Anesthesia Physician Assistant

Full Job Description

The Pre-op Anesthesia Physician Assistant is responsible for the comprehensive medical evaluation and optimization of Veterans scheduled for elective and urgent surgical procedures.

This role involves high-level clinical decision-making to reduce surgical cancellations, improve patient outcomes, and ensure compliance with VHA national anesthesia standards and Buffalo VA local policies.

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 Citizenship: Citizen of the United States [in accordance with section 7402(c) to title 38, United States Code (U.S.C.).

Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified candidates in accordance with 38 U.S.C.

§ 7407(a).]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).

NOTE: Current and continuous certification by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) is no longer required for employment in VHA.

(See paragraph 3a in this standard for additional information regarding the certification requirement for employees grandfathered into the occupation.) Licensure: PAs 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.

Failure to Obtain Licensure: In all cases, graduate PAs must actively pursue and obtain required licensure from the date of their appointments.

The human resource office will provide the unlicensed PA in writing the date by which the license must be acquired and the consequences for not becoming licensed by the deadline.

The written notice must be provided prior to the first date of employment. Failure to obtain required credentials by the prescribed date will result in termination of employment. Physical Requirements.

See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service.

English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

Grade Determinations: Physician Assistant-I (PA-I) Experience and Education: None beyond the basic requirements. This is the entry level for PAs.

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: 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.

Physician Assistant-II (PA-II) 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.

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

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: 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.

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 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 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.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is PA Level III.

The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of I to III. Physical Requirements: As detailed in VA Directive and Handbook 5019. Major Duties:

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. Key Responsibilities & Clinical Duties 1.

Pre-Anesthesia Risk Assessment Conduct comprehensive history and physical examinations (H&Ps) focusing on cardiovascular, pulmonary, and metabolic stability.

Assign ASA Physical Status Classifications and determine the necessity of further specialty clearances (e.g., Cardiology, Pulmonology).

Review and interpret diagnostic tests including EKGs, chest X-rays, and laboratory results.

Clinical Reporting: Document all findings in the Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) using standardized Pre-Op templates to ensure data is available for the Anesthesia attending on the day of surgery.

2. Patient Optimization & Education Manage perioperative medication protocols (e.g., anticoagulation bridging, diabetic medication adjustment).

Educate Veterans and families on surgical expectations, NPO (fasting) requirements, and post-operative pain management strategies.

Identify high-risk "frailty" factors and coordinate with social work or nutrition services as needed. 3.

Administrative & Collaborative Leadership Serve as the primary liaison between Surgery, Anesthesia, and Primary Care to close the loop on medical optimization.

Assist in managing the "Pre-Op Tracker" to ensure all clinical requirements are met 24-48 hours prior to the procedure.

Support the Thursday Morning Anesthesia Team Meeting by identifying systemic bottlenecks in the pre-op workflow. 4.

Technical Skills & Systems Proficiency CPRS/VistA: Advanced proficiency in navigating patient records, entering orders, and managing clinical alerts.

DSS (Decision Support System): Understanding of how pre-op encounters map to clinical workload and productivity reporting.

Microsoft Excel: Ability to utilize departmental tracking tools for surgical volume and optimization metrics.

Other Duties as Assigned Pay: Competitive salary, regular salary increases, potential for performance awards Paid Time Off: 50 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory Work Schedule: Full-time, 8:00 AM to 4:30PM Compressed/Flexible: Available Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position.