Physician Assistant - PACT - Primary Care (McClellan)

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; North Highlands (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

The US Department of Veterans Affairs in Northern California seeks a Physician Assistant to support Primary Care under supervision of leadership, covering both clinical and administrative duties.

Applicants must meet basic requirements, be eligible for licensure, have a PANCE, and hold an unrestricted license; role emphasizes KSAs, telehealth, and collaboration with an interdisciplinary team.

Qualifications

• Master's degree or bachelor's with one year PA experience required.
• Successful PA National Certifying Exam (PANCE) and licensure in a US state.
• Full and unrestricted license to practice in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States or in the District of Columbia.

Skills

Clinical assessment

Medical history & exam

Telehealth

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Plan of care

Education

Master's degree in any discipline

Bachelor's degree with 1 year PA experience

Job description

The local Primary Care Supervisory Physician and Primary Care Assistant Chief are responsible for the supervision and evaluation of the Primary Care PA, covering both clinical and administrative aspects of the work, with the concurrence of the VA Northem California Health Care System Associate Chief of Staff, Chief of Staff.
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

In addition to the basic requirements stated above, the following qualification criteria must be met in determining the appropriate grade assignment of candidates:

Physician Assistant-I (PA-I)

Experience and Education. None beyond the basic requirements.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities(KSAs).

• i. Ability to utilize the principles of PA practice in the care of assigned patients to provide appropriate care.
• ii. Ability to perform patient history and physical.
• iii. Ability to formulate a plan and provide treatment to the patient.
• iv. 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:

• i. Two years of successful practice as a PA. OR,
• ii. 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. OR,
• iii. 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).

• i. Skills to analyze and solve complex medical problems.
• ii. Ability to function autonomously and make independent medical decisions.
• iii. Skill to incorporate training and experience into the successful practice of patient care including telehealth medical care.
• iv. Ability to work effectively in an interdisciplinary environment for improvement of services for patient care.
• v. 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:

• i. Three years of successful practice as a PA. OR,
• ii. 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,
• iii. 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(KSAs).

• i. Ability to clinically evaluate facility patient care delivery systems and validate or identify barriers to safe and effective patient care.
• ii. 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).
• iii. Ability to present clinical findings and recommendations to appropriate management officials.
• iv. Ability to clinically facilitate the delivery of patient care in collaboration with health professionals, health managers, and other health care personnel.
• v. 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.
• vi. Ability to participate clinically in the development of the PA patient care audit processes involving in-depth review and analysis of medical records.

Exceptions for Graduate PA

(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.

Preferred Experience

• Possess physician assistant experience in Primary Care, Internal Medicine or Family Medicine.
• Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) license

Reference

https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/

Pre-placement Examination: Complete TB Testing and Immunization evaluations.

Physical Requirements

The position requires visual and auditory acuity at a level to provide safe and effective patient care. Use and function of all normal motor and sensory anatomy for provision of patient care, reading, writing, listening, observing/seeing, heavy lifting, bending, pulling, pushing, stooping, squatting, walking, standing, use of fine motor muscles; In an eight-hour day, must be able to sit for 3 ½ hours, stand for 3 ½ hours, and walk for 1 hour. The position also requires ability to work on computers for extended periods of time. Requires use of hands for actions such as typing, simple grasping, fine manipulation, and repetitive actions.
Requires the ability to frequently respond to multiple demands and priorities. Emotional intelligence to respond to stressful and/or emergent situations and crises appropriately and calmly; Self-care skills to maintain physical, psychological, and emotional health. Heavy lifting of 45 pounds and over, heavy carrying of 45 pounds and over, straight pulling, pushing, reaching above shoulder, use of fingers, both hands required, walking, standing, kneeling, repeated bending, ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously. Has potential for exposure to infectious diseases, hazardous waste and chemicals.