressful due to the accelerated pace for several hours at a time during peak clinic hours or on days that have a large volume of clinic activity. Education Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information 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) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience. 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) Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.
