Physician Assistant III

Summary The Greenwood VA Clinic in Louisville - KY is recruiting for a full time Physician Assistant III (PA). A Physician Assistant is a credentialed healthcare professional who proactices in Primary Care Service to provide a full range of services emphasizing quality - timeliness - and the advancement of the Veterans Affairs (VA) mission. The PA provided advanced clinical practice - consultation - and management with a geriatric focus. 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. Basic Requirements aCitizenshipCitizen of the United States [in accordance with section 7402(c) to title 38 -United States Code (U.S.C.)Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified candidates in accordance with 38 U.S.C.7407(a)bEducationGraduate of a training program which is accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education of PA (ARC-PA) or one of its predecessor organizationsAdditionally - candidates must meet one of the following: (1)Master's degree in any disciplineOR 2)Bachelor's degree in any discipline with one year of experience as a PAcCertificationMust have successfully passed the PA National Certifying Exam (PANCE)NOTE: Current and continuous certification by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) is no longer required for employment in VHA(See paragraph 3a in this standard for additional information regarding the certification requirement for employees grandfathered into the occupation.) dLicensurePAs must possess an active - current - full - and unrestricted license to practice ina State - Territory - or Commonwealth of the United States - or in the District of ColumbiaPAs must maintain current registration in the State of licensure if this is a requirement for continuing active and current licensure in that State(1) Impaired LicensureA PA who has - or has ever had - any license(s) revoked - suspended - denied - restricted - limited - or issued/placed in a probationary status may be appointed only in accordance with the provisions of chapter 3 - section B - paragraph 13of this part(2) Exceptions for Graduate PAs(a) PAs who otherwise meet the basic requirements - but do not possess the required licensure - may be appointed - pending licensure - as a graduate PA on a temporary full-time appointment not-to-exceed two years under the authority of 38 U.S.C.7405(c)(2)(B)(b) Graduate PAs may only be appointed at the entry grade level and may not be promoted/converted until certification is obtained(c) Temporary graduate PA appointments may not be extended beyond two years or converted to a new temporary appointmentNOTE: Individuals who have or have had multiple licenses and had any such license revoked for professional misconduct - professional incompetence or substandard care - or who surrendered such license after receiving written notice of potential termination of such license by the State for professional misconduct - professional incompetence - or substandard care - are not eligible for appointment to the position unless such revoked or surrendered license is fully restored (38 U.S.C.7402(f))This requirement does not apply to licensed PAs currently employed by VA as of November 30 - 1999 - provided they maintain continuous appointment and are not disqualified for employment by any subsequent revocations or voluntary surrenders of State license - registration or certification(3) Loss of CredentialsAn employee in this occupation who fails to maintain the required licensure or NCCPA certification when required under paragraph 3a below must be removed from the occupation - which may result in termination of employment (VA Handbook 5005 - part II - chapter 3 - paragraph 17)(4) Failure to Obtain LicensureIn all cases - graduate PAs must actively pursue and obtain required licensure from the date of their appointmentsThe human resource office will provide the unlicensed PA in writing the date by which the license must be acquired and the consequences for not becoming licensed by the deadlineThe written notice must be provided prior to the first date of employmentFailure to obtain required credentials by the prescribed date will result in termination of employmentePhysical RequirementsSee VA Directive and Handbook 5019 - Employee Occupational Health ServicefEnglish Language ProficiencyCandidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C.7403(f)Preferred Experience: Geriatric and home health experience preferredMeets the minimum requirements for the APRN or PA disciplineGrade Determinations: Physician Assistant-III Experience and EducationPAs 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 systemThey utilize advanced clinical knowledge and judgment in decision-making and evaluating outcomesThey 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 studentsIndividuals 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 PAOR 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 AbilitiesPAs 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 careSkill 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 officialsAbility to clinically facilitate the delivery of patient care in collaboration with health professionals - health managers - and other health care personnelAbility 