Physician Assistant - General Surgery (Recruitment/Relocation Incentive Authorized)

About the role

The Physician Assistant (PA) will work closely with their respective team and assist in the management of patients. They will be responsible for providing and coordinating care for assigned patients including assessments, ordering appropriate laboratory and diagnostic studies, consulting and referring to physicians and other health care members as appropriate. The PA must also be able to perform independent direct patient care, including but not limited to history-taking, physical exams, and progress notes for orthopedic patients. PA's practice with clinical oversight, consultation, and input by a designated collaborating physician.

Responsibilities

• Obtaining medical histories and performing physical examinations.
• Providing and coordinating medical care for assigned patients in any care setting, including establishing 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 consults in accordance with VHA and local facility policy and procedures.
• Ordering patient care supplies.
• Writing orders for or prescribing medications (see paragraph c. of this App)
• Admitting and discharging patients in consultation with, and on behalf of, the collaborating physician, obtaining admission history.
• Performing physical examinations, conducting patient rounds, documenting progress notes and summaries in the patient record, and writing patient orders on assigned patients.
• Obtaining and documenting informed consent for treatments and procedures for which the PA is responsible.
• Providing education and counseling of patients and families in preventive care, medical conditions, and the use of prescribed treatments and drugs.
• PAs may prescribe or order all medications listed in the VA National Formulary consistent with the PA's level of prescribing authority and practice setting.

Requirements

The General Surgery Physician Assistant will practice medicine as a member of a team with their Supervising Surgeon.

Qualifications

• Physician Assistant Basic Requirements
• Physician Assistant-II (PA-II)
• Physician Assistant-III (PA-III)