Duties
Marion VA Health Care System is committed to Diversity and Inclusion. Together, we strive to create and maintain a working and learning environment that promotes professional growth and teamwork. We offer an inclusive, equitable, and welcoming environment where we celebrate our individual differences and unite as a team toward a common goal of providing outstanding service to our Nation's Veterans.
The Physician Assistant-Environmental Health/TES/Occupational Health/Compensation & Pension Coordinator understands and assesses the interactions between Veterans Military exposures and chronic medical concerns/conditions. He/she demonstrates clinical expertise in identifying, evaluating, and mitigating acute and chronic illness impacted by the exposures.
Clinical Duties include but are not limited to:
- Performs independent clinical evaluation of Veterans in the Environmental Hazards Clinic for registry examinations.
- Serves as the Subject Matter Expert for the PACT ACT/SERVICE ACT.
- May provide coverage in Primary Care Clinics as needed.
- Supports Occupational Health Clinic and provides coverage to employee health clinic as needed.
- Provide care coordination for Veterans with positive screenings.
- Care may be provided in many modalities, from direct face to face care, virtual care (including telephonic, video, secured messaging and others)
- Keeps abreast of latest trends, skills, procedures, and protocols relevant in the area of Ambulatory Care.
- Participates in population health when needed.
- Completes ACE exams.
- Demonstrates leadership and works collaboratively with Primary Care Team and other interdisciplinary team members.
- Provides education to patients and their families.
- Exemplifies the ICARE core values of-Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect, and Excellence.
Administrative Duties include but are not limited to:
- Serve as the Dr. Kate Hendricks Thomas Supporting Expanded Review for Veterans in Combat Environments (SERVICE) Act care coordinator, facility point of contact and subject matter expert.
- Attend facility and community outreach events to provide education/promote awareness of the SERVICE Act and benefits to eligible Veterans.
- Attend local, VISN and national SERVICE act calls.
- Use available reports to identify target population for SERVICE Act screenings.
- Facilitate process to conduct outreach and completion of screenings for eligible Veterans.
- Act as subject matter expert (SME) for Toxic Exposure Screening (TES), and facilitate streamlined rollout, coordination, and optimization of the Toxic Exposure Screening implementation.
- Able to administer the Toxic Exposure Screening to Veterans, enters consults for follow-up care, and enter diagnosis codes in problem list.
- Serve as the point of contact for disseminating information about the Toxic Exposure Screening and report information and data back to PACT Act implementation leaders.
- Participate in the Community of Practice (CoP) to identify risks and barriers and share best practices associated with the implementation of the TES.
- Service as the point of contact for Veteran concerns and ensuring swift response to those concerns during independent contact and follow up.
- TES Coordinators will submit consults and add ICD10 diagnoses codes into the health record when appropriate. They may also need to connect Veterans with follow-up care and will solicit assistance from supporting providers when Veteran needs are outside of the TES Coordinator's scope of practice.
- Operationalize outreach to Veterans that have not been screened for TES.
- Audit facility TES progress reports to aid in routing and resolving Stage 2 TES.
- Works with Environmental Health Clinical Coordinator to track and communicate data for follow up needs, reminder resolution and report data to leadership as requested.
- Complete training in TMS for Military exposures
- Serves as a resource person for the medical center staff in Environmental Health.
- Develop and provide education to PACTs regarding SERVICE Act, including background/origin of SERVICE Act, correct use of clinical reminder, and options for further follow up/testing.
- Communicate program statistics and data to facility leadership and other stakeholders utilizing appropriate reporting channels, as determined by the program supervisor.
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am to 4:30pm
Telework: Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.Contact
Visn15edrp@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance.
Learn more
Requirements
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.
- You may be required to serve a probationary period.
- Subject to background/security investigation.
- Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
- 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).
- Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.
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 Requirement
- 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: Experience with the Toxic Exposure Reminder, PACT Act & SERVICE Act, and Military Environmental Exposures
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: 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 (PA-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
Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit
https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.
The full performance level of this vacancy is 3. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of 1 to 3.
Physical Requirements: This position requires a pre-employment physical. Requires lifting 15-44 pounds; pushing (approx. 2 hours); reaching above shoulder; use of fingers and both hands; walking and standing from 3-5 hours and kneeling. Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously. Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4. Far visions correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other. Must have depth perception and ability to distinguish basic colors and shades of colors. Hearing aid is permitted.
Education
Master's or Bachelor's Degree required.
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/.
Benefits
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.
Review our benefits
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.
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.
NOTE: A formal pay-setting process will be used to determine your salary. The salary may be at any point in the range listed for this vacancy.
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.
It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.
Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.
Required Documents
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please use this
checklist to ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.
- Cover Letter
- DD-214/ Statement of Service
- Disability Letter (Schedule A)
- Disability Letter (VA)
- License
- Other (1)
- PCS Orders
- Performance Appraisal
- Professional Certification
- Resume
- Separation Notice (RIF)
- SF-15
- SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
- Transcript
Veterans' Preference Note: Preference eligible candidates and other Veterans will be given preference when qualification of candidates are approximately equal for Title 38 positions in VHA. When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit
Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans' Preference.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
How to Apply
All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 11/01/2024 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12588173.
- To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
- Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
To verify your application is complete, log into your USA JOBS account,
https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. To return to an incomplete application, log into your USA JOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USA JOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.
Next steps
Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.
You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center.
NOTE: Participation in the seasonal influenza program is a condition of employment and a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). It is a requirement that all HCP to receive annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Wearing a face mask is required when an exemption to the influenza vaccination has been granted. HCP in violation of this directive may face disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service. HCP are individuals who, during the influenza season, work in VHA locations or who come into contact with VA patients or other HCP as part of their duties. VHA locations include, but are not limited to, VA hospitals and associated clinics, community living centers (CLCs), community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), domiciliary units, Vet centers and VA-leased medical facilities. HCP include all VA licensed and unlicensed, clinical and administrative, remote and onsite, paid and without compensation, full- and part-time employees, intermittent employees, fee basis employees, VA contractors, researchers, volunteers and health professions trainees (HPTs) who are expected to perform any or all of their work at these facilities. HPTs may be paid or unpaid and include residents, interns, fellows and students. HCP also includes VHA personnel providing home-based care to Veterans and drivers and other personnel whose duties put them in contact with patients outside VA medical facilities.