Career Center

The Eastern Colorado Health Care System (ECHCS) is currently looking for a Physician Assistant (Primary Care) to work within our Colorado Springs location. 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: (1) Master's degree in any discipline; OR (2) Bachelor's degree in any discipline with one year of experience as a PA. Certification: Must have successfully passed the PA National Certifying Exam (PANCE). Licensure: Currently hold, or will hold 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. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements stated above, the following qualification criteria must be met in determining the appropriate grade assignment of candidates: (1) Physician Assistant-I (PA-I) (a) Experience and Education. None beyond the basic requirements. This is the entry level for PAs. (b) 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:i. Ability to utilize the principles of PA practice in the care of assigned patients to provide appropriate care.ii. Ability to perform patient history and physical.iii. Ability to formulate a plan and provide treatment to the patient.iv. Ability to provide patient care that is abreast of changing concepts and advancements in the profession.(2) Physician Assistant-II (PA-II) (a) 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:i. Two years of successful practice as a PA. OR ii. 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. ORiii. A doctoral degree in a health-related field from an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. (b) 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:i. Skills to analyze and solve complex medical problems.ii. Ability to function autonomously and make independent medical decisions.iii. Skill to incorporate training and experience into the successful practice of patient care including telehealth medical care.iv. Ability to work effectively in an interdisciplinary environment for improvement of services for patient care.v. Ability to practice with colleagues and peers collaboratively. (3) Physician Assistant-III (PA-III) (a) 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:i. Three years of successful practice as a PA. ORii. 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 iii. 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. (b) 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:i. Ability to clinically evaluate facility patient care delivery systems and validate or identify barriers to safe and effective patient care.ii. 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).iii. Ability to present clinical findings and recommendations to appropriate management officials.iv. Ability to clinically facilitate the delivery of patient care in collaboration with health professionals, health managers, and other health care personnel.v. 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.vi. Ability to participate clinically in the development of the PA patient care audit processes involving in-depth review and analysis of medical records References: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G8 Physician Assistant VA Qualification Standards. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. The full performance level of this vacancy is VN-03. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of VN-01 to VN-03. Physical Requirements: Engages in physical activities that involve lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, stooping, balancing, and kneeling to provide patient care in a changing environment. ["Interested in a career that offers a balance of work and family life? Look no further! The VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System (ECHCS) offers a balance of professional and clinical complexity that stimulates growth yet also allows the professional an opportunity to enjoy life outside of work. If you are interested in a career that offers an integrated patient-centered approach while providing compassionate and state of the art care to Veterans, we welcome you to apply. By serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans, we fulfill President Lincoln's promise, \"To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan.\" The new, state of the art campus is in Aurora, CO, just east of Denver. The city's central location makes it ideal for accessing the surrounding mountain ranges for outdoor activities or enjoying the rich art and cultural diversity of the area. Denver Metro offers a perfect mix of social activity, modern businesses, and family life making it an ideal location to start a career, raise a family, or ease into retirement. ECHCS offers a teaching hospital with state-of-the-art technology, education, and research, making it an ideal career choice for many clinical and administrative professionals. The facility has numerous specialized programs in addition to the comprehensive health care provided to our Veterans. This position is in Primary Care Service, VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System (ECHCS). This position provides support to the primary care of veterans and his/her significant others within the ECHCS catchment area. The provider is academically and clinically prepared to perform a broad spectrum of health care services at the expert level. The incumbent functions with delineated clinical privileges granted by the Medical Staff. The provider functions independently and maintains ongoing collaboration with physicians, peers, and others on the healthcare team and within the community. All care provided by the provider will be in alignment with VHA, JC, and national standards and outcomes research. Primary Responsibilities include patient care, systematic evaluation of clinical practice, consultation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and problem resolution across service/discipline lines. The provider maintains flexibility with a high degree of interpersonal skill, effective communication, leadership, motivation, self-direction, and ongoing evaluation of activities. The Provider will be assigned to work with a group of PACT primary care providers, and the major role of the Provider will be to provide same day/acute care services to patients requesting/requiring acute care services on the PACT teams that the Provider is assigned to work with. The Provider will also be utilized to cover scheduled PACT patients during times of unplanned absences for the providers on the PACT teams that the Provider is assigned to work with. The provider will provide PACT team coverage for routine care during periods of planned absences of providers on PACT teams that the provider is assigned to work with. The provider may be assigned a panel of patients in which the provider is responsible for providing preventative health medicine, chronic disease management, and acute medical care. The provider will work within the PACT teams to provide collaborative, interdisciplinary assessments. The provider will prepare treatment plans for the patients assigned to the PACT team(s) the provider is assigned to work with. The provider will demonstrate proficiency in practice based on conscious and deliberate planning and is self-directed in goal setting for managing primary care to the patients. The incumbent: 1) provides leadership in the application of the nursing process to client care, organizational processes and/or systems, improving outcomes at the program or service level. 2) provides leadership in identifying and addressing ethical issues that impact clients and staff, including initiating and participating in ethics consultations; 3) manages program resources (financial, human, material, or informational) to facilitate safe, effective, and efficient care; 4) implements an educational plan to meet changing program or service needs for self and others; 5) maintains knowledge of current techniques, trends, and professional issues; 6) uses professional standards of care and practice to evaluate programs and/or service activities; 7) uses the group process to identify, analyze, and resolve care problems; 8) coaches colleagues in team building; 9) makes sustained contributions to health care by sharing expertise within and/or outside the medical facility; 10) initiates interdisciplinary projects to improve organizational performance; 11) collaborates with others in research activities to improve care. Recruitment/Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 730am to 4pm."]

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