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Physician Assistant

Department of Health and Human Services
Indian Health Service
This job announcement has closed

Summary

These Physician Assistant positions are located within the Great Plains Area IHS. There MAY NOT be immediate vacancies at all locations. Interested applicants should check with the local Administrative Office concerning immediate employment needs.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
01/01/2020 to 12/31/2020
Salary
$70,171 - $124,020 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 9 - 12
Locations
Few vacancies in the following locations:
Belcourt, ND
Eagle Butte, SD
Fort Thompson, SD
Kyle, SD
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
12
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Announcement number
IHS-20-GP-10686997-ESEP/MP
Control number
555363400

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

The IHS is required by law to give absolute preference to qualified applicants who meet the Secretary of the Interior's definition of Indian for appointment to vacancies within the IHS in accordance with established IHS policy as outlined in the Indian Health Manual Part 7, Chapter 3. The IHS is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Duties

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  • Assesses plans and provides direct and comprehensive primary, therapeutic and preventative medical care to individual geriatric, adult, adolescent, pediatric and infant patients and their families.
  • Makes diagnosis and decisions concerning medical needs of patients, formulates and implements plan of care which may involve various treatment modalities, prescribing medications, consultation with other Healthcare providers.
  • Provides care and preventive services to healthy individuals, including guidance in nutrition, illness prevention, accident prevention, growth and development.
  • Documents data, patient assessment(s) and care plan(s) in electronic health record. Teaches and counsels patients and family on disease prevention and health maintenance techniques.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

Selectee may be subject to a probationary/trial period
ESEP appointees typically serve a two year trial period
U.S. Citizenship is required
Must pass pre-employment examination.
Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959

Security Clearance: If you are selected for this vacancy, you must undergo a pre-employment fingerprint check and background investigation. Fingerprint results and background investigation documentation must be cleared prior to hire. You will receive instructions on how to obtain and submit fingerprints and background investigation documentation. After you begin your employment, your continued employment is contingent upon the outcome of a complete background investigation as determined by the sensitivity level of your position. The investigation must find that you are suitable for Federal employment in your position. If you are found not suitable, you will be terminated after you begin work. If you make a false statement in any part of your application, you may not be hired; you may be fired after you begin work; or subject to possible criminal charges.

This is a designated position covered by Public Law 101-630, requiring contact or control over Indian children. Upon tentative selection, selectee will be requested to complete, sign, and submit the Addendum to OF-306, Child Care & Indian Child Care Worker Position form. Due to this requirement, the agency must ensure that persons hired for these positions have not been found guilty of or pleaded nolo contendere or guilty to certain crimes.

Measles and Rubella immunization required for selectees born after 1957. Seasonal Influenza immunization is required for civilian health care facility staff working in Indian Health Service health care facilities.

The selected individual is required to obtain and maintain medical staff clinical privileges, including any licensure requirements. If privileges are not obtained or maintained during employment, the employee will be subject to adverse actions, up to and including removal from Federal service.

Conditions of Employment: On-call hours or standby duty may be required.

You must meet the requirements of the job by 11:59 pm (Eastern Standard Time) of the closing date: 12/31/2020

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, your resume must state sufficient experience and/or education, to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are applying.

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; religious; spiritual; community; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer and part time experience. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week.

For positions requiring positive education requirements, or if you are using education to meet all or part of the qualification requirements, you MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or an itemized list of college courses which includes equivalent information from the transcript (course title, semester/quarter hours, and grade/degree earned) in your resume.

BASIC REQUIREMENT(S):
All applicants must meet the following basic requirements for all grade levels: Graduation from a physician assistant educational program, accredited by the Accreditation Review Committee on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) or its predecessors, at a college, university, or educational institution that is accredited by an accrediting body or organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained.

Successful completion of the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) examination; must maintain status as a certified physician assistant, including completion of all requirements for Continuing Medical Education (CME) and re-certification.

Licensure For all grade levels and positions, applicants must possess a current, active, full, and unrestricted license or registration as a Physician Assistant from a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States.

Basic Requirements for the GS-12 (or equivalent) and above Grade Level A minimum of one full year of work experience as a certified physician assistant equivalent to the next lower grade level and completion of an accredited physician assistant educational program is required.

AND

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Your resume must demonstrate at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector performing the following type of work and/or tasks:

GS-09: In addition to the requirements for the GS-7 (or equivalent) level, applicants must meet one of the following requirements: Completion of Master of Physician Assistant Studies; or Completion of a master's degree in a related health care or health related science and completion of an accredited physician assistant educational program. Examples of related master's degree programs include, but are not limited to, Master of Medical Sciences, Master of Public Health, Master of Biomedical Sciences, or other related major fields of study; or A minimum of one full year of work experience as a certified physician assistant equivalent to the GS-7 grade level and graduation from an accredited physician assistant educational program as described above.

GS-11: In addition to the requirements for the GS-9 (or equivalent) level, applicants must meet one of the following requirements: Completion of Doctorate of Physician Assistant Studies, Doctorate of Science Physician Assistant (DScPA) or equivalent; or Completion of a PhD or equivalent doctoral degree in a related health field and completion of an accredited physician assistant educational program. Examples of related doctoral degree programs include, but are not limited to, public health; allied health field; public health education; or other related health science programs; or A minimum of one full year of specialized work experience as a certified physician assistant equivalent to the GS-9 grade level and completion of an accredited physician assistant educational program as described above.

