Medical Support Assistant

Veterans Health Administration • Vancouver, WA

4d • Onsite

About The Position

This position provides support to the Prosthetics and Sensory Aid Service (PSAS) and serves as a liaison between clinical staff in the assigned area and internal and external customers. The role provides clerical and patient-support services across multiple PSAS areas, especially appointment scheduling and coordination. The full performance level is GS-05; applicants may be selected at GS-03 through GS-05.

The Medical Support Assistant schedules orthotic and prosthetic consultations, prosthetics requests, and return-to-clinic orders in accordance with applicable rules and regulations. The position handles patient communications and refill requests, maintains appointment lists, supports patient-care coordination, and uses VA information systems to retrieve and enter relevant medical documentation. The role also provides general office support and helps orient new PSAS staff to local systems and procedures.

The work schedule is Monday through Friday, with varying schedules of 0700–1530, 0730–1600, or 0800–1630. Ad-hoc telework may be available, but this is not a virtual position. Relocation and recruitment incentives and permanent change of station are not authorized. Applicants must be U.S. citizens (with limited statutory exceptions), proficient in spoken and written English, and meet the education or experience qualifications for the grade. No experience is required for GS-03. GS-04 and GS-05 have additional experience or education alternatives and grade-specific knowledge, skills, and abilities. Preferred experience includes work in a medical or clinic setting involving scheduling, specialty referrals, insurance documentation, electronic health records, and advanced medical terminology.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated statutory exception for non-citizen appointments when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• Meet the education or experience requirements for the selected grade: GS-03 requires no experience or education beyond the basic requirements; GS-04 requires one year of creditable experience equivalent to GS-03 or one year of education above high school; GS-05 requires one year of experience equivalent to GS-04 or two years of education above high school.
• For GS-04, demonstrate basic medical terminology knowledge; skill in recording patient messages and understanding physician follow-up requests; ability to communicate courteously with people from varied backgrounds and health care team members; and ability to use and navigate office automation equipment and software.
• For GS-05, demonstrate advanced medical terminology knowledge; customer-service skill and ability to identify concerns and refer them appropriately; ability to enter, modify, and retrieve sensitive patient information in electronic health records, scheduling systems, or reports; ability to schedule clinical appointments and work independently across varied patient-support duties; and ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and by telephone.
• Complete the required application steps and online assessment; comply with background and security investigation and onboarding requirements.
• Register for Selective Service if applicable to male applicants born after December 31, 1959.
• Participate in the Department of Veterans Affairs seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Serve a one- or two-year trial period, subject to the stated evaluation and written certification conditions.
• Provide transcripts or other specified education verification when education is used to qualify.

Nice To Haves

• One year of experience in a medical or clinic setting involving appointment scheduling, referral of patients to specialty clinics, collection of insurance documentation, electronic health record documentation, and advanced medical terminology.

Responsibilities

• Schedule orthotic and prosthetics consultations, prosthetics requests, and return-to-clinic orders in accordance with applicable rules and regulations.
• Perform clerical duties related to patient care and treatment across multiple PSAS areas, particularly those related to scheduling.
• Answer telephone calls, record messages, handle detailed prosthetic consultation requests, and refer urgent issues to professional staff for immediate action.
• Provide front-line assistance to customers with questions or concerns.
• Help facilitate patient refill requests made in person or by telephone.
• Arrange and coordinate patient appointments across locations, services, and consultants, supporting timely care and avoiding treatment conflicts.
• Manage daily appointment lists, including scheduling, cancellations, and processing no-show appointments.
• Orient new PSAS staff to patient-file locations and the use and formatting of CPRS, VISTA, and Visual Aid.
• Retrieve and enter pertinent data in VISTA and CPRS, retrieve medical documentation through the VISTA Capture/Display Program, and use Remote Data to retrieve requested information.
• Participate in team huddles and meetings to manage and plan patient care.
• Maintain clinic office supplies and printer or copy-machine supplies, sort mail, and distribute fax communications.
• Perform other duties as determined by the supervisor.

Benefits

• Federal employee benefits package; specific benefits and eligibility depend on position type and other factors.
• Potential credit toward annual leave accrual for prior work or military service, subject to prior request and approval.

What This Job Offers

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