Physician Assistants (PA) are highly trained professionals qualified to practice medicine with physician collaboration/supervision. The PA is accountable for exercising medical decision-making and providing a broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic services for a specific group of patients. The responsibility includes relatively independent functioning and ongoing collaboration with the supervising physician.

Duties

This Physician Assistant will be a Mid-level provider for Home Based Primary Care (HBPC) under the Geriatrics/Long-Term Care (G/LTC) Service Line. The incumbent will provide clinical support to the supervisory physicians of HBPC, and their duties and responsibilities will be at the direction of the physician lead. Duties include but are not limited to: Clinical: Primary focus of practice is to provide emergent, urgent and non-urgent geriatric primary care supporting the HBPC services. Adhering to established Medical Center policies and procedures and VA Directives. Demonstrating leadership and accomplishment when providing support to the supervising physician and the Chief of G/LTC and assistance to representatives to various department/services within the VA organization. Implementing and complying with administrative review of the service's operations to assure compliance with all internal and external review requirements. Clinical management of patients may include skills necessary for the stabilization of acute complications and may include the initiation of basic life support. Patient education is primarily provided in an interactive setting which requires good interpersonal skills. Under the direction of the attending physician and Chief of G/LTC shall be accountable for all clinical duties and assignments that he/she deems necessary. Demonstration of leadership as a member of the interdisciplinary team. Order and evaluate appropriate laboratory and other tests. Perform history and physical examinations on CLC patients. Make appropriate diagnosis/diagnoses. Administer medications and injections when appropriate. Provide ongoing follow up patient care. Review and order appropriate medications and treatments. Make entries in progress notes as specified in the Medical Center Policy (MCP) Maintain Basic Life Support (BLS) certification Maintain a current working knowledge of VHA regulations and guidelines, Joint Commission (JC) standards and other standards pertinent to services provided. Consistently demonstrates expertise in diagnosing and treating seriously ill, multi-symptomatic patients. Administrative: Coordinates referrals and evaluation of veterans at the Martinsburg Veteran Affairs Medical Center in addition to outside VA's and private sector referrals of Veterans for evaluation and management. Facilitates response/actions to patient inquires for care and treatment provided by the Section. Other administrative duties as needed. Educational: Attends educational activities to maintain certification needs. Participates in educational activities in the G/LTC Service and the Medical Center to ensure update knowledge of the subject matter. Makes use of other educational materials on an as needed basis. Research: Appreciates the need for research activities as complementary and useful aspects of patient care. Becomes familiar with requirements for submission of research protocols and assists Program Support Assistant and others in the preparation of documents. Participates in the care of patients enrolled in research and documents those activities as required on a timely basis. Other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: 8am-4:30pm Telework: Available 3 days per pay period Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required VA Employees should apply to this announcement. US Citizens please apply to announcement - CBTF-12430282-24-DM

Requirements

Qualifications

Physician Assistant Basic Requirements Education: Candidates must meet one of the following: Master's degree in any discipline or A bachelor's degree in any discipline with one year of experience as a Physician Assistant Certification: Successfully passed the PA National Certifying Exam (PANCE) Licensure: 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. GRANDFATHERING PROVISION. All persons employed in VHA in this occupational series that are also performing the duties as described in the qualification standard on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements forthe grade held including positive education and licensure/certification. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: If a PA is certified by the NCCPA, but not licensed on the effective date of the qualification standard, they are not required to obtain or maintain a license to remain employed in VHA. However, if they lose or fail to maintain their NCCPA certification after this qualification standard is effective and do not possess a full, valid, and unrestricted license, they are no longer qualified for employment as a PA in VHA. PAs may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance level, or demoted within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the full performance level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. If a PA who was retained under this provision leaves the occupation, the employee will lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation. PAs initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification and meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard, must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. PAs who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. Grade Determinations: Physician Assistant-I (PA-I) Experience and Education: None beyond the basic requirements. This is the entry level for PAs. 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) 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. 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) 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. 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 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, 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 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. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service.

Education

Candidates must meet one of the following:

• Master's degree in any discipline or
• A bachelor's degree in any discipline with one year of experience as a Physician Assistant

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address Martinsburg VA Medical Center 510 Butler Avenue Martinsburg, WV 25405 US
• Name: Diana Mondor
• Phone: 4135844040 X6392
• Email: [email protected]