Medical Support Assistant-Primary & Specialty Medicine

Summary

This position is in the Primary Care (PC) and Specialty Care (SC) Integrated Clinical Community (ICC) at the St. Cloud VA Health Care System and is the first administrative point-of-contact for Veterans, family, and other visitors contacting the St. Cloud VA.

This position will provide administrative support to clinical staff members and Veterans, in addition to overseeing the daily clerical functions of scheduling in all PC ICC and SC ICC areas.

Duties

• Communication – Demonstrates positive people skills in interactions which reflect caring, service orientation, professionalism, understanding, helpfulness and concern toward Veterans, visitors, and other employees of the Medical Center in both verbal and written communication. – Maintains Veteran rights, confidentiality, and individuality. – Resolves issues at the lowest level and in a timely manner. – Set limits/boundaries which are clearly defined within the MSA/Veteran relationship. – Have Advanced knowledge of medical terminology to ensure that Veterans and other callers are directed to the most appropriate place of assistance. – Participate in and independently follow up on team huddles/meetings, sharing information and collaborating with the medical team assuring continuity of care. – Is the main point of contact for all Secure Messages/Message Manager sent to their team; will either fulfill the request or forward to the appropriate staff for follow up and completion.
• Administrative and Operational – Serves as an agent in the department for scheduled and unscheduled visits. – Maintains flexibility in adapting to changes in schedule and workload.
• Assists other team members willingly. – Prepare reports in various formats and present data to various organizational levels. – Screens call and determine if the call requires attention from a Registered Nurse, Licensed Practical Nurse, Provider, or other designated professional. – Maintains and secures medical records as appropriate and in accordance with the Health Insurance Probability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). – Enters appropriate information into the Veterans electronic medical record. – Assures appropriate forms including and documents are presented, sent out, or completed by the Veterans. – Facilitates Release of Information for records and documents being received from outside facilities monitor and track the progress of received required information. – Provides clerical support to the area they are assigned to, this includes support to any staff member. – Sets deadlines and priorities, adjusting the flow to help meet those deadlines and workload. – Obtains and monitors the use of services, supplies, and equipment for their offices area. – Updates Veteran’s demographic information to include the following: address, phone number, insurance, preferred method of communication, guardianship reminder, and other information as new programs are added or changed. – Receives and responds to inquiries via Secure Messaging, Message Manager, VAR, VET ext, letters, or phone calls.
• These can include getting information to Veteran care teams through the entry of a note into the CPRS system and alerting the appropriate clinical staff member, requesting tests or medications, questions on appointments, scheduling, and various other inquiries.
• The MSA can recognize and refer urgent inquiries to clinical staff for immediate action as needed. – Works or may be assigned to the PC ICC Call Center (in support of SC ICC) in times of short staffing or high call volumes. – Ability to multitask daily (i.e., changing priorities at a moment’s notice in high stress situations). – Coordinates and assists with department services, programs, and outreach events. – Participates in encounter closeout. – Basic knowledge of the technical health care process relating to access to care. – Follows PCMM process for assigning and reassigning Veterans to Primary Care Providers. – Processes all health care providers’ order accurately.
• When needed seeking clarification. – Call Center functions include but are not limited to: Answer all PC ICC and SC ICC incoming calls, and assignment of monthly administrative duties.
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
• Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents).
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver’s licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the “Required Documents” section of this announcement.
• As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest.
• In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
• Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

If selected, to meet the basic requirement of high school education or equivalent and prior to a firm job offer being extended, applicants must provide one of the following as verification of the education requirement if not covered under the grandfathering provision: Copy of high school diploma OR high school transcript (unofficial or official) OR GED Certificate OR homeschooling completion OR proficiency certificate issued by a State or Territorial Board or Department of Education OR College transcript Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment.

You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

How You Will Be Evaluated

Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order: 1. Current permanent VA employees of the facility. 2. All other VA employees. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully.

Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social).

Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate’s abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Resume SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action Special Note for Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume Document.
• This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted ‘Resume’ document upload field.
• Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the ‘Other’ document upload field.
• The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position.
• Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50’s (current/former Federal employees), etc.
• Cover Letter Recommended – Knowledge, Skills, and Ability (KSA) documentation – listed under qualifications in the announcement Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation Copy of high school diploma/transcript including homeschooling (unofficial or official) OR GED Certificate OR • Proficiency certificate issued by a State or Territorial Board or Department of Education OR post-high school education. Performance Appraisal
• Resume SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action Transcript Veterans’ preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.