Physician Assistant III

Diversity Inc.; Louisville (KY); On-site; USD 110,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Greenwood VA Clinic in Louisville, KY is recruiting for a full-time Physician Assistant III (PA). The PA will provide advanced clinical practice, consultation, and management with a geriatric focus within Primary Care, supporting VA missions.

Requirements include ARC-PA accreditation, a master's or bachelor’s with PA experience, active licensure, and English proficiency. Strong autonomy and ability to work in multi-disciplinary teams are expected.

Qualifications

• Must be a graduate of an ARC-PA accredited PA program.
• Master's degree or Bachelor's with 1 year PA experience required.
• Must maintain active PA licensure and, if applicable, NCCPA certification as per VA standards.

Responsibilities

• Obtain medical histories and perform physical examinations.
• Provide and coordinate medical care including diagnoses and treatment plans.
• Order diagnostic tests and referrals per patient need.
• Educate patients and families on preventive care and treatments.

Skills

English language proficiency

Geriatric care

Clinical autonomy

Patient care coordination

Education

ARC-PA accredited PA program

Master's degree in any discipline

Bachelor's degree with 1 year PA experience

Job description

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:

• a
• Citizenship
• Citizen 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)
• b
• Education
• Graduate of a training program which is accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education of PA (ARC-PA) or one of its predecessor organizations
• Additionally - candidates must meet one of the following: (1)Master's degree in any discipline
• OR 2)Bachelor's degree in any discipline with one year of experience as a PA
• c
• Certification
• Must 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.) d
• Licensure
• PAs 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 Columbia
• PAs 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 Licensure
• A 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 appointment
• NOTE: 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 Credentials
• An 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 Licensure
• In all cases - graduate PAs must actively pursue and obtain required licensure from the date of their appointments
• The 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 deadline
• The written notice must be provided prior to the first date of employment
• Failure to obtain required credentials by the prescribed date will result in termination of employment
• e
• Physical Requirements
• See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 - Employee Occupational Health Service
• f
• English Language Proficiency
• Candidates 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 preferred
• Meets the minimum requirements for the APRN or PA discipline
• Grade Determinations: Physician Assistant-III 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: 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 PA
• OR 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 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 Ability to clinically evaluate facility patient care delivery systems and validate or identify barriers to safe and effective patient care
• 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)
• Ability to present clinical findings and recommendations to appropriate management officials
• Ability to clinically facilitate the delivery of patient care in collaboration with health professionals - health managers - and other health care personnel
• 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
• Ability to participate clinically in the development of the PA patient care audit processes involving in-depth review and analysis of medical records
• Reference: 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 examinations
• Providing 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 physician
• Ordering diagnostic studies and other special tests - such as Ultrasound - XRAY - Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) - and Computerized Tomography (CT) scans
• Ordering or obtaining laboratory specimens
• 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 and equipment
• Ordering medical care including - but not limited to - diets - therapies - nursing care - and medications as permitted by VHA directive and local policy
• Admitting 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 patients
• The collaborating physician must co-sign admission notes and discharge summaries written by the PA - in accordance with The Joint Commission standards
• Other 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 bodies
• Providing education and counseling of patients and families in preventive care - medical conditions - and the use of prescribed treatments and drugs
• Providing end-of-life education and counseling to individual patients and or patients family members
• Perform Geriatric Medicine - Acute Care for the Elderly (ACE) - and Palliative Medicine consultations in the outpatient clinics - telehealth clinics - home environment - emergency department - and inpatient wards
• Perform other delegated tasks not specifically outlined herein upon the direction of the collaborating physician
• Assist with data collection and implementation of quality improvement measures
• Assist 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 body
• Expanded Elements Perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation in accordance with VAMC policy
• Evaluate patients placed in restraints for behavioral purposes
• i
• Work with patient and staff to identify ways to help the patient regain control
• ii
• Revise the patient's plan for care - treatment - and services as needed
• iii
• Provide required written orders as necessary
• Practice 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 responsibilities
• This level may also be used when the PA performs lower risk outpatient therapeutic and diagnostic procedures common to the area of the PA's practice
• The PA at this level practices with a high level of autonomy on a day-to-day basis and requires infrequent consultation with the collaborating physician
• When consultation with the physician does occur - it must be documented in the patient record by the PA
• The physical presence of the collaborating physician at the site of PA practice is not required
• The 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 appropriateness
• In addition - the collaborating physician and PA will be in contact at least weekly to discuss any difficult or unusual clinical management
• The 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 requested
• This level of autonomy is appropriate for most PA practice settings (e.g
• inpatient - 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 tasks
• Teach and provide direction for health care students and residents
• Act as liaison with outside facilities in coordinating transfers
• VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday - 8am-430pm Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized