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Supervisory Medical Support Assistant (Primary Care)

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Veterans Health Administration
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This Supervisory Medical Support Assistant (MSA) position is located in the Primary Care service line of the VA Central Western Massachusetts Healthcare System at the Worcester, MA Clinic. The Supervisory MSA is responsible for planning, directing, and controlling work for the Medical Support Assistants in their assigned outpatient clinical settings.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
06/10/2025 to 06/25/2025
This job will close when we have received 50 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$65,037 to - $84,554 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 8
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Worcester, MA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
8
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
CBTD-12744694-25-TR
Control number
838472900

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Duties

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Major duties include but are not limited to:

  • Responsible for planning, organizing, and directing the work of lower medical support assistants.
  • Provides in-service education of on-the-job skills and classroom instruction closely associated with actual inpatient/outpatient clinical practices.
  • Assigns work based on available resources to efficiently and economically meet program goals.
  • Reviews work produced and analyzes weekly reports to evaluate productivity and takes appropriate action to resolve and issues and backlogs.
  • Conducts regular staff meetings with the Medical Support Assistants to update them on policy changes and new procedures.
  • Attends required section and facility meetings as deemed appropriate.
  • Serves as point of contact for resolving patient issues especially regarding appointment and scheduling concerns.
  • Acts as a liaison with the medical support staff, nursing staff, and other services, offering expert advice on administrative procedures. Identifies problematic areas and presents findings to appropriate parties for corrective action.
  • Performs work involving collection, compilation, and tracking of data and statistical information in support of several VA, VISN, and local programs.
  • Ensures subordinates serve as the initial point of contact for the units, clinics, patients, call centers, Care in the Community, to include, but not limited to, scheduling patient appointments, tracking, reviewing, and responding to electronic orders, consults, and other elements in the electronic medical record and medical systems.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm
Functional Statement #: PDF16290

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.
  • 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. 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).

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: Licensed practical or vocational nurses appointed to direct patient care positions must be proficient in both spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), and 7407(d).
  • Experience and Education:
    1. 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,
    2. Education. One year above high school; OR,
    3. Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable.

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).

Supervisory Medical Support Assistant, GS-8 Grade Determinations:
  • Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade level leading or supervising MSAs or equivalent administrative patient support staff in a non-VA medical inpatient, outpatient, or interdisciplinary setting. AND,
  • 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 to at least one subordinate MSA supervisor or team leader 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 in a patient support setting.
    4. Ability to manage fiscal matters, forecast resource and equipment needs, and identify budget needs.
    5. Advanced knowledge of managing or leading patient support staff in a clinic. This includes independently utilizing reference sources, decision making, and empowering the team to collaborate and resolve problems within a complex systems environment.

Preferred Experience: Two to three years of primary care experience is preferred.

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-8.

Physical Requirements: See VA Handbook 5019

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

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.

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.

How you will be evaluated

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

Resume Reminder: Your resume must include the following information each job listed:

  1. Job title
  2. Duties (be as detailed as possible)
  3. Month & year start/end dates (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008)
  4. Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week).

Please be aware that your answers will be verified against information provided on your resume . Be sure that your resume clearly supports your responses to all of the questions by addressing your work experience in detail.

An incomplete application will receive a rating of IFFM (ineligible due to missing forms). Requests for reconsideration will not be considered for applicants who fail to submit a complete application package. We cannot be held responsible for incompatible software or fax transmissions.

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.

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