Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

Summary

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (AMSA) will serve as part of the Community Care Service Line within the Iowa City VA Medical Center . The AMSA provides specialized and expert administrative patient support while working collaboratively in an interdisciplinary coordinated care delivery model. Work involves specialized administrative judgment and the flexible use of a wide range of clinical flow processes relating to access to care across multiple clinics, specialties, and resources.

Duties

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The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

A develops and / or maintains effective and efficient communication with the patient, interdisciplinary team, VA medical centers, and community providers (e.g., communicate with community medical facilities; release appropriate medical information to community providers, collaborate with the patient and VA Care team; notify patients of approved care; develop and manage a tracking system for follow up care such as consults, tests, etc.).Other assignments at this level include, but are not limited to :

• Participating in team huddles and team meetings to manage and plan patient care
• Setting priorities and deadlines
• Monitoring pre-appointment requirements to assure readiness for patient visit / procedure (e.g., X-ray, lab work)
• Participating and providing input in problem solving on operational issues or procedures in team meetings, performing administrative follow up actions
• Participating in and independently following up individual case load
• Authorizing care in the community, with fiscal responsibility as a driving force
• Obtaining results (in the form of requested records) and alerting provider.

Work Schedule : Monday - Friday, 8 : 00 AM - 4 : 30 PM

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus) : Not authorized

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance) : Not authorized

Pay : Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).

Paid Time Off : 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)

Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior military service experience.

Parental Leave : After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.

Child Care Subsidy : After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66 .

Retirement : Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA

Insurance : Federal health / vision / dental / term life / long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)

Telework : Not available

Virtual : This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : 00000

Permanent Change of Station (PCS) : Not authorized

PLEASE NOTE : Although this is an ongoing announcement that remains open until January 9, 2026, applications will be reviewed starting on October 17, 2025. Subsequent application reviews will occur as new vacancies become available until the announcement closes.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

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 :

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.

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENTS :

Citizenship . Citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3.g.).

Experience and Education .

(1) Experience. 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; OR

(2) Education. One year above high school; OR

(3) Experience / Education Combination. Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable.

Certification . None required.

Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs.

English Language Proficiency. MSAs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3.j.

Grade Determinations

GS-06 Advanced Medical Support Assistant

Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-5 (full-performance MSA) grade level

Examples of qualifying experience : Independently performs a full range of MSA duties related to the delivery of healthcare services in an inpatient or outpatient setting. Advises clinical staff on current administrative processes. Answers phones, greets patients, relays messages to appropriate staff inside or outside of the unit, schedules appointments, including interpreting and verifying provider orders in accordance with VHA national scheduling guidelines.

AND

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below :

i. 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.

ii. Ability to independently set priorities and organize work to meet deadlines, ensuring compliance with established processes, policies, and regulations.

iii. 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.

iv. 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.

v. 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.

vi. Advanced knowledge of medical terminology due to the technical nature of language utilized by clinicians.

Preferred Qualifications : Experienced with Microsoft Office, handling multiple computer applications to perform duties, and possesses strong customer service skills.

All qualifying experience you possess must be clearly described in your application package. We will not make assumptions when reviewing applications.

Reference : For more information on this qualification standard, please visit

Physical Requirements : The work is primarily sedentary, however, there may be some walking, standing, bending and transporting items under 20 pounds. Works extensively in the hospital computer system.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-6 . The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-6.

Reference : For more information on this qualification standard, please visit

Education

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 : 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 :

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave : Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration / Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA / OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.