Lead Medical Support Assistant

Veterans Health Administration • Miami, FL

18d • Onsite

About The Position

The Miami VA Healthcare System is seeking an experienced Lead Medical Support Assistant to support quality care standards and the growth and development of a VA academic hospital program. The Lead MSA serves as lead clerk for Medical Support Assistant staff and works within a teamlet model alongside MSAs, nurses, LPNs, primary care providers, and other interdisciplinary healthcare professionals. The role involves coordinating staff workload, coverage, training, clinic access, appointment scheduling, patient safety, and administrative processes across clinics and care settings.

The position is sedentary and performed in an office environment, with occasional carrying of light items and some stooping, standing, and walking. The schedule is Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; schedules are set and approved by the supervisor, and the employee may be required to work various shifts temporarily or permanently based on facility and patient-care needs. Telework and virtual work are not available. The position is permanent and full-time, at the GS-7 level.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship.
• High school diploma, GED equivalency certificate, or state or territorial proficiency certificate.
• Proficiency in basic written and spoken English.
• At least one year of experience equivalent to the GS-6 level, including specialized administrative patient support in an interdisciplinary care model.
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology and clinical flow processes related to access to care across clinics, specialties, and/or community care.
• Skill in communicating effectively to obtain desired results and coordinating with interdisciplinary care-team staff.
• Ability to use numerous advanced patient systems in support of multiple clinics in an interdisciplinary setting.
• Ability to organize work, set priorities, and delegate tasks and responsibilities to meet deadlines.
• Ability to provide staff development and training.
• Ability to manage staffing requirements and workflow priorities, and adjust work to meet team and patient needs, including following up on pending issues and understanding the impact of incomplete work across clinics.
• Must pass a pre-employment physical evaluation.
• Must complete application requirements and an online onboarding process, and be subject to a background/security investigation.
• Must participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period, subject to written certification for continued employment.

Nice To Haves

• Experience independently managing assignments with significant scope, complexity, variety, and administrative responsibility, with higher-level duties performed regularly.
• Experience working under pressure and courteously, tactfully, and professionally with people from varied socioeconomic backgrounds to assist Veteran patients and their families.

Responsibilities

• Assess daily workload, assign work, and ensure appropriate staffing coverage for Medical Support Assistants.
• Evaluate staff training records and determine training needs across interdisciplinary settings.
• Assist with complex and non-standard procedures, including clinical flow processes related to access to care across clinics, specialties, and community resources.
• Ensure appointments are scheduled accurately and promptly, and provide staff guidance on policy and procedure changes.
• Create and maintain employee work schedules and serve as a liaison among MSA and Advanced MSA staff, patients, and interdisciplinary staff to resolve day-to-day conflicts.
• Orient and provide on-the-job training for new and current employees, ensuring training needs are met.
• Help ensure proper patient care and timely treatment, and ensure MSA/AMSA staff maintain clinic appointment schedules.
• Assist with clinic access contingency plans by adjusting appointment times, locations, or dates and shifting patients to other healthcare providers to address staffing or coverage conflicts.
• Ensure travel requests are processed promptly, reviewed accurately, and documented before submission to Fiscal Service.
• Train staff to process beneficiary travel requests and review requests submitted by staff.
• Support patient safety standards by ensuring correct VA patient identification and validating patient demographic information during check-in.
• Ensure staff collect, scan, and update health insurance information for revenue collection.
• Schedule appointments and use the Electronic Waiting List accurately and promptly.
• Promote quality healthcare services and communicate with tact and diplomacy.
• Remain flexible to work in any unit or ward according to staffing levels and workspace needs.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year, including 13–26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, and 11 paid federal holidays.
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster-care placement of a child.
• Eligible full-time employees may qualify for a childcare subsidy after 60 days of employment, subject to family-income and other eligibility limits.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting and federal 401(k) with up to 5% in VA contributions.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term-care insurance; many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: High school or GED