Physician Assistant (Orthopedics)

• 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.
• 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.

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

• 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.

Preferred Experience: 5 years professional Practice in the area of Orthopedics as PA preferred.

Grade Determinations: 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-I.
Ii. 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 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:
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 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: This position requires visual acuity keen hearing clear distinctive speech and manual dexterity. This position requires potentially long periods of continued walking standing stooping sitting bending pulling and pushing. Transferring patients and objects may be required.

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: 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: