Heart and Vascular Institute General Cardiology PA Fellowship

Centra Heart and Vascular Institute invites applications for our 2023-2024 General Cardiology PA Fellowship Program.

The PA Fellowship program was founded in 2017 with the first fellow graduating in 2018. Since this time, the program has grown to a class size of two. Many of the program graduates remain with the practice and are now members of the fellowship team.

Note: This Fellowship opportunity beings October 2023.

Goals:

• Prepare PAs for careers in cardiovascular medicine through didactic instruction and hands-on clinical experience.

• Provide PAs with an educational experience that is tailored to meet their unique learning needs.

• Prepare PAs to provide high value, high quality, patient-centric care.

• Facilitate professional development and life-long learning.

• Develop PAs with advanced training in cardiovascular medicine who will be more competitive in the job market as well as eligible for employment within the Heart and Vascular Institute as positions are available.

• Support the transition of new graduate PAs into clinical practice to improve employee satisfaction, engagement, and retention.

Position Summary:

The Heart and Vascular Institute General Cardiology Fellowship is a nine-month program. This program includes both didactic instruction and hands on clinical training. Time is spent in the inpatient and outpatient setting under the direction of Centra Heart and Vascular Institute Fellowship Faculty which includes physicians, NPs, and PAs.

Clinical Experience

PA Fellows will develop a strong foundation in general cardiology but will also rotate through subspecialty areas to include electrophysiology, heart failure, valve, and structural cardiology, vascular medicine, the vein center, interventional cardiology, cardiac imaging, congenital cardiology, and cardiothoracic surgery. PA Fellows will also complete a community hospital rotation and will have the opportunity to complete an elective rotation within the Centra Heart and Vascular Institute.

Didactic Instruction

Each rotation will have dedicated didactics to include assigned reading, lectures, and case presentations. Fellows will also participate in Cath conference, morbidity and mortality conference, research and scholarship as well as receive dedicated EKG instruction, documentation education, mentoring and professional development. During the fellowship each fellow will also complete a practice improvement project.

Hours

Primary hours will be 10-hour shifts Monday-Friday with time allotted for didactics. PA Fellows will work in the inpatient and outpatient setting on a rotating basis and will be required to work three weekends and one holiday during the fellowship.

Benefits

PA Fellows are paid a stipend, provided with PTO, CME days, and allowance as well as offered a benefits package that includes health insurance.

Position Requirements:

Eligibility

• Be a graduate or be on track to graduate successfully from an ARC-PA accredited PA program.

• Passed the NCCPA certifying exam or be exam eligible and have passed the exam prior to the program start date.

• Must be Virginia state licensure eligible at the time of interview and have obtained Virginia state licensure prior to the program start.

• DEA at the time of program start.

• Meet all criteria for privileging as set forth by Centra Health and all payors at the time of program start.

Application

• CV

• One-page personal statement demonstrating desire to work in cardiovascular medicine.

• Letter of recommendation from cardiology preceptor and PA faculty member (if applicant did not complete a cardiology rotation at the Heart and Vascular Institute (HVI)). This requirement is waved for those completing a cardiology rotation at HVI.

• Recent professional photograph.

• PA Graduate Transcripts

• Program applications are accepted starting February 15th and are due by April 15th. Applications must be submitted to the Program Director by email (lori.mcvay@centrahealth.com). All applications must be complete at the time of submission; partial applications are not accepted.

• Selected candidates will be contacted by the Program Director by email to schedule an initial virtual interview.

• Interviews will occur in May of each year.

• Top ranking candidates will be offered an in-person interview.

• Candidates will be notified of decisions by the Program Director by June.

Lynchburg, with a population of 85,000, is a great safe place to raise a family. Tons of outdoor activities to enjoy that include hiking, biking, mountain bike trails, camping, boating, fishing & canoeing. Hike the beautiful Sharp Top Mountain or Appalachian Trail or Bike on the Blackwater Creek Trail or Percival’s Island in the heart of the city. The Lynchburg Academy Center of the Arts offers some of America’s finest performing artists. Enjoy an evening minor league baseball game with our Lynchburg Hillcats. Children will enjoy outdoor summer movies at the park, county fairs, apple orchards, pumpkin patches and picking blueberries & strawberries. They will love Amazement Square, an inactive hands-on children’s museum in downtown Lynchburg. Beautiful Smith Mountain Lake is also nearby.
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There's also the convenience of being just a few hours away from coastal beaches and major metro areas such as Richmond, Charlotte, and Washington, DC. Travel by air at Lynchburg Regional Airport or by Amtrak at our Kemper Street station.