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:
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).
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:
- Master's degree in any discipline OR
- A bachelor's degree in any discipline with one year of experience as a Physician Assistant
Certification. Successfully passed the PA National Certifying Exam (PANCE) (or are you in the process to taking the exam) .
NOTE: Current and continuous certification by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) is no longer required for employment in VHA.
Licensure: 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.
Quality of Experience: Recency or quality of training and experience as a PA will be carefully reviewed when determining the appropriate grade. To be creditable, experience must demonstrate possession of knowledge, skills and abilities related to the current practice of a PA. The importance of specific types of experience or training may vary per the intended assignment.
Grade Determinations:
Physician Assistant-I (PA-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 (PA-II)
- Experience and Education.
- 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 (PA-III)
- Experience and Education.
- 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.
Preferred Experience: Hospital Medicine, Emergency Medicine.
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: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.