Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) - Primary Care

Veterans Health Administration • Bismarck, ND

10h • Onsite

About The Position

The incumbent serves as an Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) at the Bismarck VA Clinic, providing clerical and administrative support for the coordination, care, and treatment of patients throughout the Primary Care Integrated Clinical Community (ICC). The role covers Primary Care clinics, including Women's Health, and may provide coverage at the Front Desk/Emergency Department as needed. The AMSA works collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model, applying administrative judgment and clinical-flow processes to support access to care across clinics, specialties, and community-care resources. The position is full-time, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Telework and virtual work are not available.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited under applicable law.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• High school diploma, GED equivalency certificate, or state- or territorial-level proficiency certificate, or qualifying experience under the basic requirements.
• For GS-5 qualification: one year of experience equivalent to GS-5 and the listed KSAs, or other applicable qualification pathway described in the announcement.
• Advanced knowledge of medical terminology sufficient to understand diagnoses and procedures and communicate clinical staff instructions to patients.
• Customer-service skill, including identifying customer concerns and referring them to appropriate staff for resolution.
• Ability to use computerized programs and systems to enter, modify, and retrieve sensitive medical and patient-identifying information in electronic health records, scheduling systems, and reports.
• Ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting and work independently on a wide variety of patient-support duties.
• Ability to communicate professionally with internal and external customers in person, electronically, and by telephone.
• For GS-6 qualification: advanced knowledge of healthcare processes and access-to-care scheduling across interdisciplinary care and community-care models, including patient portals.
• For GS-6 qualification: advanced knowledge of policies and procedures affecting patient flow and administrative support, including appointment cycles, outside referrals, follow-up care, overbooking, and provider availability.
• For GS-6 qualification: ability to collaborate and communicate with clinicians across multiple disciplines to achieve team goals and ensure patient care.
• For GS-6 qualification: ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines and comply with processes, policies, and regulations.
• For GS-6 qualification: ability to communicate tactfully and effectively with internal and external customers, prepare reports in various formats, present data to organizational levels, and resolve patient concerns.
• Must complete the required application steps and online assessment; meet applicable background and security requirements; complete online onboarding; and comply with the VA seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period, subject to written certification for continued employment.
• Foreign education used to qualify must be evaluated as equivalent to U.S. education by a qualified credential-evaluation organization.
• A pre-employment examination or evaluation may be required.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialized administrative patient-care support in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model.
• Apply administrative judgment and clinical-flow processes related to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and community-care resources.
• Recommend changes to clinic procedures based on current administrative guidelines and use advanced patient systems to support multiple clinics.
• Coordinate with the patient-care team to review appointment availability and utilization, monitor clinic schedules, and recommend changes as needed.
• Communicate with patients, care teams, VA medical centers, and other agencies, including supporting inpatient-to-outpatient discharge communications and follow-up care for consults, tests, and procedures.
• Schedule, cancel, and reschedule appointments and consults, including telehealth and Video appointments (VVC); enter no-show information; monitor appointment requests from electronic sources; and process incoming patient communications in multiple formats.
• Participate in team huddles and meetings to plan, problem-solve, and follow up on patient care by sharing information and collaborating with the interdisciplinary team.
• Set priorities and deadlines and adjust work flow and sequencing to meet team and patient needs.
• Communicate tactfully and effectively with internal and external customers electronically, by phone, in person, and in writing.

Benefits

• Federal employee benefits package is available to eligible employees; eligibility depends on position type. Prior federal or military service may be considered for annual-leave accrual credit, subject to approval.

What This Job Offers

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