Physician Assistant - Primary Care

About the role

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.

Responsibilities

• The PA practices general medicine with a focus on community-based outpatient clinical care.
• Approximately 90% of the PA's time is dedicated to developing and maintaining an interdisciplinary approach to the direct care of general medicine clinic patients.
• The PA independently follows his own panel of general medicine patients, functioning as their primary care provider. This primary care/gatekeeper's role is incumbent with a high degree of responsibility and independence.
• The location of the CBOC away from the Medical Center means that the PA's assessment skills and breadth of knowledge must be superior. In addition, the employee must be a highly effective communicator to negotiate with consultants at the Fargo VA HCS regarding the triaging of patients he refers to. Provider will be required to be a designated women's provider and complete the mandatory VHA training.
• Providers may be required to travel to the CBOC's or provide gap coverage as determined by the supervisor.
• All providers will meet the work relative value unit (RVU's) as determined by the national office for primary care providers.
• Typical work hours are Monday to Friday 8-4:30 PM. Alternative work hours, if desired, should be agreed upon at the time of joining. Each full-time provider is required to work a minimum of 80 hrs. per pay period (every two weeks) unless on leave status.
• Providers will need to act as surrogates for the patients of their colleagues, when one or more of their colleagues are on leave.
• Alternative or collateral duties may include management of a subsection of primary care patients, the subsection may be defined either by a disease status (e.g. spinal cord injury patients), or demographic status (women veterans, OIF/OEF veterans, employees etc.).

Requirements

• 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.
• Preferred Experience: At least 5 years experience as a Primary Care Physician Assistant. Must be board certified or eligible in internal medicine or family medicine. Must have experience in women's health and provide women's health coverage.

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.
• Grade Determinations: Physician Assistant-I, Physician Assistant-II, Physician Assistant-III.
• Education: Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, please visit: https://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/fact_sheet_foreign.html.