Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

Veterans Health Administration • Albuquerque, NM

4d • Onsite

About The Position

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) provides administrative support within the Community Care Service and serves as a liaison among patients, nursing and medical staff, outside agencies, community providers, and other VA health care systems. The role supports Veterans’ outpatient appointment management and the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT), helping ensure a smooth care process.

The AMSA coordinates with the clinical team to review clinic utilization using reports such as the Clinic Utilization Statistical Summary, monitor clinic setup, and make necessary adjustments to support clinic needs. The position maintains communication with patients, interdisciplinary teams, VA medical centers, and other agencies. This includes supporting inpatient-to-outpatient discharge communications, communicating with non-VA medical facilities by fax, facilitating secure messaging, and tracking follow-up care such as consultations and tests.

The position is in an office setting and is generally sedentary, with some walking, standing, and bending and occasional moderate activity such as carrying light items or lifting boxes or records. The work schedule is Monday through Friday, either 7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. or 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Telework is unavailable, and the position is not virtual. The full performance level is GS-06.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, except that non-citizens may be appointed when recruiting qualified citizens is not possible under VA policy.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• High school diploma, GED, or state or territorial proficiency certificate; education above high school also meets this basic requirement.
• One year of creditable experience equivalent to GS-5 for the Advanced Medical Support Assistant GS-6 grade.
• Advanced knowledge of the technical health care process, including scheduling across interdisciplinary coordinated care and/or community care models and patient health care portals, as it relates to access to care.
• Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures affecting patient flow and administrative support functions, including appointment cycles, outside patient referrals, follow-up care, overbooking, and provider availability.
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology.
• Ability to collaborate and communicate with medical clinicians across multiple disciplines to support team goals and patient care.
• Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines while complying 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, presenting data, and resolving patient concerns.
• Must meet pre-employment background and security requirements and pass a pre-employment physical evaluation.
• Must participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Must complete the required application and onboarding process and provide acceptable identification documents.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period.

Responsibilities

• Schedule, cancel, and reschedule patient appointments and consultations.
• Enter information about patients who do not attend appointments.
• Monitor appointment requests from multiple electronic sources.
• Participate in team huddles and meetings to manage and plan patient care.
• Set priorities and deadlines, and adjust work sequencing to meet team and patient needs.
• Monitor pre-appointment requirements, such as X-rays and laboratory work, to ensure readiness for visits or procedures.
• Contribute to problem-solving about operational issues and procedures during team meetings.
• Perform administrative follow-up actions.
• Review patient information and clinic schedule lists to determine whether patients are vested.
• Educate providers about shared patients receiving care at multiple VA facilities or in the community, and bring relevant information to providers’ attention.
• Coordinate with clinical teams to review clinic utilization and monitor or adjust clinic setup.
• Maintain communication with patients, interdisciplinary teams, VA medical centers, community providers, outside agencies, and other medical facilities.
• Support inpatient-to-outpatient discharge communications, fax communications with non-VA medical facilities, secure messaging, and tracking of follow-up care such as consultations and tests.

Benefits

• 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year, consisting of 13–26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, and 11 paid federal holidays.
• Eligible employees may receive credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work or military service, subject to approval.
• 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 income and other eligibility limits.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting and a 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.
• Competitive salary with regular salary increases; a higher step rate may be considered based on higher or unique qualifications or VA special needs.

What This Job Offers

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