Lead Medical Support Assistant

Veterans Health Administration•Temple, TX

8d•Onsite

About The Position

The incumbent serves as a working Lead Medical Support Assistant in Primary Care (Ambulatory Care North) at the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System. The role acts as a liaison and expeditor between patients, clinical staff, specialty staff, and ancillary services, and serves as a knowledge resource for staff on programs and processes conducted in Ambulatory Care North. The Lead MSA performs the same duties as the staff they lead while coordinating staff work and ensuring efficient operations. The position is full-time, with a Monday–Friday schedule from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Telework is not available, and the position is not virtual. The full performance level and selection grade are GS-07. The work is primarily sedentary, with some movement between offices and facilities, walking and standing for meetings, and occasional lifting or carrying of items weighing less than 15 pounds.

Requirements

U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated exception under VA policy for appointing non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
High school diploma, GED equivalency certificate, or state- or territorial-level proficiency certificate.
Proficiency in spoken and written English.
For the GS-07 grade, one year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.
Advanced knowledge of medical terminology and clinical flow processes related to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, or the community.
Skill communicating to achieve desired outcomes 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 or responsibilities to meet deadlines.
Ability to provide staff development and training.
Ability to manage staffing requirements and workflow priorities, adjust work flow to meet team and patient needs, follow up on pending issues, and understand the impact of incomplete work across multiple clinics.
Must pass a pre-employment physical evaluation and be subject to a background/security investigation.
Must participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.
Must complete required application steps, including an online assessment and onboarding requirements.
Must serve a one- or two-year trial period, subject to written certification for continued employment.
Must meet applicable physical requirements; the work may involve walking, standing, movement between work areas, and lifting or carrying items weighing less than 15 pounds.

Nice To Haves

One year of experience equivalent to the GS-6 grade level.
Experience using numerous advanced patient systems in support of multiple clinics in an interdisciplinary setting.
Ability to organize work, set priorities, and delegate tasks or responsibilities to meet deadlines.
Skill communicating to achieve desired outcomes and coordinating with interdisciplinary care team staff.
Ability to provide staff development and training.
Understanding of the impact of incomplete work across multiple clinics.
Ability to manage staffing requirements and workflow priorities and adjust work flow to meet team and patient needs.

Responsibilities

Distribute and balance workload among employees, including the incumbent, according to established workflows and schedules.
Ensure assigned work is completed on time and employees have sufficient work.
Monitor work status and progress, make day-to-day adjustments based on priorities, and seek supervisor assistance with problems such as backlogs that cannot be resolved promptly.
Monitor work to prevent backlogs.
Provide on-the-job training and instruct employees on changes in work procedures, including providing written instructions or documentation.
Maintain current knowledge of information and answer employee questions about procedures, policies, and directives; obtain supervisor input or decisions on problems as needed.
Check work in progress and review completed work to ensure correct procedures have been followed.
Refer questions not covered by standards and issues affecting employees’ ability to meet performance standards or competencies to the supervisor.
Help resolve simple informal employee complaints and refer other complaints to the supervisor.
Review and make work assignments, provide input on performance, resolve daily workplace issues, and maintain efficient workflow.
Ensure coverage of all areas of responsibility.
Conduct ongoing quality reviews and review tracking systems for items such as consults and authorization timeliness.
Act as a liaison and expeditor between patients, clinical staff, specialty staff, and ancillary services.