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Physician Assistant (SICU)

Employer
USAJobs
Location
Washington, D.C
Closing date
Aug 22, 2019
Duties

Summary

Physician Assistant (PA) practices in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) within the Surgical & Perioperative Care Service Line. The main role of the PA is to provide care to patients referred to General Surgery. The PA will assist with the pre-op evaluation and postoperative care of the patients to include night call coverage. The responsibilities also include first assist in the operating room, post op care in the SICU, daily rounds, progress notes and follow-up in the clinic.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

Duties of the position include, but are not limited to:
Conducts comprehensive examinations, diagnosis as appropriate, and implement treatment plans.
Inputs appropriate documentation such as but not limited to; admission orders, progress notes, transfer summaries, discharge summaries as well as ordering special labs, and radiographic studies.
Provides medical education/counseling of patients and their families.
Verifies and assures that identified pre-operative surgical requirements are met, assure appropriate arrangements have been established for admission, and coordinate inpatient activities on the floor.
Primarily responsible for admissions and medical care of patients.
First assist in the operating room.
Promotes patient care programs for the general surgery patients and periodically update them based upon current evidence-based concepts.
Performs administrative work in an administrative capacity for the service.
Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 7:30 am - 4:00 pm
Financial Discloser Report: Not required
Recruitment/Relocation Incentives: Not authorized
Relocation Allowance: Not authorized

This position is covered by AFGE bargaining unit. Per the AFGE Master Agreement, the Area of Consideration will be:
1st Area of Consideration- Current Facility and CBOC employees
2nd Area of Consideration - VA Nationwide applicants
3rd Area of Consideration - All other eligible candidates

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
None

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • United States Citizenship Required; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
  • Designated and/or random drug testing required
  • 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 a background/security investigation
  • Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
  • Must pass pre-employment physical examination


Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/23/2019.

Basic Requirements:
  • United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
  • Education. The candidate must meet the following: (1) Graduate of a PA training program, or of a surgical assistant program which is accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) or one of its predecessor organizations; and (2) A Bachelor's degree from an accredited PA training program or in another health sciences related field from an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
  • Certification: Current and continuous certification by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) is required for employment in VHA.
    Note: Recent PA graduates who are eligible to take the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) may be employed by VA on a temporary basis (38 U.S.C. 7405), for a period not to exceed two years, as provided in VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section G, Paragraph 5.
    If a PA's NCCPA certification is suspended, revoked or expires, the PA must be removed from the occupation which may result in termination of employment.
  • English Language Proficiency - all persons serving in positions involving direct patient care must be proficient in English language.
Preferred Experience:
OR experience, General surgery; open and laparoscopic.
OORAM Certification.
ICU experience; certification preferred.
Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills.
Night and weekend service coverage required.

Grade Determinations: Chief Grade. In addition to meeting the basic requirements above, candidates must meet all requirements described in this standard for Senior Grade through VA employment or non-VA PA positions with equivalent scope and complexity. Appointment or promotion to Chief Grade is based on the individual's demonstrated high level of clinical expertise, leadership ability, and the ability to function with a high degree of autonomy. Further, the PA candidate for Chief Grade will have demonstrated all the requirements of one or more of the following categories: Management/Administrative, Clinical Proficiency, Professional Development and Research.
(1) Experience / Education
(a) Generally, an individual in this grade is able to demonstrate the behaviors listed in the areas below after 5 years of professional practice as a PA; and,
(b) The minimum education for this grade is a Master's Degree from a PA training program accredited by ARC-PA or in a health-related field of study. However, experience as a PA may be substituted for the Master's degree where the individual has an equivalent knowledge of the profession and has successfully undertaken a combination of difficult or complex assignments in several clinical, administrative, research and educational arenas which required a high degree of competence.
(2) Management/Administrative
(a) Accepts substantial and continuing responsibility for managing or coordinating a healthcare program including follow-up actions to ensure compliance with regulatory bodies required by internal and external review organizations and accrediting bodies, and;
(b) Successfully integrates the activities of the employee's assignment with other patient care programs at the facility or with similar programs on a broader geographic basis, and;
(c) Develops policies and procedures and participates in executive level decision making deliberations, and;
(d) Participates in long range program planning and model development for effective delivery of services, and;
(e) Performs a full range of administrative duties relative to the assignment.
(3) Clinical Competencies
(a) Clinical Proficiency
1. Evaluates facility patient care delivery systems and validates or identifies barriers to safe, effective care. Presents findings and recommendations to appropriate management officials and participates in implementation of changes, and;
2. Exhibits leadership in initiating changes in patient care programs based on current concepts and findings from research and/or studies, and;
3. Facilitates the delivery of patient care in collaboration with health professionals, health managers and other health care personnel, and;
4. Exhibits exceptional clinical skills and consistently demonstrates a high level of expertise in diagnosing and treating seriously ill, multi-symptomatic patients.
(b) Professional Development
1. Develops and implements education and training programs involving a variety of specialties in widely diversified activities, and;
2. Provides personnel with the vital link between education and practice.
3. Coordinates clinical training of healthcare students including facilitation of clinical rotations, recruitment preceptors and evaluation of student, and;
4. Maintains close relationships with affiliated schools and healthcare training programs and coordinates clinical rotations with curriculum needs, and;
5. Serves on education and training committees, advisory groups and special task forces concerned with managing education and career development activities.
(c) Ethics
1. Provides leadership in addressing ethical issues that impact patients and staff at the medical facility and the local health care community.
2. Participates in the education of facility staff in ethical concepts and encourages staff participation in ethics educational programs.
(d) Interpersonal Skills
1. Demonstrates leadership in developing productive working relationships with groups in other programs, services, academic settings, and community agencies.
2. Effectively collaborates and interacts with other regional medical facilities to enhance seamless coordination of inter-facility patient care.
(e) Research
1. Conducts approved, merit-reviewed research projects; performs independent research; serves as a contributing member of a research team or serves as a member of a research committee; formulates research proposals and protocol submissions for merit review; and develops publishable material for appropriate professional journals or speaks to peer groups, and;
2. Effectively researches problems of major scope; directs independent research of considerable interest and value, where the research contribution is highly productive and of such quality and originality as to have marked the PA as a significant contributor to advances in patient care and services.

References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/78, PART II, APPENDIX G8

Physical Requirements: 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; visual an auditory acuity; 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. Examples include: heavy lifting of 45 pounds and over, heavy carrying of 45 pounds and over, near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1-4, far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20-40 in the other.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html .

Additional information

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

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

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.

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.

If you are unable to apply online view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application .

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, résumé, 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.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

  • VA Form 10-2850c
  • Resume
  • Transcript


VA Form 10-2850c can be found at: http://www.va.gov/vaforms/search_action.asp?FormNo=2850&tkey=&Action=Search . Required at time of application.

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please use this checklist to ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

  • Cover Letter
  • DD-214/ Statement of Service
  • Disability Letter (Schedule A)
  • Disability Letter (VA)
  • OF-306
  • VA Form 10-2850c
  • Professional Certification
  • Resume
  • Separation Notice (RIF)
  • SF-15
  • SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
  • Transcript


Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/vetpref/index.aspx .

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

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