Physician Assistant- Primary Care

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. The Physician Assistant is a part of the multidisciplinary Pain Medicine Service Team and provides care to Veterans within Primary Care. The Pain Medicine Service Team fosters an attitude of cooperation, shared decision making and shared responsibilities. Clinical approach is based on a philosophy that the chronic pain experience involves interactions between pathophysiological, cultural, emotional, social, perceptual and spiritual aspects of patients' lives. Management is achieved through comprehensive biopsychosocial assessment by the Interdisciplinary Pain Team members often utilizing joint visits with interprofessional team members. All team members promote self-care and enlists the participation of patients in setting realistic goals and actively participating in the treatment planning process. The Physician Assistant assesses, plans, implements and evaluates patient care, initiate changes in the system for delivering patient care based on current concepts and findings from research and/or studies; uses sound judgment in making decisions; shares expertise with others; acts as a consultant; and identifies, analyzes and resolves patient care problems whose resolution results in significant improvement in care. The PA is responsible for providing diagnostic and clinical care in a practice setting as defined by clinical privileges. Major duties include, but are not limited to: Meets the scope and qualifying standards for all dimensions of a Physician Assistant. Expert clinical and patient advocate in pain management. Executes position responsibilities that demonstrate leadership, experience and creative approaches in management of complex patient populations. Provides specialized consultation and collaboration with physicians, licensed independent practitioners, peers, and others in the health care community to develop, implement, and assure continuity of individualized treatment plans. Functions in an advanced level of nursing practice characterized with complex clinical decision making. Performs comprehensive history and physical examinations and initiates treatment when indicated for acute and chronic medical conditions. Orders diagnostic laboratory and imaging tests as needed. Interprets and applies findings to make a medical diagnosis. Uses prescriptive authority granted by licensure to prescribe and administer routine therapeutics including medications, devices and procedures. Uses electronic record for documentation. Initiates consultation requests and records required notes on all procedures or patient visits in the in the electronic medical record. Participates in peer review and process improvement Performs procedures that are delineated by scope of practice. Provides education, consultation, and recommendations on pain strategies to patients/caregivers and other team members. Participates in the development and delivery of patient education specific to chronic pain and its sequelae Demonstrates strong customer service skills. Actively works with staff to maintain compliance with all regulatory standards specifically VA/DOD Chronic Opioid Therapy Clinical Practice Guidelines, VHA Pain Management Directive, Joint Commission standards on pain management Maintains service workload database, promotes QI projects, prepares reports for leadership when requested Performs additional duties as assigned Work Schedule: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 06693F, 06694F and 06695F. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized for a highly qualified candidate. EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact VHAVISN04HREDRP@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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.