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. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.

Duties

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This announcement will remain open until the closing date of July 16th, 2026, or when the applicant count is reached, whichever is earlier. The applicant count is the point at which the first 50 applications are received. All applications submitted that day up until 11:29 p.m. eastern standard time on the date the applicant count is reached will be accepted and considered.

The position is located in Branch Health Clinic (BHC) 1007, USS TRANQUILLITY, within the Fleet Medicine Directorate (DFM) located at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center (FHCC), North Chicago, IL. The FHCC is larger than just a single facility, but rather a system of facilities throughout Northeastern Illinois which provide medical and dental services to U.S. Military Veterans, Recruits, Active Duty and eligible beneficiaries. The incumbent will serves as a Physician Assistant (PA) within a Primary Care setting.

Major Duties:

Clinical Responsibilities

• Performs initial and ongoing medical, physical, and psychosocial assessments.
• Conducts and dictates histories and physicals.
• Develops treatment plans and records progress notes.
• Triages patients, establishes working diagnoses, and administers treatment.
• Provides case management and follow-up evaluations.
• Generates referrals to other healthcare professionals and community agencies following established protocols.
• Practices across multiple disciplines including internal medicine, family practice, surgery, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, dermatology, orthopedics, psychiatry, and gynecology.
• Determines patient fitness for military or overseas service based on clinical findings and directives.
• Recommends appropriate patient disposition.
• Documents services provided in accordance with established procedures, including narrative summaries, medical boards, fitness-for-duty evaluations, competency determinations, and special evaluations for military members.

Supervision & Collaboration

• Works under the immediate supervision of an assigned preceptor.
• Ultimately supervised by the Senior Medical Officer or Officer in Charge of the Branch Health Clinic.
• Collaborates and consults with specialists and administrators within the department, clinic, or VA medical facility.
• Occasionally works at other clinics within DFM to support workload or staffing changes.
• Provides input on Command and Congressional inquiries and patient Quality Assurance concerns.

Teaching & Precepting

• Serves as a professional preceptor for Hospital Corpsmen, including sick call screeners and Independent Duty Corpsmen.
• Assists in precepting Physician Assistant students.
• May be asked to provide medical lectures within the clinic or FHCC.

Age-Specific & Culturally Sensitive Care

• Provides care appropriate to the cognitive, emotional, and developmental level of each patient.
• Assesses and interprets age-related patient data to determine individualized needs.
• Considers age-related differences across VA and DoD populations within the FHCC.
• Demonstrates understanding of aging processes and adapts care accordingly.
• Maintains sensitivity to cultural and developmental factors.

Quality Assurance, Risk Management & Administrative Duties

• Assists in Quality Assurance and Risk Management activities.
• Participates in peer review functions.
• Attends medical staff and assigned committee meetings regularly.
• Other assigned duties as required.

Patient Education

• Educates patients on disease processes, self-management, medications, side effects, lifestyle recommendations, and required follow-up.
• Tailors education to patient learning style, developmental ability, and limitations due to disease or comorbidities.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 6:30am to 3:00pm (alternate work schedules may be considered)

Telework: Ad-hoc, as determined by agency policy and supervisor discretion.

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

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package.

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: Two years in Emergency Medicine, Urgent Care or Primary Care setting.

Grade Determinations:

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-1 to PA-III.

• Physician Assistant-I (PA-I)
  
  • (a) Experience and Education. None beyond the basic requirements. This is the entry level for PAs.
  • (b) 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-II (PA-II)
  
  • (a) 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:
    
    • i. Two years of successful practice as a PA. OR
    • ii. 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
    • iii. A doctoral degree in a health-related field from an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
  • (b) 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:
    
    • 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-III (PA-III)
  
  • (a) Experience and Education. PAs at the PA-III grade are at the full performance level and lead and organize patient care independently, practice within multi-disciplinary 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:
    
    • i. Three years of successful practice as a PA.OR
    • ii. 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
    • iii. 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.
  • (b) 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/.

Physical Requirements: Eligible applicants must be physically and mentally able to perform efficiently the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation, without hazard to themselves or others. Depending on the essential duties of a specific position, usable vision, color vision, hearing or speech may be required. however, in most cases, a specific physical condition or impairment of a specific function may be compensated for by the satisfactory use of a prosthesis or mechanical aid.

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.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative j