Physician Assistant (Primary Care)

Summary

Denver VA Primary Care is recruiting for one (1) Physician Assistant for the Colorado Springs location.

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized

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Overview

• Accepting applications

• Open & closing dates

08/06/2024 to 08/14/2024

• Salary

$89,905 - $166,483 per year

A formal pay-setting process will be used to determine your salary. The salary may be at any point in the range listed for this vacancy.

• Pay scale & grade

VN 1 - 3

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Location

1 vacancy in the following location:

• Colorado Springs, CO 1 vacancy

• Remote job

No

• Telework eligible

No

• Travel Required

Not required

• Relocation expenses reimbursed

No

• Appointment type

Permanent

• Work schedule

Full-time

• Service

Excepted

• Promotion potential

3

• Job family (Series)

0603 Physician Assistant

• Supervisory status

No

• Security clearance

Other

• Drug test

Yes

• Position sensitivity and risk

Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

• Trust determination process

Credentialing

Suitability/Fitness

• Financial disclosure

No

• Bargaining unit status

Yes

• Announcement number

CBSU-12500121-24-HMD

• Control number

803546100

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This job is open to

• Internal to an agency

Current federal employees of this agency.

• The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

• Veterans

Clarification from the agency

All qualified candidates encouraged to apply. Open to U.S. Citizens but non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens.

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Duties

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

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• All qualified candidates encouraged to apply. Open to U.S. Citizens but non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens.

• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.

• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.

• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.

• You may be required to serve a probationary period.

• Subject to background/security investigation.

• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.

• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.

• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).

• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

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.

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

Education

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf for more information.

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• Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new window

Learn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

NOTE: A formal pay-setting process will be used to determine your salary. The salary may be at any point in the range listed for this vacancy.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.