Qualifications

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 and Education
• 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, Education
• One year above high school
• OR, 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
• 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
• Grandfathering Provision
• 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: GS-05 Medical Support Assistant (Full Performance Level) One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-4 grade) which is 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 Medical Support Assistant (MSA) position
• Note: Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to Medical Support Assistant experience or an equivalent administrative clinical support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting.--OR Four years of education above high school AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
• Candidates must demonstrate all of 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
• Preferred Experience: None Note: You must provide detailed information of your experience performed
• Information such as "I was a Medical Support Assistant" is insufficient to determine your qualifications
• Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hour worked per week
• 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 the GS-5. Physical Requirements: Operate a computer terminal and be able to manage multiple activities at one time
• Work is generally sedentary
• however, there may be some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of light items
• Work Environment: The work may be stressful due to the accelerated pace for several hours at a time during peak hours or on days that have a large volume of activity
• See VA Directive and Handbook 5019