Supervisory Medical Support Assistant

Veterans Health Administration • Northport, NY

7d • Onsite

About The Position

The Supervisory Medical Support Assistant (MSA) is the primary supervisor of subordinate Medical Support Assistants assigned to the Business Office at the Northport VAMC or a Community Based Outpatient Clinic. The role plans, organizes, and directs the work of medical support assistants, establishes work priorities, identifies employee development and training needs, and provides or arranges training. The incumbent works within interdisciplinary coordinated care models and provides clinic oversight, customer service, and administrative support to ensure timely patient treatment and accurate appointment scheduling.

The position independently manages responsibilities with limited supervision, adjusts priorities and work sequencing to meet team and patient needs, and serves as a liaison among MSAs, medical staff, nursing staff, and other services. It provides expert guidance on administrative procedures and current VA regulations and hospital guidelines. The incumbent is a contact for patient scheduling concerns, researches and seeks to resolve issues before escalation, and may participate in workgroups or committees. The position also supports staff orientation and training, including auxiliary personnel such as temporary staff, work-study participants, and volunteers.

Requirements

• High school diploma, General Education Development equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a State or territorial-level Board or Department of Education.
• One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade for the GS-08 grade determination.
• Advanced knowledge of managing or leading patient support staff in a clinic, including independently using reference sources, making decisions, and empowering teams to collaborate and resolve problems in a complex systems environment.
• Ability to provide the full range of administrative and supervisory duties to at least one subordinate MSA supervisor or team leader in a patient support setting, including work assignments, performance evaluations, staff selection, and recommendations for awards or advancement.
• Ability to collaborate, communicate, and demonstrate customer service and interpersonal skills with internal and external customers to ensure quality and continuity of care and compliance with policies and regulations.
• Ability to provide briefings, orientations, staff development, and training in a patient support setting.
• Ability to manage fiscal matters, forecast resource and equipment needs, and identify budget needs.
• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated VA exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.
• Successful completion of applicable background/security investigation and pre-employment requirements, including required identification and seasonal influenza vaccination requirements.
• Subject to urinalysis screening for illegal drug use if tentatively selected for a testing-designated position.
• Males born after December 31, 1959, must meet Selective Service registration requirements.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period and receive written certification for continued employment after the trial period.
• Any education used to qualify must be recognized by the U.S. Department of Education; foreign education requires a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency and transcript.

Responsibilities

• Plan, organize, and direct the work of subordinate Medical Support Assistants; establish priorities and distribute and balance workload.
• Ensure coverage of assigned areas and conduct ongoing reviews to ensure quality of work.
• Ensure accurate and timely scheduling of appointments for one or more outpatient clinics.
• Adjust appointment times, locations, or dates and shift patients to other providers as needed when staffing or coverage conflicts arise.
• Screen and receive phone calls courteously and promptly, determine the nature of requests, and provide information in accordance with privacy rules and clinic processes.
• Create and maintain employee work schedules and organize the work structure of assigned areas.
• Provide staff guidance on policy and procedure changes, orient employees, provide on-the-job training, and ensure training requirements are met.
• Conduct regular staff meetings to communicate policy changes and new procedures; participate in daily team huddles and weekly team meetings.
• Serve as a liaison between MSAs and staff to resolve day-to-day conflicts and maintain effective working relationships with clinical and administrative staff.
• Resolve patient issues, particularly appointment and scheduling concerns, by researching and addressing them before escalation where possible.
• Maintain clerical guidelines and manuals and prepare materials for training new employees.
• Train auxiliary personnel, including temporary staff, work-study participants, and volunteers, as needed for intermittent heavy workloads.
• Act as liaison with medical, nursing, and other service staff; provide expert advice on administrative details and procedures.
• Evaluate problematic areas and present findings to the supervisor and appropriate Service Line designees for corrective action.
• Coordinate special projects and deliverables related to clinic scheduling workflow, MSA training, employee orientation, and scheduling under the National Scheduling Directive.
• Provide administrative and supervisory support that may include assigning work, conducting performance evaluations, selecting staff, and recommending awards or advancements.
• Manage fiscal matters, forecast resource and equipment needs, and identify budget needs.
• Provide caring, compassionate, and sensitive explanations of procedures to veterans and their family members in person and by phone.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases; a higher step rate may be considered for higher or unique qualifications or VA special needs.
• 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.
• Potential credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work or military service, subject to request and approval.
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment in connection with birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
• Potential childcare subsidy after 60 days of employment for eligible full-time employees with total family income below $144,000, up to 25% of eligible childcare costs and subject to a monthly maximum of $416.66.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting and federal 401(k) with up to 5% in contributions by VA.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many federal insurance programs may be carried into retirement.

What This Job Offers

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