Job Information
Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) - Clinical Contact Center Float/Pool in North Little Rock, Arkansas
Summary This Medical Support Assistant (Advanced), also referred to as an Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) is in the Patient Care Services - Clinical Contact Center with the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS) located in Little Rock, Arkansas. Position Clarification: These positions serve in the Nursing Service at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System and must be able to work at either of the Little Rock and North Little Rock campuses based on needs of the service. Responsibilities Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Medical Support Assistant: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-MSA-VA-Career-Flyer.pdf The Advanced Medical Support Assistant in Nursing Service at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare system in Little Rock and/or North Little Rock, Arkansas is assigned to one or more of the following Units of the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center: Medical/Surgical, Community Living Center, 6C Hematology/Oncology, Dialysis, Hospice & Palliative Care, Critical Care, Step-down, Emergency Department and/or any other inpatient/outpatient area as needed. The primary duties of the Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) may include but are not limited to: Initiating a variety of clerical duties associated with patient care and treatment Making routine administrative decisions regarding administrative functions of the ward/unit and Department of Veterans Affairs policies Using the Electronic Record System Verifying physicians' orders and forward requests in a timely manner Keeping Pharmacy Service informed of patient movements, i.e., discharge, transfers, etc. Identifying various chemical compounds, symbols, and abbreviations comprising medication orders Transcribing and directing a wide variety of physician orders for inpatient and outpatients Transferring patients in the computer between departments, routes information to appropriate departments for action Extracting Encounter Forms/Prescription Profiles for clinic visits Entering appropriate codes from completed Encounter forms Performing checks in/out of clinic visits Issuing meal tickets Scheduling and notifying nursing personnel of patient appointments with various clinics and Services throughout the medical center Making records of patients available to accompany patient if indicated Enduring all pertinent data is included before releasing records for appointments Coordinating and scheduling return appointments for follow-up outpatient treatment Ensuring medical records are reviewed and coded prior to transfer out to another VA facility Initiating nursing home referrals, and related forms, when ordered by physician Recording telephone messages pertaining to matters such as detailed laboratory reports, x-rays, test results Recognizing and referring urgent messages to the clinical staff for immediate action Sorting and distributing mail Serving as the point of contact for the ward Receiving and handling most callers, both personal and telephonic Assisting patients by contacting volunteers or Social Workers as needed, and Veterans' representatives as requested Maintaining census information of patients on applicable forms and/or through the computer terminal Discharging and transferring of patients to and from the unit Compiling statistics on patient days of care as needed Orienting new physicians, residents, interns, nurses and nursing students to clerical operations of the unit Inventory and requisitioning stock of supplies and forms for the ward Receiving and distributing cash to patients and deposits moneys as required Typing purchase orders for incidentals for patients; and various forms to secure indigent services, newspapers, work orders, etc. Preparing requests for deposit or withdrawal of funds for patients; and purchase orders for as needed Obtaining patients' funds for non-ambulatory patients if family members are not present at time of discharge or transfer Performing monitoring of the patient safety monitoring system Serving as a preceptor for competency validation for the Patient Safety Monitoring System. Monitoring and updating the Bed Management System Work Schedule: Schedule may vary with rotating shifts, nights, weekends, and Holidays. Will be discussed during interviews. Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. 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) 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. Functional Statement #: 598-00799-F 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. 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. May be required to complete pre-employment physical evaluation. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. 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. 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. Certification. None required. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. English Language Proficiency. Medical Support Assistants must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Policy. 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. To qualify for the GS-06 level, your resume must demonstrate you possess the required experience necessary to possess the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) required for the grade. Be specific when describing the job duties that demonstrate you possess the KSAs listed. Resume must include hours per week for work experience credit. Medical Support Assistant (Advanced), GS-06 (a) Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level. To qualify for this position, you must demonstrate in your resume that you have experience that includes: Entering, modifying, retrieving sensitive information into or from electronic health records, scheduling systems, and/or reports; Scheduling medical appointments in a clinical setting; Performing patient support work; Providing customer service and identifying patient concerns to ensure satisfactory resolution; Advanced level of medical terminology. (b) Assignment. The Advanced MSA provides specialized and expert administrative patient support while working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model. Work involves specialized administrative judgment and the flexible use of a wide range of clinical flow processes relating to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and/or care in the community resources. Recommends changes to existing clinic procedures based on current administrative guidelines. Expertise in utilizing numerous advanced patient systems in support of multiple clinics involved in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model. Coordinates with the patient care team to review clinic appointment availability (utilization) to ensure that clinic schedules are closely monitored to effectively support the needs of the clinics, and makes adjustments as necessary. MSAs at this level develop and/or maintain effective and efficient communication with the patient, interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model teams, VA medical centers, and other agencies (e.g., assist with communications during the inpatient to outpatient discharge; communicate with non-VA medical facilities; prepare correspondence to notify patients of normal lab results; manage a system for follow-up care such as consults, tests, etc.). (c) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition, you must demonstrate ALL of the following KSAs in your resume: 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. Preferred Experience: Makes routine administrative decisions and gives advice to the clinical team members in administrative functions. Interprets a wide variety of provider orders for inpatient and outpatient to include request for diagnostic test, medications, treatment activities, etc.: transfers that request to forms and /or enters date onto Vista. Extracts documents for clinic visits: checks in/out clinic visit: issues meal tickets. Sets up suspense files necessary for processing orders for recurring test, etc. Makes proper notification in death cases. Keeps Pharmacy Service informed of patient movements and discharges, transfers, etc. 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-06. Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for this occupation, see duty section for essential duties of this position. Work is sedentary but also demands standing, walking, bending, twisting, and carrying light items. Education IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. 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 Additional Information 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. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. 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.