The Cardiology service functions under the overall management of the Section Chief of Cardiology. A board-certified physician assistant (PA) functions within an interdisciplinary staff consisting of physicians, physician extenders, nursing staff, administrative and clerical staff. He/she is responsible and accountable for ensuring the provision of comprehensive medical services and complies with established policies within the Department of Medicine, Cardiology section.

Duties

In addition to compliance with national and local regulatory, policy, and accreditation requirements governing this health care system, this position encompasses the following responsibilities, in partnership with his/her Administrative Officer and the support of the section chiefs, and supervisors. The incumbent requires appropriate time mapping and resources to ensure they are empowered to meet expected proficiencies in administration, clinical practice, education, and research. Administrative: Obligations/Responsibilities: Attending required staff meetings, communicating up and down the chain of command, and helping prepare heads-up and issue briefs related to adverse patient outcomes; quality assurance, management of clinics and maintaining standards. Clinical Coverage & Management including indirect patient care: open encounter and open consult maintenance, CPRS documentation requirements, secure messaging, and monitoring of clinic management. Maintains involvement in matters concerning clinic productivity, relevant performance measures, Quality and Patient Safety oversight, as well as process improvements (system redesigns). Clinical Duties: The incumbent is expected to remain privileged and practicing in their specialty field. The exact privileges and procedures for a particular provider will be approved by the Professional Standards Board. All practitioners must meet the following qualifications: Patient Care: Practitioners are expected to provide patient care that is compassionate, appropriate, and effective for the promotion of health, prevention of illness, treatment of disease, and care at the end of life. Specialty specific responsibilities(core): The mid-levels will perform assigned duties as follows: Taking initial histories and physical examinations on inpatients and outpatients. Entering diet and activity orders Taking/recording vital signs. Screening outpatients under the supervision of faculty cardiologist to determine need for further care. Order diagnostic studies such as lab tests, ultrasounds, CT scans, MRIs, electrocardiograms and advanced cardiac testing when appropriate. Represent physician in communications, consultations and conferences with other clinical, ancillary and administrative services. Obtain consent for blood products, stress tests, and other appropriate procedures. Perform bedside or outpatient clinics hemocult/gastrocult and glucometer tests. Perform venipuncture and arterial punctures to obtain tests on when appropriate. Performing stress tests and assisting in nuclear studies, cardiopulmonary support (ACLS/BLS), echocardiograms and Trans Esophageal Echo (TEE) procedures. Interrogating permanent pacemakers and implanted cardiac defibrillators (ICD). Screening consult requests for Cardiology clinics to determine if appropriate for scheduling based on established referral criteria. Assist in managing, organizing, and participating in Cardiology clinics with attending physician in that clinic; Initiating and expediting requests for consultations; Providing education and counseling of patients and families in preventive care, medical conditions, and use of prescribed treatments and medications; Provide interim chronic disease management with notification of lab results and necessary adjustments of medications by phone or secure messaging under supervision of managing cardiologist; Complete disability paperwork as needed. Start intravenous (IV) solutions and administer IV medication after conferring with the supervising physician. May order "Confine and Escort" and "Suicide Precautions" as necessary; May counsel patients on VA policy of living wills, Do Not Resuscitate and Do Not Intubate. Perform administrative duties such as quality assurance and peer review; Accountable for providing health care to veterans in accordance with individual patient needs determined by standards of adult health care practice, and in collaboration with other members of the Cardiology health care team. May make rounds on assigned inpatients, enter/dictate interim progress notes, and may, when appropriate, dictate the discharge summary (which must be countersigned). Providing non-face to face patient encounters (telephone, secure email etc.). Mid-level practitioners will utilize shift hand-off tools at the end of their tours to ensure effective hand-off of care to the night tour.

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: 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: Ability to utilize the principles of PA practice in the care of assigned patients to provide appropriate care. Ability to perform patient history and physical. Ability to formulate a plan and provide treatment to the patient. 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: Two years of successful practice as a PA OR, 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, 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: Skills to analyze and solve complex medical problems. Ability to function autonomously and make independent medical decisions. Skill to incorporate training and experience into the successful practice of patient care including telehealth medical care. Ability to work effectively in an interdisciplinary environment for improvement of services for patient care. 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: Three years of successful practice as a PA OR 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 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: Ability to clinically evaluate facility patient care delivery systems and validate or identify barriers to safe and effective patient care. 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). Ability to present clinical findings and recommendations to appropriate management officials. Ability to clinically facilitate the delivery of patient care in collaboration with health professionals, health managers, and other health care personnel. 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. 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 5005/78 SEPTEMBER 27, 2020 PART II APPENDIX G8 II-G8., Physician Assistant Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. The full performance level of this vacancy is PA-III. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of PA-I to PA-III. Physical Requirements: The incumbent must be able to perform all activities of the position without restriction. This position may involve standing, walking, stooping, bending, reaching, lifting, and turning. The work may involve going up and down flights of stairs.

Education

Contacts

• Address WG Bill Hefner Salisbury VA Medical Center 1601 Brenner Avenue Salisbury, NC 28144 US
• Name: Tamashia Dixon
• Phone: (980) 401-2551
• Email: [email protected]