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Medical Support Assistant

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Southern Nevada Healthcare System

Summary

This position is located in Nursing, Mental Health, Southern Nevada Healthcare System, North Las Vegas NV 89086. This job will close when we have received 50 applications, which may be sooner than the closing date.

Overview

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Accepting applications
This job will close when we have received 50 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Work site options
Telework eligible
No
Remote job
No
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Salary
$54,488 - $70,835 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 5
Promotion potential
5
Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.
Work schedule
Full-time
Travel Required
Not required
Appointment type
Permanent
Occupations and job series
Supervisory status
No
Federal service type
This job is in the Excepted Service
Represented by a union
Yes
Drug test
No
Security clearance
Other
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.
Background check type
Financial disclosure required
No
Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.
Announcement number
CBSW-13076572-26-TI
Control number
886461700

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Duties

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Major Duties
- Responsible for delivering administrative support for staff. Is responsible for the processing of hospital admissions, registration of patients; entering workload date and validation. Will develop and hone skills to be able to verify patients address, telephone and responsible caregiver upon admission to unit. Assures accuracy and completeness. Continually monitors patient flow, identifies existing and potential problems areas or delays in processing a Veteran's medical care request. Initiates action with the clinical staff to expedite the case and ensure the smooth flow of patient care from reception though disposition.
- Answers patient call light, either in person or electronically, and ensure patient requests are passed along to the appropriate nursing staff (e.g., Charge Nurse, Primary Nurse, Nursing Assistant, etc.).
- Make necessary arrangements for emergency transfers to and from VA and private hospitals and prepares necessary paperwork in a prompt manner for cost containment.
- Provide reception and support at the front desk by greeting visitors, answering phone calls, forwarding phone calls to staff, and taking messages for them. The MSA will answer the phone with a salutation, state name, location of the unit, and ask how he/she may be of service.
- Accurately communicates a variety of Physician's orders involving patient activities and routes information to appropriate departments, i.e., dietary, pharmacy.
- Responsible for scheduling appointments, including interpreting, and verifying provider orders in accordance with Veterans Health Administration (VHA) national scheduling guidelines, as assigned. Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: scheduling, canceling, re-scheduling patient's appointments and/or consults; monitoring inpatient appointments for areas of responsibility; ensuring encounter forms are completed in order to obtain appropriate workload credit; verifying and updating demographics; processing all emergency and non-emergency transfers to other VA facilities or private hospitals; accurately assures physician orders are entered into CPRS properly; relates to staff, patients and family members in a patient centered care manner.
- Communicates with all departments and Nursing Officer (NOD) to coordinate the admission of patients. Notifies appropriate personnel and supporting departments of a patient admission, transfer, discharge, or death.
- Review's patient chart prior to arrival on unit for the presence of admission orders and the need for special equipment and procedures (i.e., isolation, specialty beds, telemetry). Notifies primary nurse and obtains equipment needed for patient care (i.e.,
telemetry). Notifies telemetry personnel of admission and necessary information when telemetry is required.
- Demonstrates and adheres to all aspects of Veteran Centered Care concepts, Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect, Excellence (ICARE), and the Code of Conduct in daily work/interactions with others.
- Interacts with patients, supervisors, staff, volunteers, visitors, and non-VA personnel reflecting a working knowledge of cultural differences in language communication style, physical limitations, and other diversity-related factors.
- Files documents as needed (e.g., patient information, scanning and review correct location in CPRS, etc.).
- Responds in a timely manner to special requests by the Nurse Manager/Assistant Nurse Manager and prioritizes urgent matters appropriately.
- Place's page/phone call requests for medical, nursing, and ancillary staff, as well as for emergencies (i.e., code blue, etc.).
- Scans forms/documents for inclusion in the electronic medical record (CPRS).
- Maintains up to date phone list of frequently called numbers for use on the unit, along with the emergency cascade call list.
- Enters maintenance requests into appropriate computer application system and follows up on the completion of those requests. Notifies appropriate personnel if request is an emergency. Develops record keeping system for maintenance requests and keeps up to date.
- Sets up or reprocess Reusable Medical Equipment (RME) as applicable and be certified annually on the specific equipment for which they are responsible (e.g., cleaning of Vocera® devices, wheelchair, telemetry units, other medical equipment, etc.).
- Performs other duties as assigned within the scope of the position.
Work Schedule: To Be Determined.
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement#: 593-11618-F, 593-11619-F, 593-11494-F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
  • 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 dentification 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.
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 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

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:

  • Experience and Education.
    • 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.
GS-05 Medical Support Assistant (Full Performance Level)
  • Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-4 grade level; OR, Education. Four years of education above high school. AND
  • Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate ALL of the 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.
Grandfathering Provision. 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).

Preferred Experience: Clerical

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.

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-5.

Physical Requirements: Operate a computer terminal and be able to manage multiple activities at one time. Work is generally sedentary; however, there may be some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of light items. Work Environment: The work may be stressful due to the accelerated pace for several hours at a time during peak hours or on days that have a large volume of activity. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Additional information

  • 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.
  • To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
  • Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
  • As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 2-year probationary 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 probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
  • Effective May 7th, 2025, PCIF/PIV offices will no longer accept Driver's licenses or state-issued Identification (ID) cards that aren't REAL ID compliant.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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 WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

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.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the 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.

Veterans Health Administration

OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for those who have served in our nation's military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate whole health care to Veterans?

Since 1972, VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System has been improving the health of the men and women who have so proudly served our nation. We consider it our privilege to serve your health care needs in any way we can. Services are available to more than 240,000 veterans living in our catchment area. In addition to our main facility in Las Vegas, we offer services in three community-based outpatient clinics located in Henderson, Pahrump and Laughlin. VA professionals feel good about their careers and their ability to balance work and home life. VA offers generous paid time off and a variety of predictable and flexible scheduling opportunities.

For more information on the Department of Veterans Affairs, go to http://www.vacareers.va.gov/

Agency contact information

Teresa Inch
Phone
702-791-9000 X14898
Email
Teresa.Inch@va.gov
Address
Las Vegas VA Medical Center
6900 North Pecos Road
North Las Vegas, NV 89086
US

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Learn more about what it's like to work at Veterans Health Administration, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

https://www.va.gov/jobs/

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