Physician Assistant- Mental Health

The Physician Assistant (PA) practices in Mental Health (MH) to provide a full range of services emphasizing quality timeliness and the advancement of the Veterans Affairs (VA) mission. The PA provides advanced clinical practice consultation and management.

Major duties and responsibilities of the position:

• Uses clinical judgment to independently provide evidence-based treatment to Veterans with acute or chronic mental illness including use of psychotropic medications psychotherapy and other modalities.
• Provides patient and family education on medical and MH conditions preventive measures and prescribed treatments.
• Engages in collaboration with other MH and specialty care professionals while involving Veterans and their families (as appropriate) in treatment plan development.
• Assesses and adjusts the plan of care as needed to achieve optimal patient outcomes.
• Counsels and treats patients with substance use disorders.
• Utilizes diagnostic screening scales (such as AIMS MoCA HAM-D) and similar non-invasive examinations specific to the ongoing care of psychiatric patients.
• Orders and interprets labs imaging studies EKGs and other diagnostic studies as appropriate.
• Initiates referrals and consults to specialty services.
• Maintains appropriate clinical documentation.
• Exemplifies the ICARE core values of-Integrity Commitment Advocacy Respect and Excellence.

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm
Telework: Available at the agency discretion.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: This position is eligible for EDRP a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of your start date. Approval award amount (up to $200000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP Participants are ineligible to apply for the program. Contact for questions/assistance.
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 ( Effective May 7 2025 drivers licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• 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.

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

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• English Language Proficiency: You must proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).
• Masters degree in any discipline or a bachelors 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.

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Preferred Experience: Seeking a Psychiatric Physician Assistant (PA) for a full time outpatient position. Previous outpatient practice experience is preferred. Previous VA work experience is preferred.

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 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 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 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.

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 full performance level of this vacancy is VN-III. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of VN-I to VN-III.

Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary. Typically the employee will sit to perform administrative work. However other position duties include physical requirements which include but not limited to moderate periods of walking; standing; bending; crouching reaching and lifting of a variety of moderately heavy items carrying of light items such as papers books etc. No special physical demands are required to perform the work.

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. Masters degree in any discipline;
OR
degree in any discipline with one year of experience as a PA.