Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.)
• Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens according to 38 U.S.C. 7407(a)
• Experience
• No experience required
• ~OR~ Education
• High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education
• ~OR~ Experience/Education Combination
• Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable
• 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
• English Language Proficiency
• MSAs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II
• 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 REQUIREMENTS
• a
• Creditable Experience Knowledge of MSA Practices
• To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) associated with current MSA responsibilities or an equivalent administrative patient support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting
• Experience satisfying this requirement may be paid/non-paid employment as an MSA or an equivalent position in a non-VA hospital or clinic setting
• Quality of Experience
• Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to MSA experience or equivalent administrative clinical support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting at the next lower grade level
• For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty), and a range of varieties as described in this standard, at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time
• Part-Time Experience
• Part-time experience as an MSA or equivalent administrative patient support in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time workweek
• For example, an MSA employed 20 hours a week, or on a 1/2-time basis, would receive one full-time workweek of credit for each two weeks of service
• 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 (A) Experience or Education
• None beyond the basic requirements.(B) 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 annotate patient records
• They perform front desk duties, receive telephone calls, and visitors to the MSA unit.(C) 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 (A) Experience
• One year of creditable 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, (B) Education
• One year of education above high school
• (C) 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 documenting medical outpatient and inpatient electronic health records
• (D) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
• Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: Ability to meet, communicate, and interact with individuals from varying backgrounds and other health care team members in a courteous and helpful manner in order to facilitate medical care for patients
• Ability to use, and navigate between, various types of office automation equipment and software (i.e
• computer systems, web based scheduling programs
• insurance collection system
• scanning software, multiple line phone systems
• electronic faxing programs) to support patient care
• Knowledge of basic medical terminology to assist in the provision of care to patients
• Skill in recording patient messages and understanding physician requests pertaining to follow-up medical care in internal or external clinics
• Medical Support Assistant, GS-5 (A) Experience
• One year of creditable experience equivalent to the GS-4 grade level
• OR, (B) Education
• Two years of education above high school
• OR, (C) Assignment
• This is the full performance level for MSAs
• At this level, the MSA independently performs a full range of duties related to the delivery of healthcare services in an inpatient or outpatient setting
• Advises clinical staff on current administrative processes
• The MSA is responsible for answering phones, greeting patients, relaying messages to appropriate staff inside or outside of the unit, scheduling appointments, including interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines
• (D) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
• Candidates must demonstrate all 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
• 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. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-3 to GS-5.