Clarification from the agency

VHA & US Citizen: This vacancy is open to current permanent Veterans Health Administration Employees and US Citizens. Area of consideration - Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order: 1st Area of Consideration - current permanent Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System employees including satellites; 2nd Area of Consideration - current permanent Veterans Healthcare Administration employees; and 3rd Area of Consideration - all others

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The Psychiatry PA will be responsible for the primary medical needs of inpatients and outpatients in the mental health clinics and wards. The PA also functions as a coordinator between the attending physician and the other team members to include nurses and PMH NPs, psychologists, social workers, psychotherapists, LMFTs, LPCs, addiction therapists and other clinic personnel. The PA will also be directly responsible to the Outpatient or Inpatient Psychiatry Medical Director for all clinical and administrative duties.

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package.

Duties will include, but are not limited to:

• Performs psychiatric evaluations for women and women identifying veterans, including geriatric and post-deployment combat Veterans, who are mentally ill and who may have psychosocial issues such as homelessness, unemployment, or a poor family support network.
• Provides a full range of therapeutic interventions including diagnostic assessments, medication evaluation and management, suicide risk assessments, crisis intervention, psychotherapy, and overall care of women veterans with psychiatric disorders.
• Modalities for patient care include face-to-face, video teleconference, and telephone calls as clinically appropriate. Provider must be able to incorporate alternative encounter modalities into clinical care.
• Ensures practice of psychiatric medicine is consistent with TJC, CARF, HIPPA, VA policies and procedures, clinical practice guidelines, national statutes and regulations, medical record documentation, and maintain mandatory continuing education.
• Maintains appropriate licensing and board certifications as applicable.
• Participates effectively in team meetings and collaborates with interdisciplinary team members to enhance coordination of comprehensive patient care.
• Functions as part of a psychiatric care team-behavioral health interdisciplinary program (BHIP) working with other physicians, PAs, APRNs, nurses and other support staff. Works as collaborating physician with PAs and APRNs as necessary.
• Orders diagnostic tests and consultations. Discriminates between normal and abnormal findings and makes appropriate treatment decisions.
• May participate in supervision and teaching in support of medical students and residents in training.
• May be asked to perform on call duties depending on practice location, and other duties as assigned.
• Primary responsibilities are in outpatient Psychiatric Services for Women's Health.
• 1 hour provided for new patients, 30 minutes for follow ups.

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 Requirements

• 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 ~AND~

• Successfully passed the PA National Certifying Exam (PANCE) ~AND~

• Must possess an active, current, full, and unrestricted license to practice in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia. PAs must maintain current registration in the State of licensure if this is a requirement for continuing active and current licensure in that State.
  
  Exceptions for Graduate PAs - PAs who otherwise meet the basic requirements, but do not possess the required licensure, may be appointed, pending licensure, as a graduate PA on a temporary full-time appointment not-to-exceed two years under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(c)(2)(B). Graduate PAs may only be appointed at the entry grade level and may not be promoted/converted until certification is obtained. Temporary graduate PA appointments may not be extended beyond two years or converted to a new temporary appointment.

GRANDFATHERING PROVISION: All persons employed in VHA in this occupational series that are also performing the duties as described in the qualification standard on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held including positive education and licensure/certification.

• Experience and Education. None beyond the basic requirements. This is the entry level for PAs.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• A doctoral degree in a health-related field from an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

• 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.

• 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:
• Three years of successful practice as a PA.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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:

• Must have experience in women's health and a passion for women's health care.
• Knowledge or a commitment to gaining knowledge in Women's Health issues such as pre-menstrual disorders, peri and postpartum challenges, infertility, menopause, and cancer.
• Knowledge or a commitment to gaining knowledge in serving Transgender and Gender Diverse Veterans, such as readiness assessments for gender-affirming hormones, and an understanding of referral resources for services such as voice/communication training, gender affirming prosthetics, fertility, family planning, and lactation support.

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.