The PA is directly responsible to the HBPC Medical Director in the assigned area and must hold a collaborative agreement with a qualified physician. Utilizes advanced practice skills and knowledge in a relatively independent manner in areas of patient care, education, research and consultation. The PA provides holistic healthcare to individuals, families, and groups across the adult life span. This process includes assessment, diagnosis, treatment plan and evaluation.

Duties

The PA is responsible for a panel of patients including evaluation of acute and chronic illnesses and health promotion. Care delivery is provided in patients homes as part of a multidisciplinary team. The PA practices in accordance with a written scope of practice established for the specific practice area. The scope of practice for the PA includes responsibilities, diagnosis and treatment authorities prescribing privileges for medications, devices, tests and procedures, and referral authority. The PA functions as an advocate for patients in meeting their unique physical and psychological needs. Role, responsibilities, and accountabilities also include demonstration of knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age related needs of patients served in the assigned area of practice. This knowledge includes understanding changes associated with aging. Functions or Scope of Assigned Duties: Clinical Duties: 1. Conducts home visits to assess needs of patients and their caregivers 2. Assesses patient's and caregiver's needs for home visits by providers of other disciplines 3. Performs comprehensive medical assessments/ evaluations in the patients' home setting with consultation with Medical Director, as needed 4. Performs medication reconciliation in home settings 5. Manages and treats medical conditions in the home setting as primary care practitioner, involving the Medical Director as needed. 6. Formulates multi-disciplinary treatment plans 7. Provides health education to patients and their caregivers 8. Responds to telephone calls from patients and caregivers regarding health care. 9. Refers patients to appropriate community or VA programs 10. Other clinical duties as assigned to include coverage of other HBPC providers as needed 11. Draws labs and administers vaccines in the home. Administrative: 1. Participates in weekly team meetings and provides innovative management ideas for patient case reviews 2. Participates in continuing program assessment and process improvement. 3. Participates in collecting and collating data required for team reports Education/Research: 1. Participates, directs, and provides opportunities for staff development through in-­service education as needed. 2. Assures self-development responsibilities and maintains current knowledge of trends in home care. 3. May participate in approved research or education efforts. In addition, the physician assistant is accountable and responsible for possessing the knowledge and skills to: * Communicate and interact appropriately and courteously with all internal and external customers * Maintain confidentiality of electronic, written, and/or verbal patient/employee information * Demonstrate working practices that include adherence to Infection Control standards and the safe use and operation of equipment Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00-4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized Telework: Yes - as determined by the agency policy. The majority of the role involves direct in person patient care in the home. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Contact Caronda Slocum, [email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more 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: 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: 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. (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 The full performance level of this vacancy is Grade 3. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of Grade 1 to Grade 3. 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. Preferred Experience: Three years or more of clinical outpatient primary care experience. One year or more of home care provider experience. 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: Brian Watt
• Phone: (906) 396-7485
• Email: [email protected]