Medical Support Assistant

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: To qualify for this position, all applicants must possess the following: United States Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens according to 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a). Experience and/or Education requirement Experience. No experience required. Education. High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education. Licensure/Certification/Registration. None. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). 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). GS-05 - Grade Determination Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-4 grade level. Creditable experience at this level include, but are 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; obtaining medical information from patients; coordinating information and actions related to patient care and services; and scheduling appointments in accordance with scheduling guidelines. OR, Education. Two years of education above high school. AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: Advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients. Skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution. 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. 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. Note: You must provide detailed information of your experience performed. Information such as "I was a Medical Support Assistant" is insufficient to determine your qualifications. Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hour worked per week. References: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Preferred Experience: Proficient with computers and typing Prior Call Center or Multi-line experience The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-5. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is the GS-05 grade level. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.

VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/EE9c4XkaELo Duties and program responsibilities include but not limited to the following: Scheduling, Rescheduling or Cancelling Appointments. Incumbent receives incoming calls and provides telephone customer service by rescheduling or cancelling appointments (for any appointment). Operates CISCO phone along with CISCO Finesse application during administrative and non-administrative duty hours. Receives and distributes incoming calls. Assists callers with questions about the Medical Centers, Outpatient Clinics and Community-Based Outpatient Clinics throughout North Florida/South Georgia. Uses a personal computer to retrieve information from VistA & Outlook as needed to direct calls in a timely and accurate manner. The type of calls handled includes a full range of local, long distance, Federal Telephone System (FTS), conference calls, emergencies and tie-line circuits. Provide organizational information to in-house, as well as incoming callers using VistA, Outlook and employee directories in the computer (or printed directories). The incumbent is expected to handle, on a regular basis, difficult calls that require extensive personal involvement. Examples include: calls for emergencies such as code blue, code grey, emergency response team (ERT), ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) alerts, fire, bomb threats or other services; calls requiring tactful handling of confused, abusive or threatening individuals; calls from staff requesting nonemergency response by police or fire to a variety of situations; calls from the irate beneficiaries regarding appointments, lack of treatment, etc.; and calls from mentally incompetent, alcohol or drug addicted persons who require special attention by the operator while attempting to locate the correct social services personnel to handle the call. Deal with multiple phone calls or situations simultaneously, while remaining calm in stressful situations. The incumbent must have a keen awareness of radio traffic occurring throughout their tour of duty and display quick decision-making skills. The pace of the phone system is such that incoming and outgoing calls must be handled with speed and accuracy. Several calls must be handled simultaneously and difficult calls requiring prolonged personal involvement must be handled without assistance from the supervisor, who is not at the switchboard all the time. Serves as a focal point of activity during his or her tour of duty. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized 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) Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 51006F