Summary The VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System (VAAAHS) operates multiple, diverse healthcare delivery settings at the Ann Arbor facility. The physician assistant will function within the setting of the cardiology section of the department at the VA Ann Arbor Medical Center. Responsibilities Physician Assistant for Cardiology Consults at the Ann Arbor Medical Center whose primary areas of responsibility will involve the outpatient Cardiology Consult clinic as well as the management and oversight of outpatient cardioversions and coverage for the cardiac stress lab. The PA will be fully qualified and certified to function in both a clinical and administrative role and in accordance with the guidelines and policies of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center. This individual is delegated the authority and responsibility in his/her area of expertise to assume major clinical, consultative, educational, research, and administrative duties and assignments related to the care of patients with cardiovascular disease. Clinical i. Primary focus of practice is the clinical management of health care for patients in the Cardiology Consult Clinic, a general Cardiology clinic. ii. Initiates referrals to Interventional Cardiology, Electrophysiology, and Heart Failure clinic when warranted. Collaborates with other health care resources to ensure continuity of care. iii. Evaluates patients with dysrhythmias that potentially warrant cardioversions and then arranges/performs outpatient direct current cardioversions when clinically indicated. iv. Evaluates patients for cardiology preoperative assessments, expedites the evaluation when indicated, and makes cardiology preoperative recommendations. v. Carries the functional Cardiology pager during normal business hours to help the inpatient Cardiology team triage inpatient consults, to expedite urgent outpatient cardiology consults, and to serve as a resource person to members of the medical 2 staff and at outside medical centers (VA and non-VA) regarding the patient care and logistics of VA patients with cardiovascular disease. vi. Provides coverage in the cardiac stress lab on a consistent basis for exercise tolerance tests, exercise tolerance tests with myocardial perfusion, and pharmacologic stress tests with myocardial perfusion. vii. Assists a team of Cardiology Fellows in informing patients of tests done in the Cardiology clinic in a timely manner and in arranging appropriate cardiovascular testing and follow up. Administrative i. Assists the Chief of Cardiology in the care and management of patients with cardiovascular disease receiving care at the VAMC ii. Directs Cardiology program support and Cardiology clinic nursing staff regarding patient flow in the Cardiology Consult clinic and oversees patient care delivery in the Cardiology Consult clinic. iii. Screens and triages Atrial Fibrillation/Atrial Flutter Cardioversion and Cardiology Preoperative Evaluation consults iv. Serves on the interview board when Cardiology Section is attempting to hire new staff for open positions v. Initiates, coordinates and participates in interdisciplinary meetings as needed to address issues of quality of care, documentation and delivery of services; attends meetings on-site or off-site when appropriate and relevant to the facilitation and delivery of Cardiology services. Education/Research i. Serves as the Cardiology Section's Physician Assistant education point of contact for institutions that have Physician Assistant students participate in a Cardiology rotation at the VAMC. ii. Precepts Physician Assistant students on their elective Cardiology rotation. iii. Orients General Medicine Residents and Medical Students on their Cardiology Consult rotation. iv. Assures self-development responsibilities and maintains current knowledge of trends in cardiovascular medicine. v. Participates in Cardiology Section's clinical research programs when appropriate. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. Work Schedule: M-F 7am-530pm Compressed/Flexible: Available Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. 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. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. 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). You may be required to serve a probationary period. Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. 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: Clinical experience in Arrythmia and Device Outpatient Clinical Setting, Experience with Cardiac Device Interrogation and Programing, Experience in Cardiac Device Remote Monitoring and Patient Management 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. 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-I to PA-III. Physical Requirements: This work is mostly sedentary and requires some standing, bending and carrying light items. The incumbent must have the ability to stand and walk for prolonged periods of time to interact with the patients and other services. 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. 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. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.
