Summary

Northern Arizona VA Health Care System is looking for a Physician Assistant to join the Education, Research & Development team!

Duties

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The duties of the position include, but are not limited to:

• Develops, reviews, and approves policies and procedures for the research program.
• Ensures compliance with VISN and VACO mandates, including those from the Office of Research and Development (ORD) and Office of Research Oversight (ORO).
• Monitors new legislation and directives, updating local policies as needed.
• Acts as the interface between Research Service and investigators, facility support, VACO, VISN, and the local non-profit Research Foundation.
• Monitors effectiveness and compliance of research operations.
• Conducts program assessments and prepares status reports.
• Identifies and resolves programmatic, administrative, and financial issues.
• Supervises all Research Service staff, manages HR regulations, recruitment, training, and performance evaluations.
• Assists in reviewing research proposals for resource availability and compliance.
• Advises investigators on budgetary and resource needs.
• Evaluates requests for local funding.
• Mentors and assists investigators in proposal preparation.
• Consults on scientific and technical issues.
• Recommends training to ensure staff competency.
• Reviews compliance reports and protocols.
• Conducts or directs audits and studies to resolve administrative problems.
• Prepares management information for review by the committees.
• Acts as the immediate interface between Research Service and various stakeholders.
• Serves as the point of contact for VA Merit submissions.
• Designs, oversees, and participates in scientific studies, surveys, and investigations.
• Maintains active physician assistant license and engages in clinical duties (minimum 10%).
• Clinical duties may support research or primary care functions, performed via various modalities.
• Upholds ethical standards, research integrity, and VA values.
• Demonstrates sensitivity to veteran populations and information security.
• Works independently, with evaluation based on program objectives and external audits.

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package.

Work Schedule: Full-time. Four - 10 hr shifts or Five - 8 hr shifts

Telework: Not available.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized.

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.

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 medical 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.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 2-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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.

Physician Assistant-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:

• 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

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:

• 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.

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:

• 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.

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:

• 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.

Preferred Experience:

• 2 years of leadership experience or 5 years of leadership support experience;
• 3 or more research publications;
• 5 years of research committee participation;
• 8 years of human research experience;
• 10 years of primary care, specialist clinical experience, or a combination thereof
• History of developing research policy and a masters or doctorate level education which would support research activities and management

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-II to PA-III.

Physical Requirements: Moderate Lifting, 15-44 pounds; Light Carrying, under 15 pounds; Use of fingers; Walking - 2 hours; Standing - 2 hours; Near vison correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4; Far vison correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other eye; Ability to distinguish basic colors; Hearing (aid permitted); Mental/Emotional Stability required; Working Closely with Others; Working Alone.

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.

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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.

Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.