Physician Assistant (ER) GS-603-12

Overview

This Position is located at the Alexander T. Augusta Military Medical Center Emergency Room. 

Fort Belvoir is a United States Army base located on 8,656 acres along the Potomac River in Fairfax County, VA. It encompasses a population of 47,000 and is well-positioned a mere 12 miles south of Washington, DC.

A.T. Augusta Military Medical Center is a Department of Defense medical facility located on Fort Belvoir, Virginia, outside of Washington D.C. In conjunction with Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Belvoir provides the Military Health System medical capabilities of the National Capital Region Medical Directorate (NCR MD), a joint unit providing comprehensive care to members of the United States Armed Forces located in the capital area, and their families. The facility is located on a U.S. Army installation but operates as one of the first joint service medical facilities in the U.S. military, staffed with uniformed medical personnel from the Army, Navy, and Air Force. The hospital is one of the largest medical facilities in Northern Virginia and provides all levels of inpatient and outpatient medical care. The facility maintains a 24-hour emergency department but, like most U.S. military hospitals, transfers patients in need of a trauma center to equipped civilian medical facilities. As part of federal emergency planning in the National Capitol Region, the hospital is also tasked with maintaining unique capabilities to support continuity of government operations in the event of crisis.

The $1.03 billion, 1.3 million-square-foot facility opened in August 2011, replacing Fort Belvoir's existing medical facility, DeWitt Army Community Hospital, and integrating significant portions of the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., in accordance with 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Act. In addition to its primary facility at Fort Belvoir, the hospital also operates the DiLorenzo TRICARE Health Clinic (DTHC) at the Pentagon and satellite health centers in Fairfax and Dumfries, Virginia.

Working for the Department of Defense comes with an abundance of benefits and perks to include competitive compensation packages, paid time off, medical benefits, student loan repayments, and retirement package with Thrift Savings Plan to include matching employer contributions. For more information, please visit the following link: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/benefits/  

Medical malpractice liability insurance is not required for federal civilian healthcare providers as they are covered by the Federal Tort Claims Act (28 U.S.C. § 1346(b)) while acting within the scope of their employment.

Responsibilities

• Write prescriptions, including controlled substances in accordance with approved treatment protocols.
• Determine disposition of patients with emergent conditions
• Order laboratory tests, radiology/imaging tests and other procedures necessary to complete assessment of the patient.
• Provide comprehensive medical care to patients, presenting with full range of (acute, complex, complicated, difficult, rare, and/or combination) medical, surgical and psychiatric illnesses
• Provide action and treatment that directly affects the course of subsequent health care provisions for both inpatient and outpatient settings.
• Refer patients to specialty clinics.
• Modify plans of acute and chronically ill patients.
• Order the administration of medication, including controlled substances in accordance with approved treatment protocols.
• Coordinate with patients regarding findings and diagnoses, laboratory results, follow-up treatment plan or the effect of medications prescribed in accordance with approved protocols

• Performs Other Duties as Assigned

Qualifications

Who May Apply: US CitizensIn order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below. 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; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.Basic Requirements for Physician Assistant (Emergency Room):Education: Graduation from a physician assistant educational program, accredited by the Accreditation Review Committee on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) or its predecessors, at a college, university, or educational institution that is accredited by an accrediting body or organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained.Certification: Successful completion of the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) examination; must maintain status as a certified physician assistant, including completion of all requirements for Continuing Medical Education (CME) and re-certification.Licensure: Applicants must possess a current, active, full, and unrestricted license or registration as a Physician Assistant from a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States.Exemption: You are exempt from the license requirements above if you are a current federal employee occupying a position in the 0603 occupational series and have been continuously employed in this occupational series since September 27, 2017 or before. Note: You will be required to provide appropriate documentation to the respective Human Resources Office to validate your status.In addition to meeting the basic requirements above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:Experience: A minimum of one full year of work experience as a certified physician assistant that includes 1) Performing physical examinations; 2) Interpreting laboratory or diagnostic tests; 3) Obtaining patients medical history; and 4) Prescribing medication to patients. This definition of experience is typical of work performed at the second lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-11).Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted.

Education

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.