Clarification from the agency

Open to current permanent VA Nationwide employees and US Citizens. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

The duties of the Physician Assistant (Orthopedic) include but are not limited to:

• Performs patient evaluation including clinical history, physical examination, and ordering of standard laboratory and radiographic studies.
• Schedules clinic appointments for patients to be seen in consultation at the request of other services and arranges follow-up treatment as indicated for such patients by entering appropriate orders in the clinical record.
• Assists managing physician or residents in evaluation and management of outpatient clinic patients.
• Reviews and triages consults to the Orthopedic Service.
• Participates in the perioperative, intraoperative, and postoperative management of patients.
• Manages scheduling of patients for surgery.
• Serves as the liaison between fellows, residents, and patients, and also between consulting services such as rheumatology, dermatology etc.
• Performs removal of sutures, applies and removes casts and braces, and provides injections under supervision in the Orthopedic Clinic.
• Assists in surgical procedures as first or second assistant when needed.
• Writes progress notes concerning operation in chart and postoperative routine orders to be countersigned that day by the operating surgeon.

VA offers a comprehensive Total Rewards Package.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm; subject to change based on facility needs.
Telework: Not Available.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

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 evaluation.
• 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 of 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.

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements stated above, the following qualification criteria must be met in determining the appropriate grade assignment of candidates.

Physician Assistant- Grade I (PA-I):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:
i. Ability to utilize the principles of PA practice in the care of assigned patients to provide appropriate care.
ii. Ability to perform patient history and physical.
iii. Ability to formulate a plan and provide treatment to the patient.
iv. Ability to provide patient care that is abreast of changing concepts and advancements in the profession.

Physician Assistant-Grade II (PA-II):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-II
:i. Skills to analyze and solve complex medical problems.
ii. Ability to function autonomously and make independent medical decisions
.iii. Skill to incorporate training and experience into the successful practice of patient care including telehealth medical care.
iv. Ability to work effectively in an interdisciplinary environment for improvement of services for patient care.
v. Ability to practice with colleagues and peers collaboratively.

Physician Assistant-Grade III (PA-III):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:
i. Ability to clinically evaluate facility patient care delivery systems and validate or identify barriers to safe and effective patient care.
ii. 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).
iii. Ability to present clinical findings and recommendations to appropriate management officials.
iv. Ability to clinically facilitate the delivery of patient care in collaboration with health professionals, health managers, and other health care personnel.
v. 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.
vi. 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 Grade III. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of Grade I to Grade III.

Preferred Experience:

• Minimum of three years of Orthopedic experience is preferred.

Physical Requirements:

• Light lifting (under 15 pounds)
• Light carrying (under 15 pounds)
• Reaching above shoulder
• Use of fingers
• Walking (2 hours)
• Standing (4 hours)
• Both legs required
• Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously
• Both eyes required
• Depth perception
• Ability to distinguish basic colors
• Ability to distinguish shades of colors

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order:
1st Area of Consideration - current permanent Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center employees;
2nd Area of Consideration - current permanent Veterans Healthcare Administration employees;
3rd Area of Consideration - current permanent VA Nationwide employees; and
4th Area of Consideration - all others

NOTE: A formal pay-setting process will be used to determine your salary. The salary may be at any point in the range listed for this vacancy.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

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.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Resume

CV/Resume Requirement: Your resume must include the following information: Job title, description of duties, beginning and ending date (month/year) of employment, and average hours worked per week, name of Institution to include degree conferred date, and License State / Expiration Date.

Part-Time Experience: Part-time experience is creditable according to its relationship to a full-time workweek. For example, if you are employed 20 hours per week, or on a half time basis, would receive one full-time workweek of credit for each two weeks of service.

SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Eligibility):

• Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee

Examples of appropriate SF-50's include:

• Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
• Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or
• SF-50's at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old.

Special Note for Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume Document. This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted 'Resume' document upload field.

Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field.

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• CV/Resume
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Veterans' Preference Note: Preference eligible candidates and other Veterans will be given preference when qualification of candidates are approximately equal for Title 38 positions in VHA. When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans' Preference.

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