Summary The Lead Medical Support Assistant position is primarily located in Community Care at the Leeds, MA location. The position is a full-time position at 40 hours per week. The position may make additional selections. Responsibilities A Careers - Lead Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/UJO_XH5uCLs Provide educational sessions to train new employees in clerical process in an efficient and effective manner to ensure that clerical processes, functions and goals are understood and met. Utilize knowledge of VA policies, regulations, guidelines and process as they relate to the scheduling of patient appointments, consults, NEAR, Electronic Wait Lists, and pre-appointment clinical requirements(i.e. labs, EKGs, x-rays) to ensure readiness for the patient visit. - Monitors clinic's Access to care. Monitor ICB usage ensuring insurance is collected at time of appointments and captured appropriately by the incumbent and other scheduling staff. Screens/receive phone calls in a courteous and timely manner, determine the nature of request and provide the information desired using privacy rules and established clinic processes. Prepare correspondence and memos as needed. Promotes Veteran registration for and utilization of HealtheVet (MHV). Enters Veterans seeking emergent/urgent care, scheduling appointments accurately. Utilizes call lists and telephones Veterans to pre-register them before their scheduled visits. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday. Hours: 8:00am-4:30pm. Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized. Telework: Not Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: F01612. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required. 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. 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). 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. 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. 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 3j. GS-7 Lead Medical Support Assistant Experience One year of experience equivalent to the GS-6 grade level. Examples of qualifying experience include the following: Collaborates and communicates 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; Independently sets priorities and organizes work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations; Communicates 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.; and Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians. Assignment: The Lead MSA is responsible for the coordination of Advanced MSA assignments and workflow found in an interdisciplinary unit. The Lead MSA is responsible for daily workload assessments, assigning work, and assuring proper staffing coverage; evaluating training records; and determining training needs of MSAs to provide support across interdisciplinary settings. The Lead 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 MSA 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: 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; Ability to utilize numerous advanced patient systems in support of multiple clinics in an interdisciplinary setting; Ability to organize work, set priorities, and delegate tasks/responsibilities in order to meet deadlines; Skill in communicating with individuals to obtain the desired effect and coordinating with a variety of interdisciplinary care team staff; Ability to provide staff development and training; 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. References: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Preferred Experience: Strong problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities effectively. Self motivated to solve problems and be informal leader. Ability to learn and cross cover clinics for AMSA under your scope. Team oriented; ability to work collaboratively with other leads, leadership, and staff. Physical Requirements: The majority of work is performed in an office setting, primarily while seated. The position requires some standing, ambulation, bending and carrying of items such as training manuals. In addition, there can be increased stress due to the intensity of a patient/customer complaint or concern. Education Additional Information 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.
