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Veterans Health Administration is Hiring a Physician Assistant (Primary Care Float) Near Jamaica, MA

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.
• Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

Preferred Experience:

• One year of Primary Care experience preferred

Grade Determinations: The following criteria must be met in determining the grade assignment of candidates, and if appropriate, the level within a grade:

Physician Assistant-I (PA-I)
(a) Experience and Education. None beyond the basic requirements. This is the entry level for PAs.

(b) 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:

i. Ability to utilize the principles of PA practice in the care of assigned patients to provide appropriate care.
ii. Ability to perform patient history and physical.
iii. Ability to formulate a plan and provide treatment to the patient.
iv. Ability to provide patient care that is abreast of changing concepts and advancements in the profession.

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.

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 3. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of 1 to 3.

Physical Requirements: All applicants must be physically able to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position. A pre-placement physical examination shall be completed prior to appointment.

Responsibilities:

This Float Physician Assistant (PA) is located in the Primary Care Service at the Jamaica Plain campus location. This Float PA may cover any VA Boston Healthcare System Primary Care practice at any campus location in which a provider is needed due to retirement, medical leave, or other purpose. Travel time may be available depending on the campus location. This position is a full-time 40 hour per week position. This position may also be filled by a Nurse Practitioner (NP). All interested NPs must apply through announcement CBTD-12251016-24-HL.

VA Primary Care providers manage a complex panel of patients in collaborative teams. Each provider is assigned a registered nurse, clinical associate, and scheduler. Panel sizes are approximately 900 patients per full-time provider and appointment lengths are 60 minutes for new patients and 30 minutes for all other appointments. Telephone and video care are encouraged and telework may be available. There is no on-call, weekend or holiday duty.

Care is provided to both men and women Veteran adults. The VA utilizes a national electronic medical record and is known for delivering high quality, evidence-based care within a culture of continuous improvement. The Primary Care Service at VA Boston Healthcare System is leading the VHA's initiative in the Whole Health System of care which includes conventional treatment, but also focuses on self-empowerment, self-healing, and self-care. The Whole Health System approach is informed by evidence-based research and makes use of all appropriate therapeutic approaches and disciplines to achieve optimal health and healing.

The PA duties include, but are not limited to:

• Obtaining medical histories and performing physical examinations.
• Providing and coordinating medical care for assigned patients in any care setting, including established diagnoses, formulating and implementing care plans, and providing follow-up care.
• Evaluating outpatients to determine the need for further health care.
• Ordering diagnostic studies and other special tests such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Computerized Tomography (CT) scans, etc.
• Carrying out health promotion, disease prevention, and patient education activities.
• Ordering or obtaining laboratory specimens.
• Ordering ancillary services such as Pharmacy, social services, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation therapies, prosthetic services, etc.
• Ordering VA specialty service consults and initiating requests for non-VA medical care and consult in accordance with VHA and local facility policy and procedures.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 7:30am- 4:00pm
Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized.
Telework: May be Authorized on an Ad Hoc basis.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.
EDRP May Be Authorized: Contact Karen.Chapman@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.
Financial Discloser Report: Not required.

Notifications:
This position is a AFGE Bargaining Unit position.
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 in the Excepted Service.
The salary is based on the grade and step approved for the selected candidate.
The Professional Standards Board (a peer-review group) will recommend the grade and salary for new appointments based on the candidate's education and experience. For internal selectees being promoted, the board will determine grade and HR will determine step in accordance with policy.
Veterans' preference does not apply for other current permanent Federal agency employees.

Job Summary