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Advance Medical Support Assistant

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
SAN JUAN VA HEALTH CARE SYSTEM
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant works collaboratively in an interdisciplinary care delivery model. They work with patient care to review the clinic utilization by using various reports & ensuring clinic setup is closely monitored to effectively support the needs of the clinic and make necessary adjustments. They maintain effective/efficient communication with patients, interdisciplinary team, VA medical centers & other agencies.


Overview

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Open & closing dates
06/24/2025 to 07/08/2025
Salary
$44,959 to - $58,445 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 6
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
San Juan, PR
1 vacancy
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
6
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
CBTC-12751445-25-TSS
Control number
839318100

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Open to US Citizens: VETERANS PREFERENCE IS WAIVED FOR THIS OCCUPATIONAL SERIES IAW Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO) BULLETIN Annual Determination of Staffing Shortages dated: 10/1/2024.

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Duties

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The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) position is located in Community Care at the San Juan VA Medical Center. The AMSA coordinates with the patient care team to review clinic utilization by various reports, ensures that the clinic setup is closely monitored to effectively support the needs of the clinic, and make any necessary adjustments. They develop/maintain effective and efficient communication with the patient, interdisciplinary team, VA medical centers and other agencies. The AMSA key role in the VHA Network Performance Measures for Revenue, Customer Service, Access to Care, and overall quality.

Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to;

  • Develop and maintain effective and efficient communication with the patient interdisciplinary team, VA Medical Centers, and other agencies.
  • Work within the team to set team priorities and deadlines, adjusting the flow and sequencing of the work to meet team and patient needs.
  • Updating and verifying demographic information.
  • Performs scheduling, canceling, re-scheduling of patient appointments and consults.
  • Collecting insurance information.
  • Administratively managing inpatient rosters and bed assignments through Veterans Health Information and Technology Architecture (VISTA) , Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) and Bed Management Systems (BMS).
  • Notifying the patient regarding his/her appointment schedule, and verifying physician orders in CPRS.
  • Analyze situations to determine what decisions can be made or if advise of higher authority is needed.
  • Resolves complaints of a local administrative nature and refers other complaints to appropriate authorities.
  • Provides information regarding clinic and hospital policies, procedures and locations to patient(s), family members, and staff.
  • Maintains patient's confidential records.
  • Scan and enters information into VISTA, CPRS.
Work Schedule: 7:30am-4:00pm Monday-Friday
Telework: Not Eligible
Virtual: Not Eligible
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: 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.
  • 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

Basic Requirements:

  • Citizenship: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
  • English/Spanish Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in spoken and written English/Spanish in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j.
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).

Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs.

Grade Determinations:

Medical Support Assistant (Advanced), GS-679-6

Specialized Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-679-5 grade level.

GS-679-6 Assignment.
The Advanced MSA GS-0679-06 provides specialized and expert administrative patient support while working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model. They process incoming patient secure messaging through MyHealthyVet and coordinates with care team as appropriate. They participate in team huddles and team meetings to manage, plan, problem solve, and follow-up with patient care by sharing information and collaborating with the interdisciplinary team. Adv MSAs sets priorities and deadlines, adjusting the flow and sequencing of the work to meet team and patient needs. They identify incomplete encounters and communicates findings to providers as needed and assist the team reinforce the plan of care and self-help solutions. They enter appropriate information into the electronic record, monitors pre- appointment information and/or requirements to assure readiness for patient visit/procedure. Manages patient systems to verify and validate accuracy and resolve issues. They evaluates patient information and clinic schedule lists to determine whether the patient requires an immediate appointment.

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

Ability to collaborate and communicate with a wide range of medical clinicians across multiple disciplines (e.g. medical doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, clinical pharmacists, and nursing staff) to accomplish team goal setting to ensure medical care to patients is met.

Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations.

Ability to communicate tactfully and effectively, electronically, by phone, in person, and in writing, with internal and external customers. This may include preparing reports in various formats and presenting data to various organizational levels, as well as resolving patient concerns.

Advanced knowledge of the technical health care process (including, but not limited to, scheduling across interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or care in the community models and patient health care portals) as it relates to access to care.

Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures associated with interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or care in the community operational activities that affect patient flow, and patient support care administrative functions to include, but not limited to appointment cycles, outside patient referrals, follow-up care, overbooking, provider availability, etc.

Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-679-06.

Physical Requirements:
The Medical Support Assistant work is mostly sedentary; however, some walking; standing, and carrying light items are required. Light filing, sometimes involving working close to the floor, is involved. Wrist and back protection can be provided to minimize the risks associated with prolonged use of automated data processing equipment.

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

Education

There is no substitution of education at the GS-679-06 grade level.

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.

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.

Your resume must include all of the following information:

  • Job Title (include series and grade if Federal Job)
  • Duties (be specific in describing your duties)
  • Employer's name and address
  • Start and end dates including month, and year (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008)
  • Start and end dates for each grade/pay level if you've held a federal position.
  • Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week)
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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