Medical Support Assistant; Advanced

Summary

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) serves within the Primary Care Service Line at the Waterloo VA Clinic. This position is in the ICC at the Iowa City VA Health Care System and is the first administrative point-of-contact for Veterans, family, and other visitors. This position will provide introductory administrative support to clinical staff members and Veterans, in addition to overseeing the daily clerical functions of the scheduling of all Primary Care areas.

• United States Citizenship:
  Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy
• Experience:
  
  No experience required
• Education:
  
  High school diploma, GED equivalent, or proficiency certificate from a state or territorial-level Board or Department of Education
• 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
• Grade Determinations:
  Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) – GS‑6 Experience; one year of experience equivalent to the GS‑5 grade level
• Examples of qualifying experience:
  Independently performs a full range of MSA duties related to the delivery of healthcare services in an inpatient or outpatient setting; advises clinical staff on current administrative processes; answers phones, greets patients, relays messages to appropriate staff inside or outside of the unit, schedules appointments, including interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs):
• i Ability to collaborate and communicate with a wide range of medical clinicians across multiple disciplines to accomplish team goal setting to ensure medical care to patients is met
• ii Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations
• iii Ability to communicate tactfully and effectively electronically, by phone, in person, and in writing with internal and external customers; may include preparing reports in various formats and presenting data to various organizational levels, and resolving patient concerns
• iv Advanced knowledge of the technical health‑care process as it relates to access to care
• v Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures associated with interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and operational activities that affect patient flow and patient support care administrative functions
• vi Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). Standards/

Physical Requirements:

The work is basically sedentary and performed in an office environment or clinic area.

• NOTE:
  
  The 2‑page Resume requirement does not apply to this position
• For more information – refer to Required Documents below
• Major duties include, but are not limited to:
  Demonstrates positive people skills in interactions reflecting caring, service orientation, professionalism, understanding, helpfulness, and concern toward Veterans, visitors, and other employees of the Medical Center in both verbal and written communication; maintains Veteran rights, confidentiality, and individuality; resolves issues at the lowest level and in a timely manner; sets limits/boundaries clearly defined within the MSA/Veteran relationship; has advanced knowledge of medical terminology to ensure Veterans and other callers are directed to the most appropriate place of assistance;
  
  participates in and independently follows up on team huddles/meetings, sharing information and collaborating with the medical team to assure continuity of care; is the main point of contact for all Secure Message/Message Manager sent to their team – fulfills the request or forwards to appropriate staff; serves as an expert in the department for scheduled and unscheduled visits; maintains flexibility in adapting to changes in schedule and workload;
  
  assists other team members willingly; prepares reports…