Physician Assistant

Veterans Health Administration•Little Rock, AR

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS) Physician Assistant works within the Medicine Service, providing clinical practice, consultation, and management focused on quality, timeliness, and advancing the Veterans Affairs mission. The role provides independent overnight medical management for admitted and residential patients at the North Little Rock and/or Little Rock campuses. Services may include acute and subacute rehabilitation, dementia and psychiatric units, residential rehabilitation, domiciliary care, Community Living Center care, and inpatient services at JLM. The PA provides facility-wide after-hours medical oversight at North Little Rock, serving as the primary medical decision maker for urgent and emergent issues across inpatient, residential, and designated outpatient areas. The position works with nursing staff, the Nurse Officer of the Day (NOD), emergency departments, and other providers to assess and manage patients, coordinate transfers, and maintain continuity of care. The PA also participates in patient-safety reporting, peer review, and chart-review processes. The work schedule is seven days on and seven days off. Scheduled hours are Wednesday through Monday, 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., and Tuesday, 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.; the schedule may change based on service needs. Compressed or flexible scheduling is available. Telework is not available, and the position is not virtual. The work is performed in an office/clinic setting and may involve stressful situations and multiple tasks at once. Physical activities may include walking, standing, lifting or carrying light items, bending, stooping, pulling, pushing, rapid movement during emergencies, and wearing personal protective equipment. Applicants must meet the VA Physician Assistant basic requirements, including qualifying education, PANCE certification or being in the process of taking the exam, and a full and unrestricted state, territory, commonwealth, or District of Columbia license. Grade assignment depends on the applicable experience, education, and knowledge, skills, and abilities criteria. At least one year of inpatient hospital medicine experience is preferred.

Requirements

Master's degree in any discipline, or bachelor's degree in any discipline plus one year of experience as a Physician Assistant.
Successfully passed the PA National Certifying Exam (PANCE), or be in the process of taking the exam.
Currently hold, or be able to obtain, a full and unrestricted license to practice in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia.
Proficiency in written and spoken English.
Meet the applicable grade-level experience, education, and knowledge, skills, and abilities criteria for the grade sought.
PA-I: No experience beyond the basic requirements; ability to apply PA practice principles, perform patient histories and physicals, formulate plans and provide treatment, and keep patient care current with advances in the profession.
PA-II: Two years of successful PA practice, or completion of an eligible postgraduate PA residency, or a doctoral degree in a health-related field; demonstrate the applicable intermediate-level knowledge, skills, and abilities.
PA-III: Three years of successful PA practice, or an eligible postgraduate PA residency plus one year of PA practice, or a doctoral degree in a health-related field plus one year of PA practice; demonstrate or develop the applicable full-performance-level knowledge, skills, and abilities.
Complete required pre-employment screening and onboarding, including a background/security investigation and physical evaluation; selected applicants in testing-designated positions are subject to pre-employment urinalysis.
Register for Selective Service if applicable to male applicants born after December 31, 1959.
Participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program and meet any probationary-period requirement if applicable.

Nice To Haves

At least one year of inpatient hospital medicine experience.

Responsibilities

Independently manage a panel of patients with acute and chronic conditions, emphasizing health promotion and disease prevention using evidence-based practice.
Develop and implement individualized plans for population health and disease management; assess and adjust care plans to support patient outcomes.
Order and interpret laboratory tests, other tests, and diagnostic studies; prescribe pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions; and initiate specialty referrals and consultations.
Educate patients and families.
Provide after-hours, facility-wide medical oversight at North Little Rock and serve as the primary medical decision maker for urgent and emergent issues in inpatient, residential, and designated outpatient areas.
Respond to nursing requests for patient evaluation and treatment, including reviewing electronic medical records, assessing patients in person, entering appropriate orders and documentation, and communicating with nursing staff using closed-loop communication.
Respond to code blue events and, at North Little Rock, lead the code team, coordinate resuscitative care, direct team roles, and collaborate with the NOD on EMS activation and transfers.
Collaborate with the NOD to resolve escalated nursing or patient-care issues and arrange ED transportation when evaluation or stabilization exceeds facility capabilities.
Recognize the limitations of after-hours evaluation and management at North Little Rock, arrange appropriate ED transfers, and provide warm handoffs for patients transferring to the ED or MICU.
Provide coverage for VHA policy-mandated duties, including follow-up on critical after-hours laboratory values for clinic and inpatient Veterans.
Evaluate patients seeking discharge for the safety of their discharge plans and facilitate discharge plans for patients with capacity, including medication fills and discharge summaries with alerts to the primary team.
For patients lacking capacity, facilitate holds authorized by a surrogate decision maker or 72-hour holds in accordance with VHA policy.
Perform histories and physicals and write admission orders when needed for services that permit after-hours admissions.
Promptly evaluate reported falls and document them in accordance with VHA fall policy.
Provide admission-related orders when orders have been lost because of user error or system limitations.
Participate in Joint Patient Safety Review reporting, Peer Review reporting, Root Cause Analysis as appropriate, facility peer review, OPPE review, and other assigned chart-review processes.