The Philadelphia VA Medical Center is currently recruiting for one full-time Physician Assistant to work in the Orthopedic Section of the Surgical Service.

Duties

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. The Physician Assistant, is assigned to the Orthopedic Section of the Surgical Service. Approximately 50% of the incumbent's time will be spent coordinating orthopedic referrals with other VA departments including Primary Care. The remaining 50% of the incumbent's time is in direct support of the VA Orthopedic staff surgeons in all aspects of coordinating and delivering orthopedic care. The Physician Assistant will play a critical role in the VISN 4 Eastern Market surgical integration. This position may be required to travel to other facilities within Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware to support and care for our Veterans. The duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to: Clinical Practice: Performing initial histories and physical examinations. Providing and coordinating comprehensive care for assigned patients in any care setting. Screening outpatients to determine the need for further health care. Ordering diagnostic studies such as laboratory tests, X-rays, electrocardiograms (EKGs) specified in the PA's scope of practice. Carrying out health promotion and disease prevention activities including education and shared decision-making. Drawing blood specimens or obtaining other specimens for laboratory testing as needed. Initiating and expediting requests for consultations and scheduling special tests and studies. Writing orders and prescriptions, as necessary, for the care of the patient in accordance with Federal and State law. Making daily rounds to observe and record patient's medical progress, updating and summarizing medical records, changing orders when appropriate (as permitted in the SOP), and notifying the responsible physician of significant changes in the patient's condition. Documenting progress notes and summaries in the patient's medical record. The PA may be delegated the task of documenting the discharge summary. (With attending co-signature) Obtaining consent and documenting procedures performed for which the PA is responsible. Providing education and counseling of patients and families in preventive care, medical conditions, and the use of prescribed treatments and drugs. Screening consults, working with the HAS schedulers to ensure that patients are seen on a timely basis. Completing pre-op clearances an otherwise facilitating smooth pt. flow to the operating room. Specialized Duties: Serves as a point of contact for orthopedic referrals and consults which may originate in any service of the medical center, but in particular primary care. Collaborates with the staff of other departments and the care team to coordinate care plans. Collaborates with the Primary care to coordinate fee care referrals with non-VA providers of orthopedic care. Typically these will be for office visits, or for surgical care. Provides technical (nonmedical) support to the Chief of the Emergency on referring patients to external providers of orthopedic care. Coordinates the flow of medical records between the VA and FEE care provider. Prepares special reports on fee referrals, and orthopedic workload for the executive leadership of the medical center. Supports pre-op, intra-op and post-op work-up and care of patients at the request of the Chief, Orthopedic surgery. Emergency Duties: Emergency duties are those carried out for patients in life-threatening situations where a physician is not immediately available. The PA initiates these activities and makes every effort to summon a physician as soon as possible. Examples of emergency duties include: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation. Treatment of acute respiratory failure. Treatment of life threatening traumatic injuries. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm. On-call, weekends, and holidays may be required depending on the needs of the Veterans serviced. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Physician Assistant Basic Requirements Master's degree in any discipline or a bachelor's degree in any discipline with one year of experience as a Physician Assistant ~AND~ Successfully passed the PA National Certifying Exam (PANCE) (or are you in the process to taking the exam) ~AND~ Currently hold, or will hold, a full and unrestricted license to practice in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States or in the District of Columbia. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements stated above, the following qualification criteria must be met in determining the appropriate grade assignment of candidates: Physician Assistant-I (PA-I): (a) Experience and Education. None beyond the basic requirements. This is the entry level for PAs. (b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. The following list of knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) present the minimum skill set expected of an Entry Level PA. This practice may include, but is not limited to: i. Ability to utilize the principles of PA practice in the care of assigned patients to provide appropriate care. ii. Ability to perform patient history and physical. iii. Ability to formulate a plan and provide treatment to the patient. iv. Ability to provide patient care that is abreast of changing concepts and advancements in the profession. Physician Assistant-II (PA-II): (a) Experience and Education. The PA at this grade is at the intermediate grade level and has had progressively increasing responsibility and experiences as indicated in the KSAs listed below. Individuals will have demonstrated the ability to analyze and solve more complex medical problems than at the entry level grade and can utilize their training in the successful practice of patient care and participate in team problem solving. Individuals demonstrate the KSAs of PA-II intermediate level by i. Two years of successful practice as a PA. OR ii. Successful completion of a PA post-graduate residency program sponsored by VHA Office of Academic Affiliations or other postgraduate residency programs accredited by VA, ARC-PA, U.S. Armed Forces, or another accrediting agency. OR iii. A doctoral degree in a health-related field from an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. (b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). PAs at this level are not required to meet each individual KSA listed below to qualify, but should be able to demonstrate, develop, or acquire those not met upon appointment for PA-II: i. Skills to analyze and solve complex medical problems. ii. Ability to function autonomously and make independent medical decisions. iii. Skill to incorporate training and experience into the successful practice of patient care including telehealth medical care. iv. Ability to work effectively in an interdisciplinary environment for improvement of services for patient care. v. Ability to practice with colleagues and peers collaboratively. Physician Assistant-III (PA-III): (a) Experience and Education. PAs at the PA-III grade are at the full performance level and lead and organize patient care independently, practice within multidisciplinary teams, and coordinate all aspects of patient care across the health care system. They utilize advanced clinical knowledge and judgment in decision-making and evaluating outcomes. They function as experts in clinical practice and/or in areas related to the assigned roles and responsibilities, may serve as mentors for transitioning PAs, and may provide training for health care students. Individuals can demonstrate the KSAs for the full performance level by: i. Three years of successful practice as a PA. OR ii. Successful completion of a PA post-graduate residency program sponsored by VHA Office of Academic Affiliations or other postgraduate residency programs accredited by VA, ARC-PA, U.S. Armed Forces, or another accrediting agency and one year of professional practice as a PA. OR iii. A doctoral degree in a health-related field from an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and one year of professional practice as a PA. (b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. PAs at this level are not required to meet each individual KSA listed below to qualify, but should be able to demonstrate, develop, or acquire those not met upon appointment for PA-III: i. Ability to clinically evaluate facility patient care delivery systems and validate or identify barriers to safe and effective patient care. ii. Skill to consistently demonstrate an elevated level of expertise and autonomy in diagnosing and treating seriously ill, multi-symptomatic patients through facility Focused Professional Practice Evaluation (FPPE) and Ongoing Professional Practice Evaluation (OPPE). iii. Ability to present clinical findings and recommendations to appropriate management officials. iv. Ability to clinically facilitate the delivery of patient care in collaboration with health professionals, health managers, and other health care personnel. v. Ability to implement and initiate clinical changes to established treatment protocols based upon new medical literature research findings to enhance patient delivery care for improved patient outcomes. vi. Ability to participate clinically in the development of the PA patient care audit processes involving in-depth review and analysis of medical records. References: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G-8 Physician Assistant Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. Physical Requirements: See VA Directives and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service.

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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Corporal Michael J Crescenz Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 3900 Woodland Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19104 US
• Name: Tina Otteni
• Phone: (814) 860-2764
• Email: [email protected]