This Physician Assistant (Mental Health - Program Manager) position is in the Mental Health Service Line at the Togus, Maine VA campus location. This position is full-time at 40 hours per week.

Duties

NOTE: This multi-discipline recruitment that will result in the hiring of one of the following disciplines: Social Worker, Psychiatrist, Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant Social Worker Posting: CBTD-12576135-25-MK Psychologist Posting: CBTD-12576133-25-MK Psychiatrist Posting: CBTD-12576388-25-TBH Nurse Practitioner Posting: CBTD-12576087-25-CC The incumbent is responsible for managing all clinical and administrative operations of the Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program to ensure the safe, efficient and effective provision of rehabilitation and treatment services; and is responsible for ensuring that the residential rehabilitation program is in full compliance with safety and security measures, and that it achieves and maintains full accreditation status with accrediting bodies such as The Joint Commission and CARF. Duties Include but are not limited to: Has full responsibility for coordinating and administering all aspects of the residential rehabilitation treatment program so that it provides safe, efficient and effective rehabilitation and recovery based services to Veterans with mental health and substance use disorders. Effectively manages personnel, budgetary, and physical resources of the program. Manages employee tours-of-duty and leave approvals to ensure adequate on-site and cross-site coverage is consistently available to meet the needs of the system. Collaborates with Mental Health Administration, Section Leads, Human Resources, and others as necessary in the recruitment, hiring, onboarding, and retention of team members. Initiates personnel actions, award recommendations, disciplinary actions, and other related activities in accordance with policy. Responsible for the safety and welfare of individuals receiving services through the RRTP. Conducts and reports on unit environmental and safety inspections. Initiates and tracks work orders, maintenance requests, and requests for purchases to improve physical environment to maximize a homelike and therapeutic environment for Veterans. Maintains and reports on all aspects of physical environment as appropriate. Develops, coordinates, and implements comprehensive recovery-based program of clinical services and activities for Veterans in the program by assigning duties and activities to clinical staff as well as organizing all Veterans' activities Committees. Initiates referrals and consults to specialty services. Exemplifies the ICARE core values of-Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect, and Excellence. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Telework: Available on an Ad-Hoc basis at supervisor's discretion Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: No Permanent Change of Station (PCS): PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Required Notifications: This is not a Bargaining Unit Position This position is in the Excepted Service Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held This position is covered by a special rate Pay: Competitive salary, regular salary increases, potential for performance awards Paid Time Off: 50 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package.

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. United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy Preferred Experience: Experience in Gynecology with a women's health certification preferred. Experience as a first assistant in surgery a plus. 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 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. Preferred Experience: The ideal candidate will possess at least one year of prior experience working in a residential treatment setting (VA RRTP preferred but not required). 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: This work is mostly sedentary and requires some standing, bending and carrying light items. The incumbent must have the ability to stand and walk for prolonged periods of time to interact with the patients and other services.

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 Togus VA Medical Center 1 VA Center Augusta, ME 04330 US
• Name: Thomas Whiddon
• Phone: 508-521-4067
• Email: [email protected]