The Physician Assistant (PA) in the Podiatry Department is an integral part of the podiatry team and assists with the total care of the veterans' medical needs by performing history and physical exams, ordering appropriate imaging/lab tests, evaluating those tests, and acting within the guidelines laid down by the supervising physician to ensure quality care. The PA will also see patients in the return clinic, as well as post-operative and will triage phone calls regarding patients concerns.

Duties

The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being. The PA is called upon for a number of important duties: The PA assists in the preparation of the patient to include, but not be limited to, teaching, accumulating data and medical problems , presenting patient-centered discussion of medical patients for appraisal, and scheduling patients within the Podiatry Clinic. The PA will be responsible for electronic summaries and maintaining computerized progress notes for the official record of the veterans health care, as well as responding to or triaging patient concerns via Secure Messaging. The PA will act as the Point of Contact and leader of the designated out-patient clinic, when the attending is not in-house, by being the contact person for the podiatry department and all other consultant services regarding patient care, and providing consults for Surgery Service Line to other services. The PA will provide assistance with regard to duties to assist the service that may be requested. These duties may include, but are not be limited to, assisting in data assimilation for VA reports, quality assurance programs, tracking consults, reporting the department's performance measures locally, VISN and nationally or others as determined by the Surgery Service Chief or the Chief of Staff. The PA must be able to demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of the patients served in Podiatry. The PA must demonstrate the knowledge of the changes associated with aging and possess the ability to provide care based upon physical, psycho/social, cultural, safety and other age related factors as noted in the competencies described in departmental and/or unit specific policies and procedures. The PA, as care provider, demonstrates expertise in all elements of the patient's health care process. The PA serves as the extension of the attending physician in the hospital and clinic for the delivery of quality health care Performance Criteria: Performs history and physical examinations to industry standard. Performs duties as a mid-level provider to such a degree that the patient's quality of life is improved by his/her interaction. Performs duties within scope of practice to the standards set forth by the supervising physician in Podiatry and/or his designees. Uses effective decision making and leadership in the application of the care of the patient. Maintains clinic schedule and informs proper parties of same. Maintains lines of communication between referring hospitals so that referrals are made without problems. Continues and makes needed improvements in existing relevant programs and develops new ones to foster better care. Guides patients and families in obtaining the best service and information from Podiatry. Actively participates/interacts in leadership role of the IC VAMC Podiatry service. Imparts information to physicians correctly and in a friendly manner. Instructs Nurses and ancillary staff members in a congenial and positive manner. Teaches patients with a patient and positively gentle attitude so that they have a better understanding of their disease process. Participates in Precepting PA and NP students. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday to Friday 7:30am to 4:00pm, can be flexible. 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 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-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: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is 3. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of 2 to 3. Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

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

Contacts

• Address Iowa City VA Health Care System 601 Highway 6 West Iowa City, IA 52246 US
• Name: Nordia Malcolm
• Phone: 410-605-7000 X51191
• Email: [email protected]