Summary

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.

Duties

Help

The successful candidate will have a high level of medical knowledge and possesses all the qualities for providing comprehensive and compassionate care for "those who served". The position calls for excellent interpersonal and leadership skills and offers input into projects pertaining to the development of the clinic. Will provide comprehensive primary care services to a defined panel of patients. Duties include history taking, physical examination, ordering laboratories and diagnostic studies, diagnosis and formulation of treatment plans for acute and chronic conditions within the scope of Medicine practice.This provider is assigned responsibility for a panel of patients at a specific location. However, the provider may be asked on some occasions to assist in patient care or administrative duties at the main hospital or at another site.

• Provides clinical examination, diagnosis, and treatment of acute and chronic diseases, preventive care, and coordination of care for a panel of primary care patients. Appropriate documentation of patient care in clinical records is expected. The provider refers to specialists when additional input and treatment outside of the scope of the physician's experience and training is required.
• Responsible for monitoring PACT teamlet performance to assess adherence to VA standards, assure quality and effectiveness of care, and meet VA performance measures.
• Outstanding customer service is expected.
• Leads the team in assisting the patient advocate and administration in resolving patient concerns and inquiries.
• Exercises medical decision-making and provides a broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic services for a specific group of patients.
• Must have excellent communication skills and relations with staff and community and is able to elicit cooperation from others. The primary care provider serves as a member of a larger multidisciplinary treatment team which includes social work, pharmacy, mental health, nutrition, and on occasion, other services.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 08:00 to 16:30pm

Telework: Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.

EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.Contact , the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.

Requirements

Help

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/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.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:

• Citizenship. Citizen of the United States in accordance with section 7402(c) to title 38, United States Code (U.S.C.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified candidates in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).
• English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

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: Physician Assistant experience in a Home Care Setting.

Grade Determinations: Grade Determinations:

• Physician Assistant-I (PA-I)
  
  1. Experience and Education. None beyond the basic requirements.
  2. 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:
     
     1. Ability to utilize the principles of PA practice in the care of assigned patients to provide appropriate care.
     2. Ability to perform patient history and physical.
     3. Ability to formulate a plan and provide treatment to the patient.
     4. Ability to provide patient care that is abreast of changing concepts and advancements in the profession.
• Physician Assistant-II (PA-II)
  
  1. Experience and Education.
     
     1. Two years of successful practice as a PA; OR
     2. 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
     3. A doctoral degree in a health-related field from an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
  2. 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:
     
     1. Skills to analyze and solve complex medical problems.
     2. Ability to function autonomously and make independent medical decisions.
     3. Skill to incorporate training and experience into the successful practice of patient care including telehealth medical care.
     4. Ability to work effectively in an interdisciplinary environment for improvement of services for patient care.
     5. Ability to practice with colleagues and peers collaboratively.
• Physician Assistant-III (PA-III)
  
  1. Experience and Education.
     
     1. Three years of successful practice as a PA; OR
     2. 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
     3. 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.
  2. 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:
     
     1. Ability to clinically evaluate facility patient care delivery systems and validate or identify barriers to safe and effective patient care.
     2. 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).
     3. Ability to present clinical findings and recommendations to appropriate management officials.
     4. Ability to clinically facilitate the delivery of patient care in collaboration with health professionals, health managers, and other health care personnel.
     5. 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.
     6. 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 PA-III. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of PA-I to PA-III.

Physical Requirements: Physical qualifications required the ability to stand, walk, bend, and move freely. Must be emotionally stable and cooperative. Work is accomplished predominantly on the inpatient unit. The physical surroundings involve working with the acute and chronically physically and mentally ill patients, which may cause discomfort related to negative verbal and physical activities from these patients. Work involves regular and recurring exposure to infection and contagious diseases.

Education

Education. [Graduate of a training program which is accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education of PA (ARC-PA) or one of its predecessor organizations. Additionally, candidates must meet one of the following:

(1) Master's degree in any discipline; OR

(2) Bachelor's degree in any discipline with one year of experience as a PA.]

Certification. [Must have successfully passed the PA National Certifying Exam (PANCE).

NOTE: Current and continuous certification by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) is no longer required for employment in VHA. (See paragraph 3a in this standard for additional information regarding the certification requirement for employees grandfathered into the occupation.)

Licensure. PAs must possess an active, current, full, and unrestricted license to practice in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia. PAs must maintain current registration in the State of licensure if this is a requirement for continuing active and current licensure in that State.

Impaired Licensure. A PA who has, or has ever had, any license(s) revoked, suspended, denied, restricted, limited, or issued/placed in a probationary status may be appointed only in accordance with the provisions of chapter 3, section B, paragraph 13 of this part

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.

Areas of Consideration - Applicants will be considered based on the following 3 areas of consideration.

• First Area of Consideration- (Facility Employees) - Current, permanent VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System employees (this includes Outpatient Clinics, permanent employees of the Veteran Canteen Service assigned to this facility).
• Second Area of Consideration - (Other VA Employees) - Current, permanent Department of Veterans Affairs Employees (VA employees who are located at other VA medical centers).
• Third Area of Consideration - (External Candidates) - United States Citizens.

Expand Hide additional information

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.