The Physician Assistant Hospitalist is a member of the Acute Medicine service, in Specialty Care , under the Chief of Acute Medicine. The PA is responsible for the medical management of patients on the psychiatric inpatient service and Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Programs. This includes evaluations for medical eligibility for the psychiatric programs, admission history and physicals, medical orders, evaluation and treatment for acute medical issues, and responses to medical emergencies.

Duties

The Physician Assistant will work in collaboration with and report directly to the physician in Acute Medicine. The PA is responsible for maintaining professional, technical, and administrative knowledge, competencies, and skills to provide effective, timely and quality responses to patient's health care needs. The duties of the Physician Assistant Hospitalist include but are not limited to the following: Medical care of patients, utilizing a team approach, in the inpatient psychiatric and RRTP (Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program) programs while Veterans are enrolled in these programs. Medical care including diagnoses, assessment, stabilization, treatment, and determination of medical disposition as deemed necessary. Use of appropriate laboratory tests, imaging studies, diets, medications, and supplies for patients including follow-up of results and creation of appropriate treatment plans based on testing results. Observing and recording patient's medical progress, updating, and summarizing medical records, and changing orders when appropriate. Writing prescriptions in accordance with Federal and State law. Acting on clinical reminders as they pertain to the management of the patient. Performing medication reconciliation in collaboration with nursing and psychiatric team members. Evaluation of medical appropriateness for admission to the psychiatric inpatient and RRTP programs. Admission H&Ps for RRTP and inpatient psychiatric programs. Advocacy for patient needs. Referrals and coordination of care for specialty care as needed. Coordination of emergency transfer of patients to acute medical facilities within the VA system or the local community medical facilities as the level of acuity warrants. Part of the emergency medical response team for medical emergencies at the Leeds, MA campus as per the medical emergency response SOP. Providing emergency medical care as needed until the patient can be transferred to an appropriate level of care. Documenting emergency responses using appropriate processes in CPRS and as per local policies. Functions autonomously, consulting with inpatient or RRTP team and Psychiatrists as needed. Collaborates with other medical providers on Acute Medicine service.

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. 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. Education: 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. Certification: Must have successfully passed the PA National Certifying Exam (PANCE). Licensure: 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. (c) Temporary graduate PA appointments may not be extended beyond two years or converted to a new temporary appointment. (b) Graduate PAs may only be appointed at the entry grade level and may not be promoted/converted until certification is obtained. (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). English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Preferred Experience: Experience in general and acute medicine preferred.VA and Mental Health experience preferred. Grade Determinations: The following criteria must be met in determining the grade assignment of candidates, and if appropriate, the level within a grade: 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 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. Reference: 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: Walking, bending, stooping, and some lifting in the direct care of patients. There may also be extended periods of sitting. See VA Handbook and Directive 5019. Résumé Reminder: Your résumé must include the following information each job listed: Your name and current contact information The name and location if each company and department that you worked in Job title Duties (be as detailed as possible) Month & year/end dates (e.g. June 2017 to April 2018) Full-time or part-time (include hours worked per week) Grade and step for all federal positions Please be aware that your answers well be verified against information provided on your résumé. Be sure that your résumé clearly supports your responses to all of the questions by addressing your work experience in detail.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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 Northampton VA Medical Center 421 North Main Street Leeds, MA 01053 US
• Name: Karen Terebesi
• Phone: (203) 951-9651
• Email: [email protected]