When our Veterans walk through the door at VA, the first face they see probably belongs to a medical support assistant.
Aiding our mission to provide efficient and effective health care to those who have served, medical support assistants offer administrative support to our clinical colleagues, supplying exceptional customer service and connecting Veterans with the care they seek.
“I attend Veterans. I help them with their appointments. I help them with their needs,” explained David Velazquez, a Veteran who works as a medical support assistant in the Mayagüez VA Outpatient Clinic in Puerto Rico. “We’re the first people that see the Veteran and guide them where they have to go.”
A vital role
Medical support assistants are responsible for screening and greeting Veterans, as well as interviewing them in preparation for their appointments. They also answer phones, relay messages to the clinical staff, and schedule both initial and follow-up appointments (or reschedule, as the need arises).
They also provide vital administrative assistance throughout their facilities. That could take the form of processing records, entering physician orders, submitting consultation requests, and generally facilitating communication between Veterans and VA’s many departments.
In short, when our Veterans come to a VA facility to see a doctor, nurse, physician assistant, or other provider, the medical support assistant helps them navigate the system and be in the right place at the right time.
Opportunities to advance
Medical support assistants are essential to the success of VA’s mission, but the role can also offer you a pathway into a more specific health care career. Given that your duties will have you interact with many different departments and specialties, you may find an area of expertise that piques your interest, and one that VA can help you achieve.
To start with, we offer ongoing internal training opportunities to employees at all employment levels, from mandatory developmental programs to competitive opportunities. Through our Leadership Development Framework (LDF), targeted learning and development resources support you in your career.
In addition, VA also offers scholarship programs that can help you further your education and better position yourself for a new role.
- The Employee Incentive Scholarship Program (EISP) provides eligible VA employees with a tax-free scholarship of up to $46,307 toward the cost of higher education, including tuition, required fees, and books. While you may apply if you are in a clinical occupation, it’s also designed to help people looking to move into a clinical role.
- VA employees who are enrolled in school full time may receive replacement salary funding and up to $46,307 toward the cost of higher education through the VA National Education for Employees Program (VANEEP). This program provides tax-free scholarships and replacement salary funding to help you expedite completion of your approved academic program.
Unbeatable benefits
Medical support assistants also have access to great benefits that will change not only your career, but your personal life as well.
We offer the choice of a variety of health plans, and all cover preexisting conditions. Additionally, we pay up to 75% of health premiums, a benefit that can continue into retirement, making our insurance some of the best you’ll find.
At VA, our employees receive 13 to 26 paid vacation/personal days, 13 sick days annually with no limit on accumulation, and 11 paid federal holidays each year, so your schedule can be balanced with your personal priorities.
You’ll also be eligible for the Federal Employees’ Retirement System (FERS), a 3-tier retirement plan composed of Social Security, FERS basic pension benefits, and the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), all of which combine to work like a more comprehensive 401(k).
Work at VA
If you’re ready to discover a rewarding career providing assistance to Veterans, now is the time to join our team.
- EXPLORE what it means to serve Veterans.
- READ about our education support programs.
- DISCOVER all the benefits of a VA career.
- SEARCH for a medical support assistant job near you.
