USA Staffing

Position Title: Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)
Agency: Veterans Health Administration
Announcement Number: CAZM-12706108-25-LGJ Opens in new window
Open Period: Monday, March 3, 2025 to Tuesday, March 11, 2025

For preview purposes only. To apply, please return to the USAJOBS announcement and click the Apply button.

Eligibilities

Preferences

1. Which of the following items describes your current or recent (within the last five years) political appointee service?

If you responded yes to any of the items below, you will need to include a SF-50 specifying your prior service.

A. Yes, I am considered a political appointee as described under 5 U.S.C. sections 5312 through 5316.

B. Yes, I am considered a Non-career Senior Executive Service (SES), Limited Term SES, Limited Emergency SES Executive Branch employee.

C. Yes, I am considered a political Schedule A, Schedule C, or appointee who served in a political capacity under agency-specific authority in the Executive Branch.

D. Yes, I am considered a political appointee in the Executive Branch (as described in a., b. or c above) in a covered position in an agency having an interchange agreement with OPM, which allows movement from the agency's system to the competitive civil service.

E. None of the above. I am not considered a current or recent (last 5 years) political appointee as described above in items a, b, c, or d.

By submitting your application, you are certifying, to the best of your knowledge and belief, all the information submitted by you with your application for employment is true, complete, and made in good faith, and that you have truthfully and accurately represented your work experience, knowledge, skills, abilities and education (degrees, accomplishments, etc.). The information you provide as part of your application may be investigated. You are also certifying, and acknowledging, that misrepresenting your experience or education, or providing false or fraudulent information in, or with your application, may affect your eligibility for appointment and/or continued employment. False or fraudulent statements may be punishable by fine or imprisonment (18 U.S.C. 1001).

2. I authorize my application information being shared with hiring managers for similar positions. I understand this option may not result in further consideration for additional positions nor will it impact my application for this announcement.

A. Yes

B. No

3. Please indicate the highest grade you have held in the Federal government.

4. Please indicate dates of the highest grade you have held in the Federal service (if applicable).

5. In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. Are you proficient in basic written and spoken English?

A. Yes

B. No

6. What is the highest grade you have held on a non-temporary basis in the federal service? If you have never held a federal position, please type "N/A".

7. What was the start and end (if applicable) date of promotion/appointment for the highest grade held above? Your response will assist in verifying the time in grade requirement if applicable to this position. If you have never held a federal position, please type "N/A".

Assessment 1

Thank you for your interest in a position within the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Administration. The following section is used to determine basic requirements for appointment in the federal government and qualification for a Medical Support Assistant (Advanced) position. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-06.

The following KSAs should be reflected within your resume or on a separate document with your application package:

Ability to collaborate and communicate with a wide range of medical clinicians across multiple disciplines (e.g. medical doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, clinical pharmacists, and nursing staff) to accomplish team goal setting to ensure medical care to patients is met.
Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations.
Ability to communicate tactfully and effectively, electronically, by phone, in person, and in writing, with internal and external customers. This may include preparing reports in various formats and presenting data to various organizational levels, as well as resolving patient concerns.
Advanced knowledge of the technical health care process (including, but not limited to, scheduling across interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or care in the community models and patient health care portals) as it relates to access to care.
Advanced knowledge of policies and procedures associated with interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery and/or care in the community operational activities that affect patient flow, and patient support care administrative functions to include, but not limited to appointment cycles, outside patient referrals, follow-up care, overbooking, provider availability, etc.
Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians.

Select the appropriate answer to each of the following questions based on your current level of experience and/or education that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of this position. When answering the questionnaire, remember that your experience and/or education are subject to verification by investigation. You may be asked to provide specific examples or documentation of experience and/or education as proof to support your answers, or you may be required to verify a response by a practical demonstration of your claimed ability to perform a task.

1. Do you possess one of the following to meet the minimum experience, education or experience/education combination requirement for this position?

A. I possess six months experience of clerical, office, customer service, or other administrative work that indicates the ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position.

B. I have successfully completed one year of education above high school. (Include transcripts with your application package.)

C. I have an equivalent combination of experience and education. (Include transcripts with your application package.)

D. No, I do not meet this requirement. However, I am a current VA Medical Support Assistant, hired on or before the effective date of the qualification standards (08/01/2019) to present (without a break in service) and am eligible under the grandfathering provision.

E. None of the above apply to me.

Select “Yes” or “No” to the following question(s).

2. GS-06 GRADE DETERMINATION: In addition to the basic requirements, I have one year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level. GS-5 grade level experience includes: ability to operate computerized programs and systems in order to enter, modify, and retrieve sensitive medical and patient identifying] information (PII) into or from electronic health records, scheduling systems, and/or reports; advanced knowledge of medical terminology specific to understand medical diagnosis and procedures sufficient to communicate clinical staff instructions to patients; ability to schedule medical appointments in a clinical setting; ability to work independently in the accomplishment of a wide variety of duties[performing patient support work; ability to communicate effectively and professionally in person, electronically, and/or by telephone, with internal and external customers and skill in customer service with the ability to identify customer concerns, and refer to the appropriate staff, as necessary, to ensure a satisfactory resolution.

A. Yes

B. No

***Application Package Notification & Important Information***

We appreciate your interest in available positions within the VA Heart of Texas Health Care Network. It is our goal to forward every eligible and qualified candidate for consideration.

Due to the nature of our systems, it is imperative that your application package be accurate and complete. Therefore, prior to finalizing your application package and submitting for consideration:

Ensure all documents are appropriately selected, are legible, and have uploaded successfully (we recommend viewing them a second time to ensure no errors have occurred in the process). Missing documents may cause your application package to be ineligible for consideration.
Ensure that all responses to the assessment questions are accurate and correctly reflect your current situation. Question responses are used in determining if you meet specific eligibility and qualification requirements.

Please Note: Until the closing date of the announcement, you can update or edit your package. However, once your application package is submitted and the announcement period closes, we are unable to add documentation or alter your responses. By submitting your package for consideration, you are attesting that your application package is complete and accurate.

Some helpful tips:
*Resume - Your resume must include the following information for each job listed:

Job title
Grade Level (for federal positions)
Duties (be as detailed as possible and ensure they demonstrate how you meet the specialized experience and/or Knowledge, Skills and Abilities required for the position)
Month & year start/end dates (e.g. June 2019 to April 2020)
Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week)

*Education - If you are basing your qualifications on education (or a combination of education and experience) or if the position requires a college education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your transcripts with your application.

*Veteran's Preference - In order to receive appropriate preference consideration, you must submit proper documentation if you are claiming eligibility for Veteran's preference, which includes a copy of your DD-214 (Member Copy 4 or earlier version that shows character of service). Applicants claiming 10-point preference should also submit an SF-15, Application for 10-point Veteran's Preference along with the required documentation listed on the SF-15 form (such as verification of service-connected disability percentage).

*Current or former VA or Federal Employees - You must submit a copy of a current and/or highest grade held SF-50 - Notification of Personnel Action (not an award SF50)

https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/students/transcripts/

https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/account/documents/resume/build/

https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/faq/application/documents/resume/what-to-include/

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