Summary
Neurology Department is seeking a Physician Assistant to assist in the Multidisciplinary Headache Management Clinic. The Physician Assistant will conduct assessments and other headache management care with outpatients and assist Physician in performing treatments.
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Duties
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Duties:
The PA is authorized to perform the following tasks on a regular and ongoing basis. These duties may be performed without any prior discussion with the managing physician.
- Clinical assessment of patients presenting to the Outpatient Neurology Headache Clinic(s), obtain accurate and appropriate medical histories, perform and record limited and complete physical examinations, establish presumptive diagnosis, present meaningful data to the supervising physician or his designee, and provide adequate documentation of patient care in the electronic medical record.
- Assist the attending physicians with the Multidisciplinary Headache Management Clinic.
- Render such assistance to the Neurology House staff as will promote the efficient functioning of the Outpatient Clinic(s) to which he/she is assigned. The priority of assignments will be based on need and staff-to-patient ratios and is subject to review and revision by the Chief, Neurology Service. The individual expertise of the PA will also be considered in this process.
- After appropriate training and observation, perform special procedures of greater and lesser occipital nerve blocks, trigeminal nerve blocks, and trigger point injections for the treatment of cervicogenic headache, migraine, occipital neuralgia, and other headache disorders, perform special procedure of botulinum toxin injection following PREEMPT protocol for the treatment of refractory migraine headaches, perform sphenopalantine ganglion blocks, and perform acupuncture.
- Assist neurology house staff and headache clinic attending physicians in the performance of above procedures as needed.
- Serve as a mentor and consultant for nurses, supervisors, physicians, other healthcare professionals, and other staff members of the Neurology outpatient services.
- Assist in responding to patient phone calls and secure messages regarding Neurology headache clinic questions and making assessments and decisions on subsequent treatment plan.
- Serve as Headache medicine point of contact for initial review, screening and triage of all headache consults to include tracking of appointment scheduling, timely completion of consults, wait times (timely access) as appropriate based on Neurology Service agreement tracking no-shows, patient and clinic cancellations and compliance with VHA access performance measures.
- Provide patient, family and community education and counseling in preventive care, medical conditions, and the use of prescribed treatments and drugs. Be familiar with neurology clinics and protocols.
- Perform outpatient headache visits via Clinical Video telehealth or other telehealth modalities via remote access and/or in clinic provided the PA has been approved by both Director and Chief of Neurology and has completed all appropriate training and documentation, while following SLC VA protocols and procedures and VA rules of behavior.
- Assist with research efforts, creating protocols/guidelines, patient intake, data collection, performing relevant procedures like transcranial magnetic stimulation, and education to the patient and/or caregiver.
- Becoming familiar and assisting with the demonstration of headache neuromodulatory devices to patients including Cefaly, Nerivio, GammaCore, and SAVI, as well as non-demo-able devices including Theracane and Thermazone.
NON-ROUTINE/NON-EMERGENCY DUTIES:
The PA is authorized to perform the following duties after direct consultation with the managing physician or alternate. During the performance of these duties, a physician MUST BE immediately available for consultation.
Lumbar puncture for diagnostic and/or treatment purposes
- May administer topical/local anesthesia
- Arrange and/or provide follow-up care
- The PA will not write prescriptions that initiate therapy outside this Scope of Practice. All current medical center approved formulary medications will be considered to be within the approved Scope of Practice with the following exceptions:
- Chemotherapy drugs
- Narcotics (Schedule II, III, IV, and V)
- Perform administrative functions incident to ambulatory care and treatment; record keeping, chart review, and audits; serve on Ambulatory Care committees.
- Give evidence of CME by attendance at professional meetings, CME conferences, membership in professional societies and subscription to scholarly journals.
- Assist in education of hospital staff and medical center students (e.g., in-service programs, BEC programs, and clinical instructions of nursing and allied health students).
Work Schedule: Full-Time; Mon - Fri; 7:30 am to 4:00 pm
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Requirements
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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.
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: Procedure based injection experience
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-I (PA-I)
Experience and Education. None beyond the basic requirements. This is the entry level for PAs.
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. 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:
- 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. PAs at the PA-III grade are at the full performance level and lead and organize patient care independently, practice within multidisciplinary teams, and coordinate all aspects of patient care across the health care system. They utilize advanced clinical knowledge and judgment in decision-making and evaluating outcomes. They function as experts in clinical practice and/or in areas related to the assigned roles and responsibilities, may serve as mentors for transitioning PAs, and may provide training for health care students. Individuals can demonstrate the KSAs for the full performance level by:
- 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 III. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is III.
Physical Requirements: All applicants must be physically and mentally able to performeff iciently the duties of the position. The selected candidate should be physically and mentallycapable to perform the duties of the position. Physical activity includes sitting, standing (up to2hours), walking (up to 2 hours), bending and reaching.
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.
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