Job Details

Medical Support Assistant

The Medical Support Assistant is integral in the daily operation to facilitate patient flow communication at the desks, perform vital administration duties such as updating BMS icons, paging physicians or other healthcare workers and performing the essential actions for admissions, transfers and discharge process (ADT).

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Communicate, collaborate and works effectively with other nursing and hospital personnel.
• Maintains a clean and safe working environment at the Nurse's Station for both PODs and the unit floor area.
• Contains and prevents patients' sensitive information from open access.
• Completes and updates BMS board per shift on patient-nurse assignment, ASCOM numbers, appropriate icons, and upon patient admission, transfer, and discharge.
• Assign ASCOM phone to nursing staff.
• Ensures safe and complete patient chart record and compilation.
• Understand how to read the Medical and Surgical On-Call Schedule.
• Understand treating specialties or services and their relation to orders.
• Complete requested forms, manually or using automated systems, for individual patient orders for care consults and any other request as required.
• Receives telephone calls using VA Customer Courtesy Standards, and relays messages and/or redirects calls as necessary.
• Refers urgent messages to appropriate personnel for immediate action.
• Manages inquiries and complaints (telephone calls or in-person) from both patients and staff, and responds to them in a timely, competent, and professional manner.
• Maintains and updates the unit telephone directory to look up telephone extension and pager numbers in the facility.
• Understands how to place a local call or long-distance call using appropriate procedures.
• Enters, manipulates, and retrieves information and data from Vista and other clinical information systems as appropriate to the area assigned.
• Understand how to enter electronic work orders for office or patient care equipment as well as furniture repairs to the appropriate department such as BioMed, Engineering, or OIT.
• Understand how to use Hospital Tubing System.
• Understand how to use Patient Wristband Printer.
• Prints new or replacement patient wristbands using the unit wristband printer. Hand the wristband to the patient's primary nurse and ensure proper reconciliation on patient verification.
• Facilitate and ensure the provision of Code and fall risk status on the patient wristband for the primary nurse to validate and apply on the patient Facilitate communication with Dietary for nutritional replenishment in the patient pantry or late tray for patients with late or undelivered diet orders appropriately.
• Ensure adequate printed copies of forms available for patient documentation and record (e.g. SBAR forms, CNA Assignment, and Vital Signs sheet, Strict I's & O's, Ticket to Ride, etc.), and submit a request to print shop to replenish supplies timely and as necessary.
• Receives, greets and directs patients, visitors, and hospital personnel, and providing accurate responses in a friendly, courteous, and concerned manner.

Work Schedule: rotating, varies patient care need Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade). Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience. Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA. Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements 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 ( 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.
• 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 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. MSAs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3.j.

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 Determinations In addition to the basic requirements for employment listed above, the following education and experience criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

Medical Support Assistant, GS-3: Experience or Education. High School Diploma with desire for some post high school education or equivalent experience.

Assignment. This is an entry level MSA position. It is expected that MSAs at this level receive guidance from more experienced staff members and require frequent and direct supervision. At this level, MSAs apply general rules and policies relating to clinic functions, staff, and automated data processing methods in support of treatment to patients. They utilize a variety of patient data systems in scheduling patients for treatment and annotates patient records. They perform front desk duties, receives telephone call, and visitors to the MSA unit. They make and cancel appointments, review patient records for necessary information, and review patient demographics and insurance verification. They consult with clinic staff when processing physician scheduling and administrative orders.

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

• Ability to meet, communicate, and interact with individuals in a courteous and helpful manner in order to give instructions and arrange appointments.
• Ability to utilize computer systems to enter administrative data in patient systems.
• Ability to learn and utilize basic medical terminology to record patient messages and physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care.

Medical Support Assistant, GS-4 Experience. One year of experience in 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 some equivalent experience.

Assignment. This is a developmental level MSA position. It is expected that MSAs at this level receive minor and less frequent guidance from higher experienced staff members for more difficult tasks . Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: scheduling and rescheduling patients for treatment; interviewing patients for appointments; referring patients to other medical specialty clinics; providing information to patients necessary to resolve VA Handbook complaints; interacting with both internal and external customers; reviewing and