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 outcomesAbility to participate clinically in the development of the PA patient care audit processes involving in-depth review and analysis of medical recordsReference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Duties FUNCTIONS OR SCOPES OF PRACTICE Core Elements Obtaining medical histories and performing physical examinationsProviding and coordinating medical care for assigned patients - including establishing diagnoses - formulating - and implementing care plans - and providing follow-up care - in collaboration with the attending physicianOrdering diagnostic studies and other special tests - such as Ultrasound - XRAY - Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) - and Computerized Tomography (CT) scansOrdering or obtaining laboratory specimensOrdering VA specialty service consults and initiating requests for non-VA medical care and consults in accordance with VHA and local facility policy and proceduresOrdering patient care supplies and equipmentOrdering medical care including - but not limited to - diets - therapies - nursing care - and medications as permitted by VHA directive and local policyAdmitting and discharging patients in consultation with - and on behalf of - the collaborating physician - obtaining admission history and performing physical examinations - participating in patient rounds - documenting progress notes and summaries in the patient record - and writing patient orders on assigned patientsThe collaborating physician must co-sign admission notes and discharge summaries written by the PA - in accordance with The Joint Commission standardsOther patient record entries by PAs - including medical histories - physical examinations - progress notes - service consults and patient orders do not require physician co-signature unless specifically required by Federal law - VA policy - or the standards of applicable external accrediting bodiesProviding education and counseling of patients and families in preventive care - medical conditions - and the use of prescribed treatments and drugsProviding end-of-life education and counseling to individual patients and or patients family membersPerform Geriatric Medicine - Acute Care for the Elderly (ACE) - and Palliative Medicine consultations in the outpatient clinics - telehealth clinics - home environment - emergency department - and inpatient wardsPerform other delegated tasks not specifically outlined herein upon the direction of the collaborating physicianAssist with data collection and implementation of quality improvement measuresAssist with workflow coordination (i.e. - updating the team and SharePoint with patient assignments as determined in collaboration with resident - fellows - attending physicians - and GEC leadership.) Perform procedure as approved by Service Chief and credentialling bodyExpanded Elements Perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation in accordance with VAMC policyEvaluate patients placed in restraints for behavioral purposesiWork with patient and staff to identify ways to help the patient regain controliiRevise the patient's plan for care - treatment - and services as needediiiProvide required written orders as necessaryPractice Autonomy Full autonomy is appropriate for an experienced PA in Primary Care - other outpatient - or inpatient settings where enough clinical competence has been demonstrated in carrying out assigned patient care responsibilitiesThis level may also be used when the PA performs lower risk outpatient therapeutic and diagnostic procedures common to the area of the PA's practiceThe PA at this level practices with a high level of autonomy on a day-to-day basis and requires infrequent consultation with the collaborating physicianWhen consultation with the physician does occur - it must be documented in the patient record by the PAThe physical presence of the collaborating physician at the site of PA practice is not requiredThe collaborating physician's oversight responsibilities for this level of PA practice include periodic monitoring of the PA's clinical activities through a retrospective review of at least five randomly selected patient encounter notes each quarter to ensure the presence of ongoing competency and medical appropriatenessIn addition - the collaborating physician and PA will be in contact at least weekly to discuss any difficult or unusual clinical managementThe collaborating physician will concur with continuing this level of autonomy or recommend changes when the PA's Scope of Practice is renewed - or interim changes are requestedThis level of autonomy is appropriate for most PA practice settings (e.ginpatient - outpatient - Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC) - Community Living Centers (CLC) - Long Term Care - Home Based Primary Care (HBPC) - Telemedicine - or remote sites)Additional Duties Perform administrative tasksTeach and provide direction for health care students and residentsAct as liaison with outside facilities in coordinating transfersVA offers a comprehensive total rewards packageWork Schedule: Monday-Friday - 8am-430pm Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual positionRelocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized