Job Location : Kansas City,MO, USA
Summary The position serves as a Medical Support Assistant (MSA) on the inpatient wards and is under the supervision of the Ward Administration Supervisor. The occupation involves technical work concerned with processing doctor's orders and maintenance of medical records as well as all patient movements throughout the patient's hospital stay to include discharge and /or transfer of patient to other facilities. Responsibilities Kansas City VA Medical Center is committed to Diversity and Inclusion. Together, we strive to create and maintain a working and learning environment that promotes professional growth and teamwork. We offer an inclusive, equitable, and welcoming environment where we celebrate our individual differences and unite as a team toward a common goal of providing outstanding service to our Nation's Veterans. The Medical Support Assistant (MSA) for the Kansas City VA Medical Center (KCVAMC) are located within Business Office Service (BOS) and provide support to various clinics throughout the Kansas City VA Healthcare network. Medical Support Assistant (MSA) Annual Salary: GS-3: $41,787 to $54,321 GS-4: $44,294 to $57,577 GS-5: $48,429 to $62,954 Major duties include, but are not limited to: Receives patients/family members/visitors in person or telephonically. Records and relays messages and/or redirects calls or performs scheduling changes as necessary. Obtain identifying information and determine the nature of the call. Refers patients to the Triage Nurse when appropriate. Schedules appointments and provides information regarding outpatient clinics. Enters and/or retrieves information and data from the Clinical Information System. Completes consult requests through the advice of the physician with the use of Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS). Type administrative notes using various automation systems and programs to accomplish work, such as text editing, maintains and retrieval use of messaging by using e-mail. Maintains and monitors patient appointment schedules for the facility, and communicates delays in scheduled appointments to the appropriate staff and patients. Coordinates and/or schedules patient appointments with other clinics or specialties. Manages, schedules and monitor consult requests and various orders/requests for specialty and/or diagnostic services. Perform check-in and check-out of patients for their appointments; verify and edit each patient's demographics information; verify insurance information by using Insurance Capture Buffer (ICB) system; scheduling appointments in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines. Refer eligibility enrollment and means test when necessary to the appropriate area. Upon leaving the outpatient clinic area, the MSA ensures that the patients are scheduled according to physician order requisition. Knowledge of scheduling appointments but not limited to re-scheduling, cancelling, no-show, and recall reminders. Note: Duties may vary slightly depending on the VA Clinic you will be supporting. Work Schedule: Full-Time. Various Tours/ Shifts Available. Days and Hours to be set by Supervisor. Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement: Medical Support Assistant Functional Statement #: 0000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): No Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required 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) VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant: Medical Support Assistant: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-MSA-VA-Career-Flyer.pdf Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. 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 probationary period. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See Additional Information below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must be a current Federal employee that meets Basic Requirements AND Grade Determinations listed below at the time of application. In accordance with VA Handbook 5005/117 Part II Appendix G45 Medical Support Assistant Series. Basic Requirements: Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3.g.) 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. Certification. None required. 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. Creditable Experience Knowledge of MSA Practices. To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) associated with current MSA responsibilities or an equivalent administrative patient support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting. Experience satisfying this requirement may be paid/non-paid employment as an MSA or an equivalent position in a non-VA hospital or clinic setting. Quality of Experience. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to MSA experience or equivalent administrative clinical support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting at the next lower grade level. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty), and a range of varieties as described in this standard, at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience as an MSA or equivalent administrative patient support in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time workweek. For example, an MSA employed 20 hours a week, or on a 1/2-time basis, would receive one full-time workweek of credit for each two weeks of service. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment listed above, the following education OR experience criteria MUST be met: GS-5 Grade Level: Experience One (1) year of experience equivalent to the GS-4 grade level (this experience includes ability to communicate with others in a courteous and helpful manner; ability to navigate and use automation equipment, computer systems and software, scheduling programs; knowledge of medical terminology to assist in care of patients; skilled in recording patient messages and understanding physician request regarding medical care at internal or external clinics). OR Education. Four years of education above high school. Candidates MUST demonstrate all of the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) below: Ability to operate computerized programs and systems in order to enter, modify, and retrieve sensitive medical and patient identifying information (PII) into or from electronic health records, scheduling systems, and/or reports. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients. Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting. Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work. Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external customers. Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution. 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). Grandfathering Provision. All MSAs employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series, and grade held, which are a part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: (1) Such employees may be reassigned, promoted, or changed to a lower grade within the occupation. (2) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. (3) If an employee who was converted to Title 38 hybrid status under this provision leaves the occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-5. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-5. Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary. Typically, the employee sits comfortably to do the work. However, there may be some walking, standing, bending, carrying of light items such as papers, books and small parts, etc. No special physical demands are required to perform the work. Education IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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: 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: 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. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. 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.