Physician Assistant

Summary

View Common Definitions of terms found in this announcement.

Organizational Location: These positions are located in the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), ICE Health Services Corp. (IHSC), in Batavia, New York; Eloy, Arizona.

These are bargaining unit positions.

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Duties

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As a Physician Assistant, you will perform the following duties:

• Provide direct patient urgent care, emergent and chronic care services to agency detainees, with significant independence and at times only regional oversight by Medical Doctors (MD).
• Perform comprehensive, age specific and/or focused history and physical examinations, which may include gynecological and pediatric exams/procedures.
• Screen for and treatment of contagious diseases that may be epidemic in other countries ( e.g. TB including multi- drug resistant TB, Ebola, Zika, HIV, measles, varicella).
• Maintain patient/medical record confidentiality and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) regulations.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
• You must successfully pass a background investigation.
• You must successfully pass a drug screen.
• Males born after 12/31/59 must certify registration with Selective Service.
• Requirements by Closing Date: Unless otherwise noted, you must meet all requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
• Probationary Period: This is a full-time permanent position (Career/Career-Conditional appointment). Upon appointment to this position, you may be required to serve a one-year probationary period.
• You must be able to work shifts on days, evening, nights, weekends, holidays, and serve on-call as needed to meet operational needs of the facility with flexibility and adaptability to sudden changes in schedules and work requirements.
• You may be required to do frequent travel. As a clinician, the position is placed on a rotational internal TDY schedule to assist with clinical operations in the field and obtain clinical hours.
• BLS Certification: You must possess and maintain Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Basic Life Support (BLS) certification with either the American Red Cross or American Heart Association, all times while performing services.
• Must be able to understand, speak, read, and write English fluently.

Qualifications

Please limit your resume to 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Do not copy and paste the duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire from this announcement into your resume as that will not be considered a demonstration of your qualifications for this position.

Applicants must meet the following Basic, Selective Placement Factor, and Specialized Experience requirements as noted below:

BASIC REQUIREMENTS (A, B, AND C): Applicants must meet all three (A, B, and C) requirements listed below:

• A. Education: Applicants must have graduated 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.
• B. Licensure: Applicants must have 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.
• C. Certification: Applicant must have successfully completed a National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) examination. (Note: You must maintain status as a certified physician assistant, including completion of all requirements for continuing medical education (CME) and re-certification).

YOU MUST SUBMIT TRANSCRIPTS, CERTIFICATION, AND LICENSURE.

IN ADDITION TO MEETING THE ABOVE BASIC EDUCATIONAL AND LICENSURE REQUIREMENT, YOU MUST ALSO MEET THE FOLLOWING MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

S ELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR: Selective placement factors are applied in the same manner as minimum qualification requirements. Relevant selective placement factor experience must be well documented in your resume. Failure to meet a selective placement factor will result in your removal from consideration: You must possess a current Basic Life Support (BLS) for healthcare provider certification. This certification shall be maintained in a current status at all times while performing services,

AND

You must possess an unrestricted license with a state of licensure and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to prescribe controlled medication,

AND

You must possess such basic proficiency in spoken and written English that will permit communication with patients and other health-care personnel that will enable you to carry out a person's health-care responsibilities satisfactorily.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE GS-13: Applicants must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the GS-12 level in the Federal service. Experience includes duties such as:

• Providing direct patient care with significant independence and at times only regional oversight by physicians;
• Implementing health care policies at the local, state, or national level; AND
• Treating acute minor illness/injuries to provide continuity of care of chronic illnesses in collaboration with physician colleagues.

Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Qualification claims will be subject to verification.

National Service Experience (i.e., volunteer experience): 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). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR 213.3102(u), and/or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR 315.707. Veterans, Peace Corps, VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.

Education

This position requires specific coursework and/or a degree to meet the basic education requirement. You must submit an official transcript or unofficial transcript, or a list including courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned. Your transcript(s) must clearly demonstrate the course(s) listed in the qualification requirement section. If the transcript(s) does not clearly demonstrate this you must submit a copy of the course description and/or other documentation demonstrating that the courses are equivalent.

Special Instructions for Foreign Education : If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that 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. Failure to provide such documentation with your application will result in lost consideration. For further information, visit:

Additional information

Salary: The salary range indicated in this announcement reflects the lowest and highest potential salaries for this position. The actual salary range will be based on the applicable locality pay for the selected duty location. General Schedule locality pay tables may be found under Salaries & Wages.

Promotion Potential: This position is at the full performance level.

E-Verify: DHS uses E-Verify, an Internet-based system, to confirm the eligibility of all newly hired employees to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.

Suitability: If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment.

Background Investigation: To ensure the accomplishment of our mission, DHS requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet these standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully obtain and maintain a background investigation for Public Trust as a condition of placement into this position. This may include a credit check, a review of financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Benefits: DHS offers competitive salaries and an attractive benefits package, including: health, dental, vision, life, and long-term care insurance; retirement plan; Thrift Savings Plan [similar to a 401(k)]; Flexible Spending Account; Employee Assistance Program; personal leave days; and paid federal holidays. Other benefits may include: flexible work schedules; telework; tuition reimbursement; transportation subsidies; uniform allowance; health and wellness programs; and fitness centers. DHS is committed to employee development and offers a variety of employee training and developmental opportunities. For more information, go to the DHS Careers website and select "Benefits." Disabled veteran leave will be available to any Federal employee hired on or after November 5, 2016, who is a veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 30 percent or more. A student loan repayment incentive may be available, in which case a service agreement will be required.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.