Clarification from the agency

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply. Open to U.S. Citizens. 1. First area of consideration - Current permanent VISN 8 employees including Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs). 2. Second area of consideration - Current permanent VA/VHA, other Federal Agency employees. 3. Third area of consideration - the Public.

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The Physician Assistant, General Surgery, will be assigned to the Surgery Section at the James A. Haley VA Hospital in Tampa, FL. The Surgical Service is seeking an experienced and dynamic mid-level Physician Assistant (PA) or Nurse Practitioner (NP). Our ideal applicants are those who want to contribute to the achievement of quality care standards, as well as the growth and development of a VA academic hospital program.

Incumbent provides comprehensive care for patients who have illnesses within the scope of Surgery. The PA will function under the directives and within the established guidelines of the Veteran Administration's (V A's) Utilization of Physician Assistants. The PA will work and learn alongside surgeons who performs the full spectrum of surgical care. The week will be divided between clinic, operating room and administrative time in conjunction with the other Surgery Advanced Practice Providers. PA will also cross cover other Advanced Practice Providers as needed and provide coverage for other surgeons.

Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Function as a provider in Surgery Clinics
- Triage new consults, secure messages, and clinical questions
- Initiate and follow pre-clinic and pre-operative workup including labs, imaging, biopsies or other procedures indicated.
- Perform pre-operative History & Physicals
- Preforms routine clinic procedures including but not limited to dressing changes, drain removal, suture removal, etc.
- Follow-up on results of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures ordered by the PA, attending surgeon or surgical resident in a timely fashion, interpretation of diagnostic tests, communicate results with the Attending Surgeon, then relay results and plan to the patient.
- Discuss proposed surgical procedures with the patient and obtain Informed Consent
- Coordinate multidisciplinary care for complex patients including expediting necessary VA and Non-V NCommunity Care studies, as well as any necessary follow up.
- Coordinate and expedite VA diagnostic studies, labs, etc. and any necessary surgical clearances.
- Assist in the operating room.
- Serve as a bedside assist for robotic surgery. Will attend necessary training and certification courses if needed, not at the expense of the PA.
- Follow patients post operatively, including rounds, orders, discharge summaries and prescribing/adjusting medications.
- Attend surgical meetings including Morbidity & Mortality conference.

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards.

Work Schedule: Full-time(Note: Work schedules are determined and approved by the supervisor. The incumbent may be required to work various shifts on a permanent or temporary basis based on facility/patient care needs).
Telework: Ad-hoc only as per agency/departmental policy
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• 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.

• At least 5 years experience as PA working on a hospital-based Surgical Service.
• Preference given for experience in General Surgery and it's specialties; e.g.: Acute Care Surgery, Colorectal Surgery, Bariatric Surgery.
• Experience in operating room to include First Assistant and including Robotic cases.
• Ability to independently perform Minor Procedures an advantage.
• Willingness to work with an interdisciplinary General Surgery teaching Service.

• Physician Assistant-III (PA-III):
  • Experience and Education. PAs at this 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 should be able to demonstrate, develop, or acquire the following skills set 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.

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.