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This position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Veterans Integrated Service Network 10 (VISN 10), at the VA Northern Indiana Health Care System (VANIHCS) within the Care in the Community (CITC) Service. This position reports directly to the Supervisory Program Manager, CITC.
This job is open to
Clarification from the agency
This vacancy announcement is opened to the public.
Videos
Duties
The incumbent will serve as a working supervisor and will be assigned to work alongside other supervisors, leads, and Medical Support Assistants. The primary purpose of the position is to serve as the primary trainer for Lead MSAs and MSAs under his/her leadership. He/she will be responsible for closely monitoring the work of new and experienced MSA staff and confer with the Administrative Officer, Deputy Chief and Chief of CITC Service in developing action plans to improve performance, processes and procedures, to promote efficient and effective clinic operations in compliance with established CITC and health care system's standard operating procedures. He/she may be assigned to Fort Wayne or Marion, Indiana. The SMSA position serves as the direct line supervisor for all Medical Support Assistant (MSAs) in CITC Service.
The VA Northern Indiana Health Care System is a is a complex, integrated health care system containing 243 hospital beds and 180 Nursing Home Care Unit beds, approximately 1,600 employees, a catchment area covering over 15,000 square miles, servicing over 40 counties in Indiana, Ohio and Michigan and serving over 45,000 Veterans.
VANIHCS is a dual campus setting with primary facilities approximately 60 miles apart. The Fort Wayne, Indiana Campus offers primary and secondary medical and surgical services, and the Marion, Indiana Campus offers a full range of psychiatry services, nursing home care, and extended care services. Primary Care services are available at both the main campuses as well as at the following Community-Based Outpatient Clinics: Jackie Walorski VA Health Care Clinic (Mishawaka, IN), Hoosier CBOC (Peru, IN), Muncie CBOC (Muncie, IN), Huntington CBOC (Huntington, IN), and Defiance CBOC (Defiance, OH). VANIHCS services provided include, but are not limited to: audiology, cardiology, dental, dermatology, diabetes clinic, home-based primary care, home oxygen clinic, ICU (Fort Wayne Medical Center), gastroenterology, MRI, neurology, occupational therapy, oncology, pain management, pharmacy, physical therapy, podiatry, post-traumatic stress disorder care, primary care, prosthetic and sensory aids services, psychology, pulmonology, palliative care, recreation therapy, homeless Veteran services, and speech therapy.
VANIHCS is affiliated with 56 institutions including Indiana University, Purdue University, Ball State University, Butler University, Indiana Wesleyan University and the Indiana University and Indiana University/Fort Wayne Medical Education Programs.
Due to geographic proximity, VANIHCS also provides administrative support for the Vet Centers in South Bend, IN and Fort Wayne, IN and the National Cemetery in Marion, IN.
Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: evaluating the work of subordinate staff; resolving complex problems to ensure patient services are met; evaluating new products, equipment, and systems to make recommendations for improved operations; identifying educational or training needs; making final decisions on hiring selections; evaluating performance, and taking disciplinary action when necessary. The employee has administrative and professional responsibility for planning and directing the subordinate lead, supervisor, and MSA's activities. Responsible for extracting and analyzing data to provide reports to senior management in support of tracking measures.
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 0730 - 1600. Subject to change based on the needs of the Agency.
Compressed/Flexible:Not Available
Telework: Yes. May be authorized by Supervisor as determined by Agency Policy.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Incumbent must live within commuting distance to the Facility (50 mile radius).
Functional Statement #: 91759-0
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
Qualifications
The following are requirements for appointment as a Medical Support Assistant (MSA) in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). These requirements apply to all VHA MSAs in the General Schedule (GS)-0679 series.
Basic Requirements:
Creditable Experience
(1) Knowledge of MSA Practices.
To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) associated with current MSA responsibilities or an equivalent administrative patient support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting]. Experience satisfying this requirement may be paid/non-paid employment as an MSA or [an equivalent position in a non-VA hospital or clinic setting.
(2) Quality of Experience.
Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to MSA experience [or equivalent administrative clinical support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting at the next lower grade level. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty), and a range of varieties as described in this standard, at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time.
(3) Part-Time Experience.
Part-time experience as an MSA or equivalent administrative patient support in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting] is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time workweek. For example, an MSA employed 20 hours a week, or on a 1/2-time basis, would receive one full-time workweek of credit for each two weeks of service.
