Physician Assistant (General Surgery)

Summary The Salisbury VA Medical Center is seeking a Physician Assistant for its Surgery Service Line. The Certified Physician Assistant (General Surgery) will utilize their clinical skills to facilitate, coordinate, and deliver comprehensive Surgical care to eligible veterans in the Surgical Service at the Salisbury VA Medical Center in Salisbury, NC as well as the outpatient Health Care Centers in the surrounding region. Responsibilities Clinical (Primary) – Primary provider supporting the Wound Care Clinic in Salisbury. PA will work closely with the wound care nurse in this capacity. – Staff the PA minor surgery clinic in Salisbury (and HCCs when necessary) (soft tissue/skin procedures). – Staff General Surgery provider clinics when requested. – May be asked to assist with inpatient, outpatient and ED care of our Vascular and Thoracic Surgery patients. – May be asked to evaluate Inpatient and Emergency Department General Surgery consults as “first call” during business hours and communicating with the General Surgery Residents and Attendings to facilitate proper care and disposition for these patients. – Conducts pre-operative workups for patients including but not limited to: 1) obtaining preoperative medical optimization when appropriate, 2) obtaining preoperative consent for a procedure when appropriate, 3) working with the nurse case managers to post and schedule cases using approved protocol. – May be asked to assist with the initial screening/triaging/receiving of consults using the electronic medical record system (CPRS) for patients in the outpatient clinics at all three locations (Salisbury/Charlotte/Kernersville). – May be asked to evaluate, follow and facilitate the management of all General Surgery inpatients. This includes working with the house staff/residents and appropriate communication to the attendings. – Perform simple laceration suturing; venipuncture; arterio-puncture; suture removal; administration of intramuscular, subcutaneous and intradermal injections; chest tube management; administer local nerve blocks, administration of local anesthetics and corticosteroids and cleansing and debridement of wounds as needed. – Assists with, modifies or creates relevant educational materials for patients and their families. – Maybe asked to work with Residents and Attendings to ensure that all patients on the service or for whom the service is consulting have H&Ps/consults, daily progress notes, transfer notes, discharge instructions, discharge summaries and other important documentation in the medical record. – May be asked to institute appropriate treatment for minor surgery problems encountered on inpatients, ED patients and clinic patients. – Conduct patient and family teaching/education to provide continuity of care. – Assist in the operating room as needed. Educational and Research: – Actively participate as one of the primary educators for the PA students who rotate through the program and work with the Section Chief and other PAs to optimize our educational service. – Under the direction of the Section Chief, assist with the education of the medical students and surgical residents who rotate on the service. -Incumbent is encouraged to obtain official associate academic appointments to our academic partner institutions (WFU, Wingate). -Under the direction of the Section Chief and operating under the auspices of the R&E department, assist with clinical research, outcome tracking and quality improvement/best practice activities. Administrative: -Screening of consultations and scheduling patients into the appropriate clinic. -Assist in responding to patient inquiries and with clinical issues brought forth by the General Surgery team members, or other personnel within or outside of this VAMC. -Participate in ongoing education, quality control, improvement processes and re-credentialing processes as required by the institutions by-laws and Professional Standards Board. Work Schedule: Monday – Friday, 8:00am -4:30pm Financial Discloser Report: Not required Travel Required- Salisbury is primary duty location but travel to the HCCs in Kernersville and/or Charlotte may be required as determined by the section chief. Requirements Conditions of Employment 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 Required Qualifications (Per Handbook 5005) Physician Assistant Must be a citizen of the United States. United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. The Physician Assistant is a graduate of a PA training program, which is certified by CAHEA. Additionally, the Physician Assistant must maintain current certification by NCCPA. Clinical and administrative competence and skills are evidenced by postgraduate experience in progressively more complex patient assignments over at least four years. Individual maintains credentialing for procedural assignments. Certification. Must have successfully passed the PA National Certifying Exam (PANCE) 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. At least one-year experience with Surgical Service. Must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 USC 7402(d), 7407(d). Preferred Qualifications Minimum of at least one year of successful practice as a Physician Assistant providing medical care to patients to include Physician Assistant residency or practice Demonstrated ability to work effectively with other disciplines Demonstrated excellence in written/verbal communication and time management Demonstrated ability to use computer systems in support of patient care delivery Preferred Level of Education Physician Assistant Masters in Physician Assistant Preferred Certification(s) BLS Grade Determinations: Full Grade. In addition to meeting the basic requirements, individuals appointed to this grade must meet all the following requirements: Clinical Proficiency: Provides effective care to patients characterized by the use of sound judgment in assessing, planning, implementing, documenting, and evaluating patient care for assigned patients. This includes possessing the skill and competency to obtain thorough medical histories, perform comprehensive physical examinations, order appropriate diagnostic studies, interpret and analyze medical data, establish diagnoses, formulate and implement treatment plans, and modify treatment plans when appropriate; works effectively and makes appropriate requests for assistance from the assigned physician and recognizes complex patient care situations where referral is appropriate; references quality improvement information and organizes patient care needs to assure safe, efficient and cost-effective care; initiates effective actions in emergencies. Professional Development: Obtains additional knowledge and skills appropriate to the practice setting to improve performance and provides patient education in an effective manner. Ethics. Safeguards patient privacy and confidentiality. Provides care in a nonjudgmental, non-discriminatory manner respecting the patients values and beliefs. Interpersonal Skills: Works effectively with patients, families, caregivers, and other professional and support personnel. Intermediate Grade. In addition to meeting the basic requirements above, candidates must meet all requirements described in this standard for Full Grade. Individuals appointed or advanced to Intermediate Grade will have demonstrated the ability to analyze and solve more complex medical problems and meet the following requirements and all clinical competencies: Experience / Education: 1 year of professional practice as a PA; OR successful completion of a PA post-graduate residency program accredited by ARC-PA or by the U.S. Armed Forces; OR a Masters degree from a PA training program certified by ARC-PA or in another health-related field from an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Senior Grade. In addition to meeting the basic requirements above, candidates must meet all requirements described in this standard for Intermediate Grade. Individuals appointed or advanced to Senior Grade will have demonstrated the behaviors or responsibilities listed in one or more of the following categories: Clinical Proficiency, Education, Professional Development, Management/Administrative, and Research, as applicable to the assignment. Experience / Education: 3 years of professional practice as a PA; OR 2 years of professional practice as a PA and successful completion of a PA post-graduate residency program accredited by ARC-PA or by the U.S. Armed Forces; OR 2 years of professional practice as a PA and a Masters degree from a PA training program certified by ARC-PA or in another health-related field from an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education; OR a Doctoral degree in a health-related field from an accredited college or university recognized by the U. S. Department of Education. AND Management/Administrative. One of the following responsibilities must be demonstrated: a. Evaluates service level 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. B. Manages patient quality management data bases such as the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) if assigned. C. Serves on service or facility committees/task forces if applicable to the assignment. D. Coordinates consult referrals within the service assigned. E. Coordinates and facilitates inter-service agreements. AND All clinical competencies. Reference: VA HANDBOOK 5005/78 SEPTEMBER 5, 2014 PART II APPENDIX G8 II-G8-2. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. Physical Requirements: Physical demands include repetitive body movements including the following: frequent reaching, standing, walking, and lifting of equipment and/or patients to provide patient care. 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.