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: Must be proficient in written and spoken English Experience and Education: Must possess six (6) months experience of clerical, office, customer service or other administrative work that indicates the ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skill necessary to perform the duties of the Medical Support Assistant
• OR Must have successfully completed one (1) year above high school
• This education must have been obtained in an accredited technical school, junior college, college or university
• One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university
• (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) OR Must have equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable
• (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) Grade Determinations: GS-3 level: None beyond the basic requirements listed above AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: 1
• Ability to meet, communicate, and interact with individuals in a courteous and helpful manner in order to give instructions and arrange appointments
• 2
• Ability to utilize computer systems to enter administrative data in patient systems
• 3
• Ability to learn and utilize basic medical terminology to record patient messages and physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care GS-4 level Experience: One (1) year of experience in 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 Medical Support Assistant
• OR Education: Two (2) years of successfully completed education above high school
• This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university
• One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university
• (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: 1
• Ability to meet, communicate, and interact with individuals from varying backgrounds and other health care team members in a courteous and helpful manner in order to facilitate medical care for patients
• 2
• Ability to use, and navigate between, various types of office automation equipment and software (i.e
• computer systems, web-based scheduling programs
• insurance collection system
• scanning software, multiple line phone systems
• electronic faxing programs) to support patient care
• 3
• Knowledge of basic medical terminology to assist in the provision of care to patients
• 4
• Skill in recording patient messages and understanding physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care in internal or external clinics
• GS-5 level Experience: One (1) year of experience that is directly related to the duties of a MSA and that equips you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position
• To be creditable, this experience must be equivalent to the next lower grade level, GS-4, and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with current MSA responsibilities
• Experience at this level includes, but is not limited to: scheduling and rescheduling patients for treatment
• interviewing patients for appointments
• referring patients to other medical specialty clinics
• providing information to patients necessary to resolve complaints
• interacting with both internal and external customers
• reviewing and documenting medical outpatient and inpatient electronic health records, as well as administrative records
• verifying third party insurance and updating information in the Insurance Capture Buffer (ICB) system
• obtaining medical information from patients
• coordinating information and actions related to patient care and services
• and scheduling appointments in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines
• OR Education: Successful completion of four (4) years of education above high school level
• This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university
• One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university
• (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) AND You also must demonstrate the following KSAs: 1
• 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
• 2
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients
• 3
• Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting
• 4
• Ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties performing patient support work
• 5
• Ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external customers
• 6
• Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is a GS-5. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-3 to GS-5. Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary
• Physical demands do not exceed those of a typical office setting
• There may be some walking, standing twisting, turning, sitting, pushing, bending, repetitive keyboarding, or carrying of light items
• Some positions may require sitting for long periods of time at a computer terminal typing data while talking on a telephone headset.