Summary

The VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System is recruiting for Physician Assistant-Compensation & Pension. Physician Assistant-Compensation & Pension will function in the Primary Care Service.

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:

• 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: Master's degree in any discipline
• OR 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)
• 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: Physician Assistant-I (PA-I) Experience and Education
• None beyond the basic requirements
• 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: Ability to utilize the principles of PA practice in the care of assigned patients to provide appropriate care
• Ability to perform patient history and physical
• Ability to formulate a plan and provide treatment to the patient
• Ability to provide patient care that is abreast of changing concepts and advancements in the profession
• Physician Assistant-II (PA-II) Experience and Education
• Two years of successful practice as a PA
• OR 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 A doctoral degree in a health-related field from an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education
• 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: Skills to analyze and solve complex medical problems
• Ability to function autonomously and make independent medical decisions
• Skill to incorporate training and experience into the successful practice of patient care including telehealth medical care
• Ability to work effectively in an interdisciplinary environment for improvement of services for patient care
• Ability to practice with colleagues and peers collaboratively
• Physician Assistant-III (PA-III) Experience and Education
• Three years of successful practice as a PA
• OR 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 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
• 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: Ability to clinically evaluate facility patient care delivery systems and validate or identify barriers to safe and effective patient care
• 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)
• Ability to present clinical findings and recommendations to appropriate management officials
• Ability to clinically facilitate the delivery of patient care in collaboration with health professionals - health managers - and other health care personnel
• 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
• Ability to participate clinically in the development of the PA patient care audit processes involving in-depth review and analysis of medical records
• Preferred Experience: At least 2 years of recent experience treating the acute and chronically ill in a full time primary care setting
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is VN-3
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of VN-1 to VN-3
• Physical Requirements: Physical qualifications required the ability to stand - walk - bend - and move freely
• Must be emotionally stable and cooperative
• Work is accomplished predominantly on the inpatient unit
• The physical surroundings involve working with the acute and chronically physically and mentally ill patients - which may cause discomfort related to negative verbal and physical activities from these patients
• Work involves regular and recurring exposure to infection and contagious diseases.

Duties

• VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package
• Position will cover Compensation & Pension (C&P) - Environmental Health - and Military Environmental Exposure (MEE) Assessments C&P receives their workload from VBA
• The expectation is that exams are scheduled within 20 days from being received from VBA (60% currently are) - and cases are completed/returned to VBA for ratings within 30 days of receipt
• C&P general-medical examiners complete DBQ (Disability Benefit Questionnaires) - ACE (Acceptable Clinical Evidence) exams
• they also complete CDL (Commercial Drivers License) exams by internal consult - not part of the VBA workload
• All requests from VBA are triaged by a clinician
• C&P examiners are also cross-trained as Environmental Health examiners - and complete Environmental Health Registry and MEE (Military Environmental Exposure) exams - In FY25 - October - January - the unit completed 691 EH exams
• PACT Act (Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act) has resulted in increased demand for C&P - EH - and MEE services with an unprecedented number of Veterans filing claims for disability benefits
• PACT Act also mandated Veterans complete a Toxic Exposure Screening (TES) - with 40% of Veterans endorsing an exposure - and 49% of those referred to Environmental Health
• Please see attached memorandum: Informational: Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Clarification and Guidance Regarding Public Law 116-315 and Impacts on VHA's Compensation and Pension (C&P) Program (VIEWS 10782)
• C&P departments are to be maintained
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday from 8:00a to 4:30p Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized