Physician Assistant - Primary Care - EDRP Eligible

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Hot Springs (SD); On-site; USD 95,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

EDRP

Job summary

VA Black Hills Health Care System in Hot Springs, SD seeks a Physician Assistant to provide primary care for Veterans within the Primary Care Service Line.

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan reimbursement program. Applicants must meet PA licensure requirements and may be tentatively selected before all requirements are met.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in any discipline or a bachelor's with one year of PA experience
• PANCE certification current or in process
• Full and unrestricted license to practice in the United States or DC

Skills

PA practice KSAs: patient care

PA history & physical

Plan formulation & treatment

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Education

Master's degree in any discipline

Bachelor's degree with PA experience

Job description

VA Black Hills Health Care System (BHHCS) is seeking a Physician Assistant to care for Veterans in Hot Springs, SD within the Primary Care Service Line.

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program.

This vacancy is posted as a Physician, Physician Assistant, and Advanced Practice Nurse (Nurse Practitioner) for one position. 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. This is the entry level for PAs. 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). 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.

Preferred Experience

Primary Care Experience

Reference

For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is PA-III. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of PA-I to PA-III.

Physical Requirements

This position requires visual acuity, keen hearing, clear and distinct speech, and manual dexterity, including use of the fingers and both hands. It requires lifting 15 to 44 pounds, pushing for approximately 2 hours, and reaching above shoulder height. It also requires prolonged periods of walking and standing (3 to 5 hours), along with sitting, stooping, bending, pulling, kneeling, and, at times, transferring patients and objects. The position demands the ability to coordinate rapid mental and muscular responses simultaneously. Near vision must be correctable to Jaeger 1 to 4 at 13 to 16 inches. Far vision must be correctable to 20/20 in one eye and 20/40 in the other. Depth perception and the ability to distinguish basic colors and shades of color are required. A hearing aid is permitted.

Driver's License

This position requires travel to the Pine Ridge VA Clinic once a month. A personal or government vehicle may be used for this travel. A valid, unrestricted driver's license is required.