Advanced Practice Registered Nurses / Physician Assistants
Internal Number: 803546100
Denver VA Primary Care is recruiting for one (1) Physician Assistant for the Colorado Springs location. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized 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. Preferred Experience: Minimum of 5 years practice as a PA in Primary Care or Family Practice Prior VA experience 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) (a) Experience and Education. None beyond the basic requirements. This is the entry level for PAs. (b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. The following list of knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) present the minimum skill set expected of an Entry Level PA. This practice may include, but is not limited to: 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) (a) 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. (b) 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: 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) (a) 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. (b) 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: 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. 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 II to PA III. Physical Requirements: Light carrying less than 15 pounds Use of fingers of at least one hand; Walking 1 hour or less (gait/mobility aid permitted); Standing 1 hour or less (gait/mobility aid permitted) Mostly sitting; Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4 Far vision correctable to 20/40: Hearing (aid permitted); Working with hands in water Working closely with others; Protracted or irregular hours of work ["The provider is academically and clinically prepared to perform a broad spectrum of health care services at the expert level. The incumbent functions with delineated clinical privileges granted by the Medical Staff. The provider functions independently and maintains ongoing collaboration with physicians, peers, and others on the healthcare team and within the community. All care provided by the provider will be in alignment with VHA, JC, and national standards and outcomes research. Functions or Scope of Assigned Duties: Clinical: 100% Primary Responsibilities include patient care, systematic evaluation of clinical practice, consultation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and problem resolution across service/discipline lines. The provider maintains flexibility with a high degree of interpersonal skill, effective communication, leadership, motivation, self-direction, and ongoing evaluation of activities. The Provider will be assigned to work with a group of PACT primary care providers, and the major role of the Provider will be to provide same day/acute care services to patients requesting/requiring acute care services on the PACT teams that the Provider is assigned to work with. The Provider will also be utilized to cover scheduled PACT patients during times of unplanned absences for the providers on the PACT teams that the Provider is assigned to work with. The provider will provide PACT team coverage for routine care during periods of planned absences of providers on PACT teams that the provider is assigned to work with. The provider may be assigned a panel of patients in which the provider is responsible for providing preventative health medicine, chronic disease management, and acute medical care. The provider will work within the PACT teams to provide collaborative, interdisciplinary assessments. The provider will prepare treatment plans for the patients assigned to the PACT team(s) the provider is assigned to work with. The provider will demonstrate proficiency in practice based on conscious and deliberate planning and is self-directed in goal setting for managing primary care to the patients. The incumbent: 1) provides leadership in the application of the nursing process to client care, organizational processes and/or systems, improving outcomes at the program or service level. 2) provides leadership in identifying and addressing ethical issues that impact clients and staff, including initiating and participating in ethics consultations; 3) manages program resources (financial, human, material, or informational) to facilitate safe, effective, and efficient care; 4) implements an educational plan to meet changing program or service needs for self and others; 5) maintains knowledge of current techniques, trends, and professional issues; 6) uses professional standards of care and practice to evaluate programs and/or service activities; 7) uses the group process to identify, analyze, and resolve care problems; 8) coaches colleagues in team building; 9) makes sustained contributions to health care by sharing expertise within and/or outside the medical facility; 10) initiates interdisciplinary projects to improve organizational performance; 11) collaborates with others in research activities to improve care. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00-4:30pm Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized"]
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.