Physician Assistant- Primary Care

Description:

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply

Requirements:

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. Grade and Step determinations of the selected applicant will be determined based on the selected individuals education and experience.

Physician Assistant-I (PA-I) - Entry Level

• Experience and Education: None beyond the basic requirements. This is the entry level for PA's
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities :
  • 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) - Intermediate Level

• Experience and Education: 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, US Armed Forces, or another accrediting agency OR a doctoral degree in a health-related field from an accredited college or university recognized by the US Department of Education.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
  • 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) - Full Performance Level

• Experience and Education: 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, US Armed Forces, or another accrediting agency AND one year of professional practice as a PA
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
  • 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

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/ .

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 Handbook 5019