Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.
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: None
- Education: High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education.
- Grandfathering Provision: Employees in VHA in this occupation, under a permanent, appropriate, and legal placement on the effective date of the qualification standard, are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade and/or assignment held, including positive education and registration/certification where applicable. For employees who do not meet all the basic or assignment-specific requirements in this standard but met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed, the following provisions apply:
(1) Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
(2) Employees retained in this occupation under this provision who subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.
Grade Determinations:
Medical Support Assistant (Advanced), GS-06:
Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
- 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.
- 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.
Preferred Experience:
- Hands-on radiology scheduling experience in high volume, fast paced clinical settings.
- Accurate and efficient coordination of complex imaging schedules, including STAT, add ons, and multimodality exams.
- Solid understanding of radiology workflows, patient prep requirements, and exam sequencing.
- Proficient with modern EMR systems and quick to learn new modules or updates.
- Skilled at resolving scheduling conflicts, verifying orders and maintaining complete, compliant EMR documentation.
- Comfortable working across multiple clinical and administrative applications simultaneously.
- Reliable, self-directed and adaptable, consistency producing high-qualify work with minimal oversight.
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-6.
Physical Requirements: Position requires visual acuity, adequate auditory perception, clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. May involved extended periods of sitting. Requires some bending and carrying items. Incumbent must be capable of working effectively in stressful situations and shift priorities based on patient needs.