Physician Assistant- Orthopedic Surgery

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Fredericksburg (VA); On-site; USD 105,000 - 145,000; Full time

Job summary

The US Department of Veterans Affairs seeks a Physician Assistant to deliver direct patient care with varying responsibilities across clinical, administrative, educational, and research areas. The role supports progression from PA-I to PA-III levels depending on experience and demonstrated KSAs.

Applicants must have a Master’s or a Bachelor’s with PA experience, be eligible for PANCE, and hold or obtain full, unrestricted licensure in the United States or DC.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in any discipline or a bachelor's degree with one year of experience as a Physician Assistant ~AND~
• Successfully passed the PA National Certifying Exam (PANCE) ~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.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct patient care at an appropriate level of competence and independence.
• Perform patient history and physical.
• Formulate a plan and provide treatment to the patient.
• Lead and coordinate patient care across clinical, administrative, educational and/or research areas.

Skills

Patient care

PANCE eligibility

Medical documentation

Clinical reasoning

Education

Master's degree

Bachelor's degree

Job description

The Physician Assistant provides direct patient care at an appropriate level of competence and independence. The programmatic responsibility for VN-03 Physician Assistant is unique and differs by specialty. The individual performs a variety of clinical activities and functions. The individuals' professional practice is characterized by assignments in clinical, administrative, educational and/or research areas.

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.

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.

Grade Determinations

Physician Assistant-I (PA-I)

Experience and Education. None beyond the basic requirements. This is the entry level for PAs.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.

• Ability to utilize the principles of PA practice in the care of assigned patients to provide appropriate care.
• Ability to perform patient history and physical.
• Ability to formulate a plan and provide treatment to the patient.
• Ability to provide patient care that is abreast of changing concepts and advancements in the profession.

Physician Assistant-II (PA-II)

Experience and Education. The PA at this grade is at the intermediate grade level and has had progressively increasing responsibility and experiences as indicated in the KSAs listed below. Individuals will have demonstrated the ability to analyze and solve more complex medical problems than at the entry level grade and can utilize their training in the successful practice of patient care and participate in team problem solving. Individuals demonstrate the KSAs of PA-II intermediate level by:

• Two years of successful practice as a PA.
• 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.
• A doctoral degree in a health-related field from an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). 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-II:

• Skills to analyze and solve complex medical problems.
• Ability to function autonomously and make independent medical decisions.
• Skill to incorporate training and experience into the successful practice of patient care including telehealth medical care.
• Ability to work effectively in an interdisciplinary environment for improvement of services for patient care.
• Ability to practice with colleagues and peers collaboratively.

Physician Assistant-III (PA-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.
• 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.
• 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.

• 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/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is VN-03. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of 1 to 3.

Physical Requirements:

The physical requirements of this position include lifting, prolonged standing, sitting, frequent bending, stooping, walking, reaching, repetitive motion, and climbing stairs. The mental/sensory requirements include logical thinking, processing and retaining information, reading, recall, reasoning, complex problem solving, hearing, clear distinct speech, writing, keyboarding, use of a telephone, and use of video connectivity.