Medical Support Assistant (Office Automation)

What you would do

• Greet patients and direct them to the right staff
• Maintain and monitor patient appointment schedules
• Answer phone calls with general hospital information
• Help patients complete forms before they see a provider
• Check in and check out patients, families, and guests
• Resolve local complaints or refer them to the right authority

Do you qualify for GS-5?

With experience: One year of specialized experience, which is work typical of a GS-4 job: greeting patients in person or by phone, gathering patient information to check eligibility for care, and keeping patient treatment files. Volunteer and unpaid experience also counts.

With education: Four years of education above high school from an accredited business, secretarial, or technical school, junior college, college, or university. You can also combine education and experience, but the total must reach at least 100 percent. Foreign education must be evaluated by a recognized private organization or given full credit by a U.S. accredited school.

Licenses and certifications you need:

• Basic Life Support (BLS) certification from the American Heart Association or American Red Cross

How to apply well

What to send:

• Resume of two pages or less that supports the specialized experience
• For each job on your resume: employer name, job title, start and end months and years, hours per week, and task description
• Transcripts from accredited schools if you qualify through education
• Online questionnaire responses
• Documents proving veterans' preference or other eligibility, if you claim it
• Most recent performance appraisal, if applicable
• Cover letter, optional

How you will be rated: Your full application package, including your resume, supporting documents, and questionnaire answers, is reviewed to check if you meet the qualifications. If you inflate your qualifications or make errors or leave out required information, you may lose consideration or be rated ineligible.

Tips for this job:

• Your resume must be two pages or less, or it will be removed, and it must list hours worked per week for each job.
• If you qualify through education, attach official transcripts from accredited schools or your application will be rated ineligible.
• Plan to prove the 40 words per minute typing test and get a BLS certification, since advanced certifications like ALS do not replace it.

Good to know before you apply

Schedule: Full-time. Uncommon tours may include on-call, fixed or rotating shifts, evenings, weekends, and holidays.

Incentives and relocation: Relocation expenses may be reimbursed under agency policy. Payment of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) costs is not authorized.

Conditions of employment:

• Background investigation to determine suitability for federal employment
• Possible suitability or fitness determination
• Inclement Weather Essential and Mission Essential designation, so you must report during severe weather
• Mandatory seasonal flu vaccination each year unless exempt for medical or religious reasons
• Required immunizations or vaccinations unless exempted by a licensed physician
• About 5 percent business travel, possibly on military aircraft, ships, and vehicles
• Qualified typist: 40 words per minute on a 5-minute sample with 3 or fewer errors
• Uncommon tours such as on-call, rotating shifts, evenings, weekends, and holidays
• One-year probationary period may be required
• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959 must complete a Selective Service statement
• Must provide proof of U.S. citizenship
• Direct deposit of pay is required
• Selection may be limited by Department of Defense referral rules for displaced employees

Job details

Salary

$40,736 – $52,957 per year

Pay scale and grade

GS-5 · General Schedule

Location

Fort Gordon, Georgia

Appointment

Permanent

Work schedule

Full-time

Service

Competitive

Openings

Many

Security clearance

Not Required

Travel

Occasional travel

Drug test

Not required

Supervisory

No

Occupation

Medical Support Assistance (0679)

Announcement

HSJA-26-13031519-DHA-S