Clarification from the agency

Current, permanent Facility and CBOC employees of VA Medical Center only.

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The Supervisory Medical Support Assistant (MSA) plans and directs programs at the medical center and has full supervisory responsibilities for MSAs and at least one MSA team leader or Supervisor. Duties include:

• Assigns and evaluates the work of subordinate staff.
• Resolves complex problems to ensure patient services are met.
• Evaluates new products, equipment, and systems in order to make recommendations for improved operations.
• Identifies educational or training needs of staff.
• Makes final decision on selections for vacant positions.
• Evaluates performance and takes disciplinary action when necessary.
• Responsible for planning and directing the activities of the MSA's.
• Extracts and analyzes data in order to provide reports in support of performance measures to senior management.
• Plans and organizes work to meet local and VA-wide time frames to complete analysis requirements, reports and special assignments.
• Reports backlogs, difficulties in meeting deadlines, uncooperative physicians, or difficulty in securing information from clinicians or the record.
• Responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of information obtained to carry out required duties.
• Communicates with physicians, case managers, and other allied health professional staff.
• Works independently making decisions based on guidelines, precedents and regulations.
• Other related duties as assigned.

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.
• 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.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).

Qualifications

The following are the basic requirements and amounts of experience and/or education required to qualify for this position. Creditable experience is defined as, experience that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) associated with current Medical Support Assistant responsibilities. Experience satisfying this requirement may be paid/non-paid employment as a Medical Support Assistant.

English Language Proficiency

Experience - Six months experience of clerical, office, customer service, or other 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. 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 OR Combination - Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying for this position. (Transcripts Required)

In addition to meeting the basic requirements stated above, the following qualifications criteria must be met in order to qualify at the GS-8 grade level for this Supervisory MSA position.

Specialized Experience: One (1) year of specialized 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. Specialized experience must include the ability to organize work, set priorities, and delegate tasks/responsibilities in order to meet deadlines; skill in communicating with individuals in order to obtain the desired effect, ensuring compliance with established policies and regulations; ability to provide staff development and training; ability to manage staffing requirements, manage priorities, and coordinate work in order to complete duties in an accurate and timely manner; ability to follow-up on pending issues and demonstrating an understanding of the impact of incomplete work; and the ability to review and monitor data to ensure all reports are complete and accurate; advanced knowledge of managing a clinic; advanced knowledge of policies and procedures associated with operational activities that affect patient flow, patient care, and the revenue process; and advanced knowledge of medical terminology.
In addition, candidates, must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
KSA 1: Ability to provide the full range of administrative and supervisory duties which includes assignment of work, performance evaluations, selection of staff, and recommendation of awards and/or advancement.

KSA 2: Ability to collaborate, communicate, and demonstrate customer service and interpersonal skills with all healthcare professionals to ensure quality/continuity of care and ensure compliance with established policies and regulations.

KSA 3: Ability to provide briefings, orientations, staff development, and training.

KSA 4: Ability to manage fiscal matters, forecast resource and equipment needs, and identify budget needs.

KSA 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.

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

Resume Reminder.
Your resume must include the following information for each job listed: Job Title Duties (be as detailed as possible), Month, Day, & Year Start/End Dates (e.g. June 5, 2007 to April 15, 2008), Full-time or Part-time Status (include hours worked per week), Series and Grade, if applicable, for all Federal positions you have held. If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete and you may not receive consideration for this position.

If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you may not be considered for this vacancy.

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. Recommended: Even though we do not require a specific resume format, your resume must be clear so that we are able to fully evaluate your qualifications. To ensure you receive appropriate consideration, please list the duties you performed under each individual job title. If we are unable to match your experiences with the positions held, you may lose consideration for this vacancy. We cannot make assumptions regarding your qualifications.

Please review the above list(s) to ensure you have included all necessary documents required for your application. Not every applicant will require the same documents, therefore it is the applicants responsibility to ensure that their application package includes all necessary documents to determine qualifications and eligibility for appointment, such as a copy of your SF-50, transcript, ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees).

You will not be contacted for additional information.
Applicants will be deemed ineligible if supporting documentation is not submitted.

For additional information see: What to include in your resume.

Current, Permanent VA/VHA Employees are asked to upload a copy of the most recent SF-50 (that is not for an award), indicating current VA/VHA employment.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

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.