GS-12: 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level and completion of an accredited physician assistant educational program is required. Emergency Department and/or Urgent Care experience with ability to interview, triage, examine, diagnose, stabilize, treat or direct course of treatment for wide range of routine situations and/or patients (pediatrics to geriatrics), prescribe and monitor patients. Able to utilize Electronic Health Records. Experience in communicating easily with colleagues and staff both verbally and written.

You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement. Federal employees in the competitive service are also subject to the Time-In-Grade Requirements: Merit Promotion (status) candidates must have completed one year of service at the next lower grade level. Time-In-Grade provisions do not apply under the Excepted Service Examining Plan (ESEP).

Education

When there is a positive education requirement, or you are using education to qualify as a substitution for experience, transcripts (unofficial) are required at the time of application to verify that you meet the educational requirement or substitution.
Only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education may be credited. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: https://www.ed.gov/accreditation

Foreign Education: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Additional information

Additional selection(s) of candidates may be possible within 90 days from the date the certificate of eligibles was issued for this announcement.

"Fingerprinting, as part of the background investigation process, may be delayed due to COVID-19. All other background investigation procedures will apply. Be advised that your continued employment will require you to complete a fingerprint check within 60 days after notification of return to full operations and successfully obtaining a favorable background investigation."

Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. IHS may offer newly-appointed Federal employees credit for their directly related previous non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave is earned.

Recruitment or relocation incentives may be authorized. At least a 6 month service agreement will be required.

This position meets the criteria specified in pillar number one of the five pillars of the PHS Commissioned Corps. PHS Commissioned Officers interested in performing the duties of this position within the Commissioned Corps MUST apply online under the merit promotion announcement indicated above in order to receive consideration. For more information on PHS Commissioned Corps, visit the website at: https://www.usphs.gov/.

The Indian Health Service (IHS), National Health Service Corps (NHSC), and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) have student loan repayment programs for qualifying health disciplines. This is a competitive process separate from the hiring process. Opportunities for LRP are based on agency hiring priorities and availability of funds. For additional information please visit:
For IHS - http://www.ihs.gov/loanrepayment/
For NHSC - https://nhsc.hrsa.gov/loanrepayment/
For HRSA Nurse Corps - https://bhw.hrsa.gov/loansscholarships/nursecorps

This position has promotion potential to the GS-12 grade level. Promotion to the next grade level is at management's discretion and is based on your demonstrated ability to perform the higher level duties, the continuing need for the higher level duties, and "Regulatory/Administrative" approval. Promotion to the next higher grade level is not guaranteed and no promise of promotion is implied.

~~~IHS - Operated Properties are tobacco free~~~

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be evaluated to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications required and on the extent to which your application shows that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with this position. To determine if you are qualified for this position, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against the qualifications as defined in the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement and your responses to the assessment questions.
You will be further evaluated/rated based on the information provided in your resume (your resume must state specific duties that relate to this position) and your responses to the assessment questions to determine your competency in the following:

  • Diagnostic Clinical Care
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Medical Documentation
  • Medical Reasoning
  • Technical Competence
Your resume and any documents submitted will be retained for three months and may be used at any time during this period. After 3 months, you must reapply to this announcement in order to be considered.

You will receive a numeric rating based on your responses to the assessment questionnaires. If after reviewing your resume and responses to the assessment questions, a determination is made that you have overstated your qualifications and or experience, you may lose consideration.

The following links below provide information on how you may be eligible for various hiring authorities. If you are a Veteran, qualified CTAP and ICTAP eligible, or an individual with a disability, please refer to the following links below for additional guidance. CTAP and ICTAP candidates will be eligible for selection priority if it is determined that they have exceeded the minimum qualifications for the position by attaining at least a "well qualified" rating of 85 out of 100. Information about CTAP and ICTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management's Workforce Restructuring Career Transition website at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. CTAP/ICTAP documentation requirements are listed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

Veterans , i.e. (VEOA, VRA, and 30% or more disabled) - https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/veterans-services/vet-guide/
Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) - http://www.ihs.gov/jobs/permanentDocs/ctap.doc
Interagency Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) - https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/
Schedule A Appointments for the Disabled - https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/disability-employment/hiring/

Click here to view vacancy questions: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10686997. All documents above MUST be received by 11:59 pm (Eastern Standard Time) of the closing date of, 12/31/2020, to be considered.

Indian Health Service

Become a part of an innovative, dynamic, nationwide organization of dedicated health care providers working to meet the individual health care needs of American Indians and Alaska Natives. Indian Health Service (IHS) employees are considerate in our care, creative in our approach, enthusiastic about our work and compassionate with our patients. Our lifestyle is adventurous, community oriented and focused on service and problem solving as part of a professional interdisciplinary team. Join us in improving the health outcomes of over 2 million American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Agency contact information

Andy Fields
Phone
6052267239
Email
andrea.fields@ihs.gov
Address
Great Plains Area
115 4th Avenue Southeast
Aberdeen, SD 57401
US

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