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Summary The Philadelphia VA Medical Center is currently recruiting for two full-time Physician Assistants to work in the Orthopedic Section of the Surgical Service. Responsibilities VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. The Physician Assistant, is assigned to the Orthopedic Section of the Surgical Service. Approximately 50% of the incumbent's time will be spent coordinating orthopedic referrals with other VA departments including Primary Care. The remaining 50% of the incumbent's time is in direct support of the VA Orthopedic staff surgeons in all aspects of coordinating and delivering orthopedic care. The Physician Assistant will play a critical role in the VISN 4 Eastern Market surgical integration. This position may be required to travel to other facilities within Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware to support and care for our VeteransThe duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to:Clinical Practice: Performing initial histories and physical examinations. Providing and coordinating comprehensive care for assigned patients in any care setting. Screening outpatients to determine the need for further health care. Ordering diagnostic studies such as laboratory tests, X-rays, electrocardiograms (EKGs) specified in the PA's scope of practice. Carrying out health promotion and disease prevention activities including education and shared decision-making. Drawing blood specimens or obtaining other specimens for laboratory testing as needed. Initiating and expediting requests for consultations and scheduling special tests and studies. Writing orders and prescriptions, as necessary, for the care of the patient in accordance with Federal and State law. Making daily rounds to observe and record patient's medical progress, updating and summarizing medical records, changing orders when appropriate (as permitted in the SOP), and notifying the responsible physician of significant changes in the patient's condition. Documenting progress notes and summaries in the patient's medical record. The PA may be delegated the task of documenting the discharge summary. (With attending co-signature) Obtaining consent and documenting procedures performed for which the PA is responsible. Providing education and counseling of patients and families in preventive care, medical conditions, and the use of prescribed treatments and drugs. Screening consults, working with the HAS schedulers to ensure that patients are seen on a timely basis. Completing pre-op clearances an otherwise facilitating smooth pt. flow to the operating room. Specialized Duties: Serves as a point of contact for orthopedic referrals and consults which may originate in any service of the medical center, but in particular primary care. Collaborates with the staff of other departments and the care team to coordinate care plans. Collaborates with the Primary care to coordinate fee care referrals with non-VA providers of orthopedic care. Typically these will be for office visits, or for surgical care. Provides technical (nonmedical) support to the Chief of the Emergency on referring patients to external providers of orthopedic care. Coordinates the flow of medical records between the VA and FEE care provider. Prepares special reports on fee referrals, and orthopedic workload for the executive leadership of the medical center. Supports pre-op, intra-op and post-op work-up and care of patients at the request of the Chief, Orthopedic surgery. Emergency Duties: Emergency duties are those carried out for patients in life-threatening situations where a physician is not immediately available. The PA initiates these activities and makes every effort to summon a physician as soon as possible. Examples of emergency duties include: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation. Treatment of acute respiratory failure. Treatment of life threatening traumatic injuries. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm. On-call, weekends, and holidays may be required depending on the needs of the Veterans serviced. Requirements Conditions of Employment All qualified candidates encouraged to apply. Open to U.S. Citizens but non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens. 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. You may be required to serve a probationary period. 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). 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. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Education Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.