Medical Support Assistant (Advanced)

Summary

The Advanced Medical Support Assistant (A/MSA) in Patient Business Service, Ward Administration at Dayton VA Medical Center performs technical and clerical duties to support direct patient care. As a key member of the patient care team, the A/MSA manages patient flow and provides critical administrative guidance. The role involves interfacing with PC and Vista applications, as well as the Federal Electronic Health Record (EHR), on inpatient units and in the ER.

Duties

VA Careers - Medical Support Assistant: https://youtube.com/embed/EE9c4XkaELo Major duties include: Provide specialized, expert administrative patient support within an interdisciplinary care model. Use specialized administrative judgment and flexible clinical flow processes to adapt to changing patient needs. Collaborate, communicate, set priorities, and organize work to meet deadlines while ensuring compliance with processes and regulations. Serve as the administrative point of contact and support person for inpatient units and ER, working self-directed with minimal supervision. Utilize advanced patient systems to support care across multiple clinical disciplines. Coordinate with the patient care team to manage access to care, assign correct providers, notify admissions, enter patient movements, schedule outpatient/discharge appointments, and support nursing with admissions and transfer processes. Engage with patients, care teams, VA centers, and outside agencies for admissions, discharge, follow-up care, and seamless information transfer. Set priorities and deadlines, adjust work flow and task sequencing to best meet team and patient needs. Enter and monitor information in electronic health records, ensuring pre-appointment requirements are met and patient visit readiness. Initiate/perform a variety of administrative functions supporting care in medical, surgical, psychiatric, long-term care, and sub-specialty units. Use word processing and office automation software to store/retrieve files, format documents, transmit/receive emails, and print documents. Schedule ED visits, print patient armbands/labels, and ensure proper patient check-in using VISTA, ICB, and other VA applications. Validate patient demographic and insurance information using pre-registration tools; update as needed for each encounter. Manage ward units independently by referencing sources, making decisions, and empowering teams to collaboratively resolve system problems. Assist clinical staff with administrative orientation and maintain close working relationships regarding policy/procedure matters. Demonstrate professionalism, courtesy, and compassion as frontline contact, skillfully handling sensitive patient and family interactions. Answer phone calls promptly, determine needs, and provide information while upholding privacy and established processes. Schedule/coordinate consults, labs, x-rays, and specialty appointments per provider orders, always involving the patient in scheduling. Process and release sensitive information per privacy guidelines (HIPAA, FOIA, Privacy Act); route legal/complex requests properly. Protect all sensitive data from unauthorized access, loss, or alteration; follow all computerized file and access protocols. Meet and communicate effectively with diverse individuals and clinical team members to accomplish assignments. Operate office automation equipment/software, organizing record systems and setting up clinical appointments. Maintain confidentiality of all patient data. Complete all mandatory training/education requirements and comply with supervisor-assigned education. Work independently, managing position responsibilities, priorities, and deadlines with proficiency and little supervision. Plan and execute day-to-day office operations proactively, resolving problems and ensuring efficient, timely, accurate completion of all duties. Work Schedule: Sunday through Saturday, 3:30 P.M. to Midnight. Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (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 [work experience] or 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 Avialable Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 93047A 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 identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. 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.

Qualifications and evaluation

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.

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: 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 to apply

All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/08/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13051587. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.

Required documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes: High School Diploma, a General Education Development (GED) equivalency certificate, a proficiency certificate from the State or territorial-level Board or Department of education Resume 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 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 DD-214/ Statement of Service Disability Letter (Schedule A) Disability Letter (VA) RESUME: The 2-page requirement does not apply to this occupational series. You may upload your full resume here. High School Diploma, a General Education Development (GED) equivalency certificate, a proficiency certificate from the State or territorial-level Board or Department of education Professional Certification Resume Separation Notice (RIF) SF-15 SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action Transcript

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit for 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. VA Healthcare System advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This approach to healthcare empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the VHA Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.