Summary The Orthopedic Physician Assistant (PA) is responsible, under the supervision of the Chief of Orthopedic, for addressing the needs of outpatients receiving care from the Orthopedic Section. Additional duties will include, but are not limited to, conducting and/or participating in research and performing administrative duties relevant to the day to-day operations of the Orthopedic Section. Responsibilities Duties include but are not limited to the following: The Orthopedic PA also functions as a coordinator between the Chief of Orthopedic and other team members and will demonstrate leadership and initiative in representing the Orthopedic Section to establish and maintain relations with other key services to include (but not limited to): Surgery and Medicine Services, Primary Care, Prosthetics, Nursing, Social Work, and Radiology. The Orthopedic Section manages a broad range of disease states with both non-operative and surgical treatment options. Patients under the care of this Section often have severe concomitant medical problems, mental health and chronic pain issues and are multi symptomatic. The patients encountered on this service often travel long distances and present with difficult social issues. The often complex and difficult medical management coupled with long distance social issues requires the PA to have exemplary communication skills, relentless attention to detail and unmitigated integrity. The Orthopedic PA performs, as a minimum, the following duties: Demonstrate the ability to diagnose and manage outpatient Orthopedic patients Outpatient Clinic consultation and follow-up, admission History and Physicals, preoperative evaluations, and surgery posting notes and orders. Assist in developing and providing medical education/counseling of patients and their families with a focus on delivery of evidence based, outcomes focused, veteran centric care. This includes addressing goals of care and code status, as indicated. Promote contemporary patient care programs for Orthopedic patients and periodically review and update them based upon current and/or new, broadly accepted concepts. Adhere to Medical Staff bylaws and I CARE values. Maintain and practice as defined by current scope of practice CUSTOMER SERVICE REQUIREMENT. The Orthopedic PA works to ensure that the Section meets the needs of customers while supporting VA missions. Consistently communicates and treats customers (Veterans, their representatives, visitors, and all VA staff) in a courteous, tactful, and respectful manner. The Orthopedic PA provides the customer with consistent information according to established policies and procedures. Handles conflicts and problems dealing with all customers, internal and external, constructively and appropriately Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:00am - 3:30pm and must participate in a rotating weekly on-call schedule Telework: Ad-hoc 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 identification 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. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. 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. 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. Preferred Experience: Experience with both non-operative and surgical treatment options and support Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: All applicants must be physically able to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position. A pre-placement physical examination shall be completed prior to appointment 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.
