Duties

Summary

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. Learn more

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

Referral Coordination Initiative (RCI) Clinical Reviewer will be responsible for, but not limited to:

1. Adhering to the requirements as outlined in the VHA Referral Coordination Initiative Implementation Guidebook.
2. Ensure relevant information is communicated across specialty services, with an aim to provide Veterans with appropriate and timely care options.
3. Identify possible barriers to care with the Veteran, family and clinical care team to provide a team-based plan of care.
4. Enhance the quality of clinical outcomes and Veteran satisfaction while offering the Veteran the opportunity to make an informed decision about their care.
5. Reduce the average time it takes to schedule appointments, whether the appointment is in the VA's direct care system or in the community.
6. Perform clinical triage of the referral (consult)

• a. Utilize the facility Service Line Agreements (SLA) and established Care Coordination Agreements (CCA) for determining medical necessity and appropriateness.
• b. Review Best Medical Interest ( BMI ) rationale, if selected.
• c. Run the DST for Community Care eligibility.

7. Coordinate with other specialties, as needed.

• a. Identify barriers to care and provide a team-based plan of care.

8. Document the availability and selection of VA Care options and modalities and Community Care options.
9. Utilize the provided script while communicating directly with the Veteran to ensure the most appropriate care option and modality of care is offered.
10. Perform a warm hand-off per the appropriate care option:

• a. In-house care option: administrative RCT member for scheduling.
• b. TVC Care option: Traveling Veteran Coordinator (TVC) for coordination.
• c. Interfacility (IFC) Care option: partnering VA Medical Center for coordination via an IFC referral (consult).
• d. Care in the Community Option: CITC staff for coordination.

11. Disposition the specialty referral appropriately (consult).
12. Empower Veterans with key information to help them make more informed decisions about where to receive that care.
13. Remove non-value-added steps to optimize the use of clinical staff for the benefit of the Veteran.
14. Have clinical knowledge of a variety of medical and surgical specialties.
15. Maximize the interaction with the Veteran to identify needs and gather preferences to ensure that appropriate modality of care is offered.
16. Provide clinical and administrative consultation and ongoing education to Primary Care and Specialty Care.
17. Other duties as assigned and deemed necessary to meet the needs of the Medical Center.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:45 AM - 4:30 PM
Telework: Available-Ad Hoc
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Contact Chrisophter.cullen@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Discloser Report: Not required

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
3

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• 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 a 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 Department of Veterans Affairs Personnel

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.

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. [Graduate of a training program which is accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education of PA (ARC-PA) or one of its predecessor organizations. Additionally, candidates must meet one of the following:
  • 1) Master's degree in any discipline; OR
  • (2) Bachelor's degree in any discipline with one year of experience as a PA.
• Certification. [Must have successfully passed the PA National Certifying Exam (PANCE).NOTE: Current and continuous certification by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) is no longer required for employment in VHA. (See paragraph 3a in this standard for additional information regarding the certification requirement for employees grandfathered into the occupation.
• Licensure. PAs must possess an active, current, full, and unrestricted license to practice in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia. PAs must maintain current registration in the State of licensure if this is a requirement for continuing active and current licensure in that State.

Grade Determinations:

• 1) 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.
• (2) 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.
• (3) 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.

References: VA Handbook 5005/134 Part II Appendix G8, effective September 27, 2020. This can be found in the local Human Resources office.

The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of PA-1 to PA-3.

Physical Requirements: See VA directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service.

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

Testing Designated Position: 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.

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 or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, 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
Not Required

Drug test required
Yes

Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Trust determination process
Credentialing , Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

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

• Resume

VA Form 10-2850 an be found at: https://www.va.gov/vaforms/medical/pdf/vha-2850-fill_BAK.pdf.

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
• License
• 10-2850a
• Other
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

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.