Lead Hospice and Palliative Care Physician Assistant

Full Job Description

The Lead Hospice and Palliative Care (LHPC) Physician Assistant (PA) is a position traditionally located in the Geriatrics and Extended Care Service.

The LHPC PA reports directly to the Chief of Geriatrics and Extended Care.

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.

Preferred Experience: VHA experience. Grade Determinations: Will be commensurate with education and experience.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is VN-0603-III.

The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of VN-0603-I to VN-0603-III.

Physical Requirements: The incumbent must be able to perform all activities of the position without restriction.

This position may involve standing, walking, stooping, bending, reaching, lifting, and turning. The work may involve going up and down flights of stairs. Major Duties:

The Physician Assistant, in collaboration with the Medical Directors and Program Managers of assigned services, is responsible for the quality of care provided by the program, for the productivity of the program and for the development and implementation of programs and initiatives to meet the ICARE mission.

The LHPC may include but not limited to Facility or Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) Lead PA, Facility PA Education Lead, PA Residency Program Director, or other Clinical and/or administrative leadership assignments.

The PA will function clinically as an independent health care provider working in conjunction with the LHPC attending physicians.

PAs at the PA-IV grade level may serve as clinical leaders or administrative leaders. Complete other duties as assigned within GEC.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES: Responds to all palliative care consults within 72 hours. Initiates Out-Patient consults for Hospice care as needed.

Collaborates with veterans and the medical providers caring for the veteran at the time (provider may be urgent care/ER, primary care, or hospitalist) to be informed of the history and prognosis of the patient.

Has direct interaction with the veteran and family in various venues, such as primary care visits at the time of the veteran's appointment, Oncology Clinic, subspecialty clinics and acute care settings.

Responsible for ongoing pain and symptom management with evaluation and adjustments as needed for Veterans under the care of the HPC service. Rotate On-call duties with other providers within GEC.

Special interest/skill in malignant acute pain management with availability to other medical providers for consultation.

Contributes to VISN and National Hospice and Palliative Care workgroups as needed. Participating in conference calls as scheduled.

Works to strengthen and progress the overall Hospice and Palliative care service in VISN. Complete other duties as assigned within GEC.

The Scope of Practice is defined in applicable VA policies and determined by the PA and the collaborating MD(s) biannually.

In addition to observance of federal, national and local regulatory, policy, and accreditation requirements governing this Health Care System, this position encompasses the following examples of responsibilities.

Administrative Duties: Maintaining VA training requirements, timely completion of documentation and upkeep of credentials required for privileging and re-privileging.

Adherence to tour of Duties, timely requests for leave in VISTA and for clinic cancellations.

Clinical Management including indirect patient care: open encounter & open consult management, CPRS documentation rules and requirements, adherence to clinic procedures for patient scheduling & access, ensuring staff productivity, oversight of relevant performance measures, and participation in the development of the new focus on the Cultural Transformation, Utilization, Quality, and Patient Safety oversight, process improvement (system redesign).

Arranging coverage and communicating the plan of coverage to the team members when taking leave of absence. Serving as back up coverage for all GEC providers.

Clinical Duties: The exact privileges and procedures for a particular provider will be approved by the Professional Standards Board.

Physician Assistant must meet the following qualifications: Practitioners are expected to provide patient care that is compassionate, appropriate, and effective for the promotion of health, prevention of illness, treatment of disease, and care at the end of life.

Practitioners are expected to demonstrate knowledge of established and evolving biomedical, clinical and social sciences, and the application of their knowledge to patient care and the education of others.

To ensure practice-based learning and improvement, practitioners are expected to be able to use scientific evidence and methods to investigate, evaluate, and improve patient care.

Practitioners are expected to demonstrate interpersonal and communication skills that enable them to establish and maintain professional relationships with patients, families, and other members of the health care team.

Practitioners are expected to demonstrate behaviors that reflect a commitment to continuous professional development, ethical practice, understanding and sensitivity to diversity, and a responsible attitude toward their patients, their profession, and additional duties as required by leadership.

Practitioners are expected to demonstrate both an understanding of the contexts and systems in which health care is provided, and the ability to apply this knowledge to improve optimizing health care.

The incumbent reports clinically and administratively to Chief of Geriatrics and Extended Care (GEC). VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.