Senior Physician Assistant - Radiology

UCSF physician assistants (PAs) are advanced practice providers (APPs) who possess the education, national board certification, California licensure, knowledge, clinical skills, and experience necessary to provide evidence-based patient care in their area of clinical practice. They provide routine, acute, critical, and specialty care as defined by their granted privileges/standardized procedures, including performing non-invasive or invasive procedures and operative first assist.

UCSF PAs follow California regulations and UCSF Medical Staff Bylaws, Rules and Regulations, and Policies. They are authorized to exercise privileges granted by the Committee on Interdisciplinary Practice (CIDP), Executive Medical Board (EMB), and Governance Advisory Council (GAC), and must provide clinically indicated care meeting the applicable standard of care. UCSF-hired APPs providing care at external facilities must also abide by those facilities' regulations, bylaws, and policies.

Credentialing, privileging, and health plan enrollment must be completed prior to the first working day. All APPs must be credentialed through the Office of Medical Affairs and Governance (OMAG) and privileged through CIDP, EMB, and GAC. Procedure privileges are granted after demonstrating competency via the focused professional practice evaluation (FPPE) process and submitting activity logs. Non-compliance may result in a leave of absence or suspension of privileges.

APPs are expected to be familiar with productivity metrics, demonstrate accountability for their clinical practice, participate in education, serve as resources, exhibit leadership, and mentor newly hired APPs.

About the Role

The Interventional Radiology (IR) Physician Assistant is a highly skilled clinician providing expert procedural and clinical care throughout the IR patient experience, including pre-procedural evaluation, intra-procedural support, and post-procedural management. This role collaborates closely with interventional radiology attending physicians and the interdisciplinary care team to promote excellent patient care across inpatient and outpatient settings at all UCSF Health facilities/locations.

Responsibilities

• Billable inpatient evaluation and management (E&M) services, including:
  • Evaluation of new adult and pediatric inpatient consults
  • Daily rounding on established IR patients
  • Assistance with admission, discharge, and care coordination for IR patients
• Comprehensive pre-procedural evaluation and preparation of adult and pediatric patients, including:
  • Obtaining and documenting relevant history and physical examinations
  • Reviewing diagnostic data and identifying patient-specific risks or barriers to care
  • Developing and implementing peri-procedural plans of care in collaboration with IR attendings
• Providing sterile first-assist support in IR suites and independently performing select low-complexity procedures for adult and pediatric patients within approved scope, training, and competency.
• Managing post-procedural recovery, follow-up, patient education, and care coordination.
• Communicating with referring teams, consulting services, nursing staff, technologists, and other interdisciplinary team members to facilitate timely and effective care.
• Participating in outpatient clinical management, including IR clinic, daily triage for add-on cases, consultations, and longitudinal follow-up.
• Documenting care accurately and thoroughly in the medical record in accordance with institutional, regulatory, and billing requirements.
• Contributing to quality improvement, workflow optimization, patient access, and program development within the IR service.

Clinical and Evaluation & Management Responsibilities

• Perform in-person evaluation of new inpatient IR consults.
• Conduct daily bedside rounding on established IR inpatients.
• Develop and document assessment and plan of care in collaboration with IR attendings.
• Communicate recommendations to referring teams and coordinate next steps.
• Document and bill E&M encounters in accordance with coding guidelines.

Care Coordination

• Coordinate procedures, imaging, labs, anticoagulation management, and peri-procedural planning.
• Serve as point of contact for inpatient teams regarding IR-managed patients.
• Support consult-to-procedure workflow optimization.

Procedure Assistance

• Provide sterile first-assist support in IR suites.
• Independently perform select low-complexity procedures for adult patients within approved scope, training, and competency.

Quality, Safety & Professional Practice

• Participate in OPPE/FPPE, onboarding, and ongoing competency validation.
• Contribute to quality improvement initiatives related to access, throughput, and length of stay (LOS).

Requirements

• California Physician Assistant (PA) License without restriction
• National Board Certification from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA)
• California Driver License (if required for position)
• Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Registration with Schedules 2, 2N, 3, 3N, 4, and 5 registered to a California address
• American Heart Association (AHA) Basic Life Support (BLS) certification
• Additional required AHA certifications: ACLS and PALS
• Graduation from a PA Program accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the PA (ARC-PA)

Qualifications

Minimum Experience

• Senior Physician Assistant: Five (5) or more years of experience as a PA
• Two (2) years procedural or acute care PA experience

Minimum Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Judgement skills to effectively meet the needs of patients
• Self-direction and organizational skills to function in an independent role
• Ability to cope with personal stress experienced by health care providers and team members
• Ability to meet minimum standards for hospital credentialing and billing as a billable provider
• Submit health plan (Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial for all APPs; also, CCS for pediatric providers) enrollment by first clinical day
• Adhere to UCSF Medical Staff Bylaws, Rules and Regulations, Code of Conduct, PRIDE values, and applicable policies
• Adhere to all UCSF policies regarding HIPAA, privacy, communication, documentation, encounter closure, and billing
• Mandatory attendance at the Office of Advanced Practice Providers Orientation Sessions
• Mandatory attendance at the APP Onboarding Committee APP Onboarding Series

Preferred Experience

• Experience working in an academic medical center or large integrated health system

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Demonstrated sterile technique and procedural skill
• Prior independent performance of paracentesis and thoracentesis
• Prior ultrasound-guided biopsy experience