May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). All MSAs employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series, and grade held, which are a part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:
Grade Determinations. In addition to the basic requirements for employment listed above, the following education and experience criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates:
Supervisory Medical Support Assistant, GS-08
To qualify, you must posses one full year of experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade level leading or supervising MSAs or equivalent administrative patient support staff in a non-VA medical inpatient, outpatient, or interdisciplinary setting. This experience may include, but is not limited to: assigning and evaluating the work of subordinate MSA staff; resolving complex problems to ensure patient services are met; evaluating new products, equipment, and systems to make recommendations for improved clinic operations; identifying educational or training needs; making final decisions on hiring selections; evaluating performance, and taking disciplinary action when necessary. The employee has full administrative and professional responsibility for planning and directing the MSA's activities. Note: This experience must be clearly demonstrated in your resume.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:
References: VA Handbook 5005-117 Part II Appendix G45
Physical Requirements: The majority of work is performed in an office setting, primarily while seated. The position requires some standing, ambulation, bending, and carrying of items such as training manuals. The Supervisory MSA is required to sit for long periods of time at a computer terminal typing data while having face to face contact with Veterans and answering the telephone. In addition, there can be increased stress due to the Intensity-of a patient/customer complaint or concern. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.
Education
IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.
Transcripts must be official or unofficial college transcripts. A copy of your certificate/degree or screenshot of your current classes are not a replacement of your transcript and they will not be used in the qualifying process. Your transcript must include your name and the name and full address of the institution.
If the position has an education requirement or you are qualifying based on education, you need to list your education history including the type of degree and your major of study. If the position requires a certain number of credit hours, you are strongly encouraged to list the relevant courses in your resume.
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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.
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. VA may offer newly appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. 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.
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-rel...
This position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Veterans Integrated Service Network 10 (VISN 10), at the VA Northern Indiana Health Care System (VANIHCS) within the Care in the Community (CITC) Service. This position reports directly to the Supervisory Program Manager, CITC.
This job is open to
- Internal to an agency
Current federal employees of this agency. - The public
U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
Clarification from the agency
This vacancy announcement is opened to the public.
Videos
Duties
The incumbent will serve as a working supervisor and will be assigned to work alongside other supervisors, leads, and Medical Support Assistants. The primary purpose of the position is to serve as the primary trainer for Lead MSAs and MSAs under his/her leadership. He/she will be responsible for closely monitoring the work of new and experienced MSA staff and confer with the Administrative Officer, Deputy Chief and Chief of CITC Service in developing action plans to improve performance, processes and procedures, to promote efficient and effective clinic operations in compliance with established CITC and health care system's standard operating procedures. He/she may be assigned to Fort Wayne or Marion, Indiana. The SMSA position serves as the direct line supervisor for all Medical Support Assistant (MSAs) in CITC Service.
The VA Northern Indiana Health Care System is a is a complex, integrated health care system containing 243 hospital beds and 180 Nursing Home Care Unit beds, approximately 1,600 employees, a catchment area covering over 15,000 square miles, servicing over 40 counties in Indiana, Ohio and Michigan and serving over 45,000 Veterans.
VANIHCS is a dual campus setting with primary facilities approximately 60 miles apart. The Fort Wayne, Indiana Campus offers primary and secondary medical and surgical services, and the Marion, Indiana Campus offers a full range of psychiatry services, nursing home care, and extended care services. Primary Care services are available at both the main campuses as well as at the following Community-Based Outpatient Clinics: Jackie Walorski VA Health Care Clinic (Mishawaka, IN), Hoosier CBOC (Peru, IN), Muncie CBOC (Muncie, IN), Huntington CBOC (Huntington, IN), and Defiance CBOC (Defiance, OH). VANIHCS services provided include, but are not limited to: audiology, cardiology, dental, dermatology, diabetes clinic, home-based primary care, home oxygen clinic, ICU (Fort Wayne Medical Center), gastroenterology, MRI, neurology, occupational therapy, oncology, pain management, pharmacy, physical therapy, podiatry, post-traumatic stress disorder care, primary care, prosthetic and sensory aids services, psychology, pulmonology, palliative care, recreation therapy, homeless Veteran services, and speech therapy.
VANIHCS is affiliated with 56 institutions including Indiana University, Purdue University, Ball State University, Butler University, Indiana Wesleyan University and the Indiana University and Indiana University/Fort Wayne Medical Education Programs.
Due to geographic proximity, VANIHCS also provides administrative support for the Vet Centers in South Bend, IN and Fort Wayne, IN and the National Cemetery in Marion, IN.
