Supervisory Medical Support Assistant

Veterans Health Administration • Lake Jackson, TX

7h • Onsite

About The Position

The Supervisory Medical Support Assistant (SMSA) works in the Health Administration Service of the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center at the Lake Jackson VA Outpatient Clinic in Lake Jackson, Texas. The position is the direct-line supervisor for Advanced Medical Support Assistants (AMSA) and Medical Support Assistants (MSA), working collaboratively within an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model. The SMSA has full administrative and professional responsibility for planning and directing MSA activities and must spend at least 25% of the time providing administrative and technical supervision.

The role supports patient services and clinic operations by overseeing staff, maintaining accurate appointment scheduling and records, monitoring consults and wait lists, and ensuring compliance with VA policies and scheduling requirements. It also involves staff development, customer service, coordination of patient flow, and reporting performance information to senior management.

The position is scheduled Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; the schedule may change based on facility needs. Telework and virtual work are not available. The work is performed in an office/clinic setting and may involve multiple simultaneous tasks and stressful situations. Physical activities may include standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, pulling, and pushing.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated exception for non-citizen appointments when qualified citizens cannot be recruited under VA policy.
• High school diploma, GED equivalency certificate, or state- or territorial-level proficiency certificate.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• For GS-8: one year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.
• Ability to perform administrative and supervisory duties in a patient-support setting, including assigning work, conducting performance evaluations, selecting staff, and recommending awards or advancements.
• Ability to collaborate and communicate effectively and demonstrate customer-service and interpersonal skills with internal and external customers to support continuity and quality of care and compliance with policies and regulations.
• Ability to provide briefings, orientations, staff development, and training related to administrative functions in a patient-support setting.
• Ability to delegate authority, evaluate and oversee people and programs, accomplish program goals, and adapt to changing priorities.
• For supervisory assignments, spend at least 25% of work time providing administrative and technical supervision.
• Meet applicable VA employment conditions, including background/security investigation, onboarding and identification requirements, seasonal influenza vaccination, and a one- or two-year trial period.
• Physical ability to perform duties that may require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, pulling, and pushing; may need to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing.

Nice To Haves

• Capability to perform a comprehensive range of administrative and supervisory functions for at least one subordinate MSA supervisor or team leader in a patient-support environment.
• Advanced understanding of managing or leading patient-support staff in a clinical setting.

Responsibilities

• Assign and evaluate subordinate staff work.
• Resolve complex problems to ensure patient services are met.
• Evaluate new products, equipment, and systems and recommend improvements to clinic operations.
• Identify educational and training needs for subordinate staff.
• Make final hiring-selection decisions; evaluate performance and take disciplinary action when necessary.
• Extract and analyze data and provide reports supporting performance measures for senior management.
• Ensure MSA staff maintain appointment schedules and assist with clinic-access contingency plans by adjusting appointment times, locations, or dates and shifting patients to other providers as needed.
• Ensure staff explain the VA's mandate to collect insurance information from Veterans, families, and other eligible patients.
• Promote Veteran registration using MyHealtheVet (MHV).
• Ensure health and administrative information is secured and integrated into the Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS).
• Receive phone calls courteously and promptly, determine the nature of requests, and provide information in accordance with privacy rules and clinic processes.
• Train staff on VHA Scheduling Directives and accurate, complete scheduling responsibilities.
• Review active and pending consults, the Electronic Wait List, recall lists, and Audiocare communications daily for accuracy and disposition.
• Participate in daily team huddles and weekly team meetings and ensure rotating participation by MSA staff.
• Communicate with patients, visitors, volunteers, and Medical Center staff in a courteous, tactful, and respectful manner.
• Plan and direct MSA activities and oversee programs, staff, and progress toward program goals.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases; a higher step rate may be considered based on higher or unique qualifications or VA 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.
• Eligible employees may receive credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work or military service experience.
• 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.
• Eligible full-time employees may qualify for a childcare subsidy after 60 days of employment, subject to family-income and other eligibility limits.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting and a federal 401(k) with up to 5% in VA contributions.
• 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: Manager
• Education Level: High school or GED