Supervisory Medical Support Assistant

Veterans Health Administration • Anchorage, AK

11d • Onsite

About The Position

The Alaska VA Medical Center is hiring two Supervisory Medical Support Assistants (SMSAs) in the Office of Community Care. The list generated from this announcement may be used for up to 90 days to fill additional vacancies. SMSAs provide administrative support to clinical colleagues and help enable efficient, timely, accurate, and accessible healthcare for Veterans. They may be assigned to service lines across the medical center that need support.

The position plans, organizes, administers, and directs support services for the organizations served, including clerical support for ward administration and outpatient specialty clinics. It provides technical and management guidance to optimize support-service resources and advises managers on how services can support their missions and programs. The SMSA performs a full range of supervisory and administrative functions, including assigning work, evaluating performance, selecting staff, and recommending awards and advancements. The role also involves setting priorities, coordinating staffing and work, resolving complex issues, evaluating products and systems, and providing briefings, orientations, staff development, and training.

The work schedule is Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; tours will be discussed at interview. Compressed or flexible scheduling, telework, and virtual work are not available. The position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. It is subject to a one- or two-year trial period. The full performance level is GS-8. Recruitment or relocation incentives and relocation assistance are not authorized.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship is required, subject to the stated VA exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.
• High school diploma or equivalent, with acceptable documentation as specified in the announcement.
• At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-7 leading or supervising Medical Support Assistants or equivalent administrative patient-support staff in a non-VA medical inpatient, outpatient, or interdisciplinary setting.
• Resume must include hours per week for work experience credit.
• Demonstrated 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 a full range of administrative and supervisory duties to at least one subordinate MSA supervisor or team leader in a patient-support setting, including assigning work, conducting performance evaluations, selecting staff, and recommending awards or advancements.
• 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 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.
• Must pass a pre-employment physical evaluation.
• Must complete a background/security investigation and online onboarding requirements.
• Must meet identification and application-document requirements stated in the announcement.
• Must participate in the VA seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period, subject to written certification for continued employment.
• At the GS-8 grade level, education cannot substitute for the required specialized experience.

Responsibilities

• Plan, organize, administer, and direct support-service work for the organizations served.
• Plan, coordinate, analyze, and direct activities of ward administration and outpatient specialty clinic sections providing clerical support.
• Assign subordinate staff work and develop performance standards.
• Resolve complex issues to ensure patient services are met.
• Evaluate new products, equipment, and systems and recommend improvements to operations.
• Provide technical and management guidance to optimize the use of support-service resources.
• Perform administrative and supervisory duties, including work assignments, performance evaluations, staff selection, and recommendations for awards and advancements.
• Organize work, set priorities, and delegate tasks and responsibilities to meet deadlines.
• Manage staffing requirements and priorities and coordinate work to complete duties accurately and on time.
• Provide briefings, orientations, staff development, and training.
• Develop and formalize performance evaluations for directly supervised staff.
• Advise management on service requirements and implications, and follow hospital policies and regulations.
• Advise operating managers and supervisors on how support services can help accomplish their missions and programs.
• Collaborate and communicate with internal and external customers to support quality and continuity of care and compliance with policies and regulations.

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.
• 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 with total family income below $144,000 may qualify after 60 days of employment for a childcare subsidy of up to 25% of eligible childcare costs, subject to a monthly maximum of $416.66.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting and a federal 401(k) with VA contributions up to 5%.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.

What This Job Offers

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