Assignments at this level include, but are not limited to: evaluating the work of subordinate staff; resolving complex problems to ensure patient services are met; evaluating new products, equipment, and systems to make recommendations for improved operations; identifying educational or training needs; making final decisions on hiring selections; evaluating performance, and taking disciplinary action when necessary. The employee has administrative and professional responsibility for planning and directing the subordinate lead, supervisor, and MSA's activities. Responsible for extracting and analyzing data to provide reports to senior management in support of tracking measures.
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 0730 - 1600. Subject to change based on the needs of the Agency.
Compressed/Flexible:Not Available
Telework: Yes. May be authorized by Supervisor as determined by Agency Policy.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Incumbent must live within commuting distance to the Facility (50 mile radius).
Functional Statement #: 91759-0
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- 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.
- You may be required to serve a probationary period.
- Subject to background/security investigation.
- Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
- 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).
- Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.
Qualifications
The following are requirements for appointment as a Medical Support Assistant (MSA) in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). These requirements apply to all VHA MSAs in the General Schedule (GS)-0679 series.
Basic Requirements:
- United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
- 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.
- Certification. None required.
- Experience and/or 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.
Creditable Experience
(1) Knowledge of MSA Practices.
To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) associated with current MSA responsibilities or an equivalent administrative patient support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting]. Experience satisfying this requirement may be paid/non-paid employment as an MSA or [an equivalent position in a non-VA hospital or clinic setting.
(2) Quality of Experience.
Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to MSA experience [or equivalent administrative clinical support role in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting at the next lower grade level. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty), and a range of varieties as described in this standard, at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time.
(3) Part-Time Experience.
Part-time experience as an MSA or equivalent administrative patient support in a non-VA medical inpatient or outpatient setting] is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time workweek. For example, an MSA employed 20 hours a week, or on a 1/2-time basis, would receive one full-time workweek of credit for each two weeks of service.
May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). All MSAs employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series, and grade held, which are a part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:
- Such employees may be reassigned, promoted, or changed to a lower grade within the occupation.
- Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
- If an employee who was converted to Title 38 hybrid status under this provision leaves the occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.
Grade Determinations. In addition to the basic requirements for employment listed above, the following education and experience criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates:
Supervisory Medical Support Assistant, GS-08
To qualify, you must posses one full year of experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade level leading or supervising MSAs or equivalent administrative patient support staff in a non-VA medical inpatient, outpatient, or interdisciplinary setting. This experience may include, but is not limited to: assigning and evaluating the work of subordinate MSA staff; resolving complex problems to ensure patient services are met; evaluating new products, equipment, and systems to make recommendations for improved clinic operations; identifying educational or training needs; making final decisions on hiring selections; evaluating performance, and taking disciplinary action when necessary. The employee has full administrative and professional responsibility for planning and directing the MSA's activities. Note: This experience must be clearly demonstrated in your resume.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:
- Ability to provide the full range of administrative and supervisory duties to at least one subordinate MSA supervisor or team leader in a patient support setting which includes assignment of work, performance evaluations, selection of staff, and recommendation of awards and/or advancements.
- Ability to collaborate, communicate, and demonstrate customer service and interpersonal skills with internal and external customers to ensure quality/continuity of care and ensure compliance with established policies and regulations.
- Ability to provide briefings, orientations, staff development, and training in a patient support setting.
- Ability to manage fiscal matters, forecast resource and equipment needs, and identify budget needs.
- Advanced knowledge of managing or leading patient support staff in a clinic. This includes independently utilizing reference sources, decision making, and empowering the team to collaborate and resolve problems within a complex systems environment.
References: VA Handbook 5005-117 Part II Appendix G45
Physical Requirements: The majority of work is performed in an office setting, primarily while seated. The position requires some standing, ambulation, bending, and carrying of items such as training manuals. The Supervisory MSA is required to sit for long periods of time at a computer terminal typing data while having face to face contact with Veterans and answering the telephone. In addition, there can be increased stress due to the Intensity-of a patient/customer complaint or concern. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.
Education
IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.
Transcripts must be official or unofficial college transcripts. A copy of your certificate/degree or screenshot of your current classes are not a replacement of your transcript and they will not be used in the qualifying process. Your transcript must include your name and the name and full address of the institution.
If the position has an education requirement or you are qualifying based on education, you need to list your education history including the type of degree and your major of study. If the position requires a certain number of credit hours, you are strongly encouraged to list the relevant courses in your resume.
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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.
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. VA may offer newly appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. 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.
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-rel...
