The Anesthesia Chronic Pain Clinic is a comprehensive pain management service providing care for veterans suffering from chronic pain of all kinds. This work involves the assessment, care, and education of these patients and coordination with other team members including physician's, clinical pharmacists, psychologists, nurses, program support assistants, and staff at the VA Health Care System pain clinic.

Duties

This Physician Assistant (PA) will function to care for patients in the chronic pain clinic at the Durham VA Health Care System. The duties and responsibilities will be at the direction of the Pain Clinic Director as appointed by the Chief, Anesthesiology Service and under the supervision of the same. This Physician Assistant will be fully qualified and certified to function in a clinical, educational, and administrative role in accordance with the guidelines and policies of the Durham VA Health Care System. The Physician Assistant is delegated the authority and responsibility to assume clinical, consultation, educational, research and administrative duties and responsibilities related to the patients and staff of the chronic pain clinic. The Physician Assistant will be responsible, under the guidance of the Director, for new and return chronic pain patient care including procedures after demonstrating competency, medication management including opioid therapy, maintaining, and ensuring compliance with opioid safety regulations, and providing consultative services to consulting providers. This Physician Assistant should have previous experience in a chronic pain, neurosurgical or orthopedic clinic. Duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to: Performing chronic pain-focused histories and physical examinations on inpatients and outpatients. Providing and coordinating medical care for assigned patients in any care setting, including establishing diagnoses, formulating, and implementing care plans, and providing follow-up care. Performing periodic physical examinations on patients. Ordering diagnostic studies such as laboratory tests, x-rays, electrocardiograms. Drawing blood specimens for testing and performing other comparable laboratory procedures, as needed. Initiating and expediting requests for consultations and scheduling special tests and studies. Prescribing and administering routine therapeutic measures, tests, procedures, medical devices, and medications. Supporting an inpatient pain consultation service. Planning for situations beyond the nurse practitioner's expertise, and consulting with and referring to other health care providers as appropriate. Evaluating health outcomes. Obtain consent for nerve block procedures, epidural injections, facet injection procedures, joint/bursa injections. Providing care in non-traditional health care settings, such as a tele-health, secure messaging, and e-consults. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. Work Schedule: 7:30a.m.- 4:00p.m. (No weekends) Telework: May be available at the discretion of the Service Chief or equivalent Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized 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 United States Citizenship:Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. Graduate of a training program which is accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education of PA (ARC-PA) or one of its predecessor organizations. Additionally, candidates must meet one of the following: (1) Master's degree in any discipline; OR (2) Bachelor's degree in any discipline with one year of experience as a PA. Must have successfully passed the PA National Certifying Exam (PANCE). PAs must possess an active, current, full, and unrestricted license to practice in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia. PAs must maintain current registration in the State of licensure if this is a requirement for continuing active and current licensure in that State. Exceptions for Graduate PAs. (a) PAs who otherwise meet the basic requirements, but do not possess the required licensure, may be appointed, pending licensure, as a graduate PA on a temporary full-time appointment not-to-exceed two years under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2)(B). (b) Graduate PAs may only be appointed at the entry grade level and may not be promoted/converted until certification is obtained. (c) Temporary graduate PA appointments may not be extended beyond two years or converted to a new temporary appointment. Preferred Experience: Minimum 2 years of successful practice. Demonstrated evidence of leadership potential with an emphasis on skills in interpersonal relationships program development, critical thinking, and problem solving. Documented evidence of successful professional practice with progressively complex positions/assignments/surgical procedures. Demonstrated ability to use computer systems in support of patient care delivery. Demonstrated excellence in written/verbal communication, time management and working with an interdisciplinary team. Prior VA experience. Grade Determinations: 1) 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. (2) 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: v. Ability to practice with colleagues and peers collaboratively. iv. Ability to work effectively in an interdisciplinary environment for improvement of services for patient care. iii. Skill to incorporate training and experience into the successful practice of patient care including telehealth medical care. ii. Ability to function autonomously and make independent medical decisions. i. Skills to analyze and solve complex medical problems. (3) 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 multi-disciplinary 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. Preferred Education: Masters in Physician Assistant Program Preferred Certification(s): BLS NCCPA 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: The Physical requirements of this position include the following tasks which may be performed intermittently: lifting of up to 10 lbs., sitting 4 hours, standing 2 hours, walking 2 hours, bending/stooping 1 hour, twisting 1/2 hour, simple grasping 4 hours, fine manipulation 6 hours, reaching above the shoulder 1/2 hour, and operating machinery 1/2 hour.

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: Tierra White
• Phone: 919-827-2514
• Email: [email protected]