Supervisory Medical Support Assistant

Veterans Health Administration • State College, PA

11d • Onsite

About The Position

The James E. Van Zandt VA Medical Center is recruiting a Supervisory Medical Support Assistant for its State College, Pennsylvania Community-Based Outpatient Clinic. The position is in Health Administration Service and plans and directs Medical Support Assistant programs at a medical center or outpatient clinic. The supervisor has full administrative and professional responsibility for directing subordinate staff, including at least one MSA team leader, supervisor, or equivalent administrative patient support staff member.

The role oversees scheduling and clinic operations, resolves complex service issues, and supports patient care through staff supervision, operational improvements, and customer service. The position is GS-8. The work schedule is 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Telework and virtual work are not available.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated VA policy exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• High school diploma, GED equivalency certificate, or proficiency certificate from a state or territorial education authority.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• One year of experience equivalent to GS-7 leading or supervising MSAs or equivalent administrative patient support staff in a non-VA medical inpatient, outpatient, or interdisciplinary setting.
• Advanced knowledge of managing or leading patient support staff in a clinic, including independent use of reference sources, decision-making, and empowering teams to collaborate and resolve problems in a complex systems environment.
• Ability to provide administrative and supervisory duties for at least one subordinate MSA supervisor or team leader, including work assignment, 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 support quality and continuity of care and compliance with policies and regulations.
• Ability to manage fiscal matters, forecast resource and equipment needs, and identify budget needs.
• Must meet applicable background and security investigation requirements, onboarding requirements, and seasonal influenza vaccination requirements.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period.
• Applicants using foreign education must provide a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with their transcript.

Nice To Haves

• May qualify under the VA grandfathering provision if currently employed by VHA in this occupation and meeting the applicable criteria.

Responsibilities

• Maintain and review protocols related to scheduling and clinic operations.
• Assign and evaluate the work of subordinate staff.
• Resolve complex problems to ensure patient services are met.
• Evaluate new products, equipment, and systems and recommend improvements to operations.
• Identify educational and training needs for staff.
• Make final hiring selection decisions, evaluate performance, and take disciplinary action when necessary.
• Plan and direct the activities of subordinate leads, supervisors, and Medical Support Assistants, with full administrative and professional responsibility.
• Extract and analyze data and provide reports to senior management to support tracking measures.
• Handle escalated calls and provide direct customer service to resolve complex or non-standard issues.
• Manage fiscal matters, forecast resource and equipment needs, and identify budget needs.
• Provide briefings, orientations, staff development, and training in a patient support setting.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year, including annual leave, sick leave, and paid federal holidays.
• Potential 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 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 requirements.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting.
• 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 can be carried into retirement.
• Competitive salary and regular salary increases.

What This Job Offers

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