Clarification from the agency

This position is open to current, permanent VA employees. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. Veterans' preference does not apply.

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The Supervisory Medical Support Assistant will perform administrative support duties that may be performed in a Clinic Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC), Inpatient or Outpatient Clinic. The Supervisory MSA at this level plans and directs programs at a medical center and/or satellite outpatient clinic and is delegated full supervisory responsibility. Assignments at this level include but may not be limited to: assigning and evaluating the work of subordinate staff; resolving complex problems to ensure that patient services are met; evaluating new products, equipment, and systems in order to make recommendations for improved operations; identifying educational and training needs; making final decisions on selections; evaluating performance; and taking disciplinary action when necessary. The Supervisory MSA is delegated full administrative responsibility for planning and directing the MSA's activities. The Supervisory MSA is responsible for extracting and analyzing data in order to provide reports in support of performance measures to senior management.

• Supervision. Including but not be limited to, carries out a full range of administrative and supervisory duties, to include assignment of work, performance evaluations, selection of staff, and recommendations for awards and advancements. Organizes work, sets priorities, and delegates tasks and responsibilities in order to meet deadlines.
• Resource Management. Manages fiscal matters, forecasts resource and equipment needs, and identifies budgetary needs.
• Demonstrates Courtesy and Professionalism. Shows courtesy, respect, and a positive attitude toward patients, co-workers, subordinate staff, and the public. Demonstrates ability to collaborate, communicate, set priorities, and organize work in order to meet deadlines and to ensure compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations.
• Identifies Customers' Concerns. Applies discernment and sensitivity when performing tasks required to resolve issues accurately and timely. Demonstrates advanced knowledge of technical health care processes as they relate to patients' access to care. Collaborates, communicates, and demonstrates customer service and interpersonal skills with all healthcare professionals in order to ensure quality and continuity of care and as well, to ensure compliance with established policies and regulations.
• Advanced Clinical Support. Demonstrates advanced knowledge of managing care in the community and authoritatively utilizes various reference sources. Makes decisions and empowers others to collaborate in order to resolve problems within a complex systems environment. Applies authoritative knowledge of policies and procedures associated with operational activities that affect community care workflow, patient care, and the revenue process.
• Operates Computerized Programs. Utilizes computerized programs and databases in order to enter, modify, and retrieve sensitive information and various data into or from electronic medical records, scheduling systems, and/or reporting formats. Maintains patient confidentiality with written and verbal information, per HIPAA requirements. This may include preparing reports in various formats and presenting data to various organizational levels.
• Applies Knowledge of Medical Terminology. Demonstrates advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians in order to be able to communicate effectively with both professional and non-professional employees in a variety of occupations and at various levels of responsibility.
• Employee Education. Complies with Employee Education requirements by completing mandatory annual assignments through the TMS and complies with any other training or education requirements as determined by the supervisor.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 92880-0
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

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.
• 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 identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• 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).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

Trial Period:
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 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

Basic Requirements:

• 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: 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. (Transcripts Required)
• Licensure/Certification/Registration: None
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements.
• 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).

Grade Requirements:

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 a 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, a MSA employed 20 hours a week, or on a 1/2-time basis, would receive one full-time work week of credit for each two-weeks of service.

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements above, applicants must meet the following experience:

GS-3: Experience or Education: None beyond the basic requirements.
GS-4: Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade. OR
Education. One year of education above high school.
GS-5: Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade OR
Education. Two years of education above high school.
GS-6: Experience: One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade

Supervisory Medical Support Assistant, GS-7


(a) Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-6 grade level, leading or supervising MSAs or equivalent administrative patient support staff in a non-VA medical inpatient, outpatient, or interdisciplinary setting.

(b) Assignment. Supervisory MSAs plan and direct programs at medical centers and/or satellite outpatient clinics and have full supervisory responsibility. Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: assigning and evaluating the work of subordinate MSA staff; resolving complex problems to ensure patient services are met; evaluating new products, equipment, and systems to make recommendations for improved clinic operations; identifying educational or training needs; making final decisions on hiring selections; evaluating performance, and taking disciplinary action when necessary. The employee has full administrative and professional responsibility for planning and directing the MSA's activities. 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.

(c) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:

1. Ability to provide the full range of administrative and supervisory duties [in a patient support setting,] which includes assignment of work, performance evaluations, selection of staff, and recommendation of awards and/or advancements.
2. Ability to collaborate, communicate, and demonstrate customer service and interpersonal skills with [internal and external customers to ensure quality/continuity of care and ensure compliance with established policies and regulations.
3. Ability to provide briefings, orientations, staff development, and training related to administrative functions in a patient support setting.
4. Ability to delegate authority, evaluate and oversee people and programs, accomplish program goals, and adapt to changing priorities.

Preferred Experience: Computer skills, Microsoft word, Excel, Power Point. Excellent communication skills. Consult management.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-7.

Note: You must provide detailed information of your experience performed. Information such as "I was a Medical Support Assistant Lead" 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.

Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

Physical Requirements: Work requires some physical exertion such as prolonged periods of standing, bending, reaching, crouching, stooping, stretching and lifting moderately heavy items such as manuals and record boxes. Work environment is in an adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated medical facility setting. The work environment involves everyday discomforts or risks that require normal safety precautions.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.