The Health Care System Program Director for Heart Station provides administrative, programmatic, and clinical leadership for Heart Station to ensure achievement of the clinical, research, and education goals. The incumbent reports to the Chief of Cardiology and serves as a key clinical resource for the Chief of Medicine Service, along with the Durham VA Health Care System Chief of Staff and others.

Duties

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:00 AM - 3:30 PM Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized Telework: Ad Hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Duties: HCS Heart Station Program Director/Electrophysiology Medicine Service The Health Care System Program Director for the Heart Station is a professional, independent practitioner with advanced education and appropriate experience who provides evidence-based care for a specific population of patients. The incumbent uses advanced assessment, planning and evaluation, as well as approved standardized procedures, to provide preventive and illness management healthcare incorporating the patient's age, gender, culture and learning abilities in the treatment plan. The Program Director works collaboratively with many disciplines to provide care, including physicians, pharmacists, registered nurses, licensed practical/vocational nurses, dietitians, social workers, clerical and administrative staff, community agencies and others as appropriate. The Program Director executes position responsibilities that demonstrate leadership, experience, and creative approaches to management of complex patient care. The Health Care System Program Director for the Heart Station is a proficient provider who understands a situation as a whole and perceives its meaning in terms of long-term goals. The proficient provider learns from experience what typical events to expect in each situation and how plans need to be modified in response to these events. The Health Care System Program Director for the Heart Station demonstrates performance and leadership in delivering and improving holistic care through collaborative strategies with others. The Provider is responsible for delivery of comprehensive electrophysiology care to a panel of Veterans. Functions may include patient care, responding to secure messages/alerts, device clinic, and care coordination for EP procedures. CLINICAL: Primary focus of practice is the clinical management of health care for patients in the Cardiology Consult Clinic, a general Cardiology clinic. Initiates referrals to Interventional Cardiology, Electrophysiology, and Heart Failure clinic when warranted. Collaborates with other health care resources to ensure continuity of care. Evaluates patients with dysrhythmias that potentially warrant cardioversions and then arranges/performs outpatient direct current cardioversions when clinically indicated. Evaluates patients for cardiology preoperative assessments, expedites the evaluation when indicated, and makes cardiology preoperative recommendations. Carries the functional Cardiology pager during normal business hours to help the inpatient Cardiology team triage inpatient consults, to expedite urgent outpatient cardiology consults, and to serve as a resource person to members of the medical staff and at outside medical centers (VA and non-VA) regarding the patient care and logistics of VA patients with cardiovascular disease. Provides coverage in the cardiac stress lab on a consistent basis for exercise tolerance tests, exercise tolerance tests with myocardial perfusion, and pharmacologic stress tests with myocardial perfusion. Assists a team of Cardiology Fellows in informing patients of tests done in the Cardiology clinic in a timely manner and in arranging appropriate cardiovascular testing and follow up. ADMINISTRATIVE: Assists the Chief of Cardiology in the care and management of patients with cardiovascular disease receiving care at the VAMC. Directs Cardiology program support and Cardiology clinic nursing staff regarding patient flow in the Cardiology Consult clinic and oversees patient care delivery in the Cardiology Consult clinic. Screens and triages Atrial Fibrillation/Atrial Flutter Cardioversion and Cardiology Preoperative Evaluation consults. Serves on the interview board when Cardiology Section is attempting to hire new staff for open positions. Initiates, coordinates and participates in interdisciplinary meetings as needed to address issues of quality of care, documentation and delivery of services; attends meetings on-site or off-site when appropriate and relevant to the facilitation and delivery of Cardiology services. EDUCATION/RESEARCH : Serves as the Cardiology Section's Physician Assistant education point of contact for institutions that have Physician Assistant students participate in a Cardiology rotation at the VAMC. Precepts Physician Assistant students on their elective Cardiology rotation. Orients General Medicine Residents and Medical Students on their Cardiology Consult rotation. Assures self-development responsibilities and maintains current knowledge of trends in cardiovascular medicine. Participates in Cardiology Section's clinical.

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. 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. The full performance level of this vacancy is PA3. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of PA1 to PA3. Physical Requirements: This position requires visual acuity, keen hearing, clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. This position requires mostly periods of continued walking, standing, stooping, sitting, bending, pulling, and pushing. Transferring patients and objects may be required. The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations. The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients/residents who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on stakeholder needs.

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 Durham VA Medical Center 508 Fulton Street Durham, NC 27705 US
• Name: KARI LEPINE
• Phone: 906-396-9895
• Email: [email protected]