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Physician Assistant -Orthopedics

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Veterans Health Administration

Summary

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
03/09/2026 to 03/25/2026
Salary
$141,153 to - $187,727 per year
Pay scale & grade
VN 00
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Lawton, OK
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
3
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
CBSU-12903232-26-BL
Control number
860356300

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

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. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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Duties

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VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package.

Major duties include:

  • Obtain medical history and perform physical examinations
  • Provide and coordinate medical care for assigned patients in any care setting, establishing diagnoses, formulating and implementing care plans and providing follow-up care
  • Order diagnostic studies and other special tests, such as MRI, CT scans, etc.
  • Order/obtain laboratory specimens
  • Carry out health promotion, disease prevention, and patient education activities
  • Order ancillary services, such as pharmacy, social services, physical medicine and rehabilitation therapies, prosthetic services, etc.
  • Order VA specialty service consults and initiate requests for non-VA medical care and consults in accordance with VHA and local facility policy and procedures
  • Order patient care supplies
  • Write orders for and/or prescribe medications
  • Perform administrative duties
  • Emergency preparedness
  • Counsel patients and their families on care plan when necessary

Work Schedule: Full-time; 8:00am-4:30pm, Monday-Friday.
Telework: Not available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.Contact David.BillingsleyJR@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more

Requirements

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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.
  • 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification 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.

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

  • 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.

Grade Determination:
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 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. 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: Physician Assistant experience in Orthopedics

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G8, dated 09/27/2020.

The full performance level of this vacancy is 3. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is 3.

Physical Requirements:
This position may require periods of walking, standing, and sitting; some light lifting, reaching overhead, bending, stooping, and work in front of a computer. The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, and able to shift priorities based on patient needs. Must complete annual Employee Health requirements, such as annual TB screening or testing, as a condition of employment.

Work Environment:
Majority of work is performed in a health care setting with adequate lighting, heating and cooling. Work may involve exposure to infection and possible contagious diseases. Standard precautions and isolation techniques will be employed as indicated. There may be occasion where response to physical and/or verbal abuse by patients requires knowledge gained from ongoing violence in the workplace training.

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: 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/.

Additional information

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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.

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