Physician Assistant

Job Title

Under supervision of a physician, in accordance with written policies and statutes, to perform diagnostic and therapeutic tasks in all primary care and specialty care settings.

The Power of WE: Together, we can make a greater impact. Bringing better care and expanding healthcare services across the community. The County of Santa Clara operates Santa Clara Valley Healthcare (SCVH), the second largest public health care system in California and includes four acute care hospitals, 14 clinics, and 60+ specialty and sub-specialty services. Our mission is to provide high-quality, accessible healthcare and excellent service to everyone in Santa Clara County. Because we serve patients throughout multiple hospitals and clinics, you may have to work at different sites. We will meet any obligations we may have when this occurs.

Santa Clara Valley Medical Center: SCVMC is a full-service tertiary acute care teaching hospital with 699 licensed beds providing a wide range of specialized services, including Rehabilitation, Burn, Trauma, and NICU. SCVMC was ranked by U.S. News and World Report as #6 Rehabilitation Hospital in the nation and #1 in the West and designated as a 2024 High Performing hospital for Maternity Care, Heart Failure, Stroke, Hip Fracture, and Pneumonia.

O'Connor Hospital: O'Connor Hospital (OCH) is a 358 licensed bed acute care facility offering a full range of inpatient and outpatient medical, surgical and specialty programs to residents of Santa Clara County. It was founded in 1889 as one of the first hospitals in the county. OCH has grown significantly over the past five years in both its inpatient volume and its Emergency Department visits. Along with these volume increases other ancillary and clinical departments like imaging, lab, pharmacy, and respiratory have seen growth as well.

St. Louise Regional Hospital: Since 1989, St. Louise Regional Hospital (SLRH) has been caring for the residents in Santa Clara and San Benito Counties, offering a wide range of inpatient and outpatient medical specialties. SLRH has 93 beds, is a Designated Primary Stroke Center, and is the only acute care hospital in the area. Located in Gilroy, SLRH maintains a CALSTAR 2 emergency helicopter base on the premises.

Regional Medical Center: Regional Medical Center (RMC) is a 258-bed hospital that is the main emergency healthcare provider for East San José, treating a wide range of critical and life-threatening conditions for more than 60 years. Since the SCVH integration of RMC effective 4/1/25, RMC has expanded the critical services including Level II trauma, Thrombectomy capable Stroke Center and STEMI care, and has been seeing an increased number of emergency visits and inpatient volume.

Typical Tasks

The following are the duties performed by employees in this classification. However, employees may perform other related duties at an equivalent level. Each individual in the classification does not necessarily perform all duties listed.

• Obtains complete histories and performs pertinent physical exams with identification of normal and abnormal findings on new and returning patients;
• Accurately compiles and records findings in the medical records;
• Performs, orders, and evaluates diagnostic studies, as indicated for evaluation of the patient;
• Interprets test results for deviation from normal;
• Diagnoses conditions and develops care management/treatment plans under appropriate supervision;
• Prescribes, orders, and/or administers medications in accordance with current hospital policies and procedures;
• Determines need for and orders ancillary and consultative services (e.g., physical therapy, occupational therapy, respiratory therapy, radiology examinations, and nursing services);
• Performs designated procedures after demonstrated training and evaluation of current competency; may include but not limited to injections, immunizations, suturing, wound care, and infection management;
• Initiates and facilitates hospital admissions and discharges as directed by the supervising physician;
• Makes daily inpatient rounds as directed by the supervising physician;
• Assists supervising physician with enrollment, treatment, and care management of patients in Investigational Review Board (IRB) approved studies;
• After appropriate training, provides first and second assist during surgery or complicated procedures;
• Facilitates the coordination of necessary patient care, including ordering Durable Medical Equipment (DME), in home care, and community care;
• Participates in quality improvement initiatives, as assigned;
• Provides appropriate, effective patient counseling and education;
• Works with postgraduate trainees (e.g., Physician Assistant students, residents, fellows) and assists in their training and educational process;
• Obtains informed consent, as permitted by the informed consent policies and procedures, as indicated;
• Recognizes situations that call for immediate attention of a physician, and initiates lifesaving procedures, when necessary;
• May be assigned as a Disaster Service Worker (DSW)*, as required;
• Performs other related duties, as required.

Employment Standards

Sufficient education, training, and experience to demonstrate the possession and direct application of the following knowledge and abilities:

Training and Experience Note: The required knowledge and abilities are attained through graduation from a Physician Assistant program accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) and possession of Board Certification from the National Commission on the Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) as described in California Business and Professions Code. Division 2. Healing Arts View phone number on click.appcast.io] (Division 2 enacted by Stats. 1937, Ch. 399.) CHAPTER 7.7. Physician Assistants [3500 - 3546], Medical Board of California. Physician Assistant Board, and National Commission on the Certification of Physician Assistants.

Special Requirements

• Current active, unrestricted Physician Assistant license in the State of California;
• Current active, registered U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) number for prescribing controlled substances, upon appointment;
• Possess National Commission on the Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) certification, and maintain NCCPA certification during the course of employment in this classification;
• Basic Life Support (BLS), upon appointment;
• Some positions may require additional specialty certification (e.g., wound care) relevant to the position;
• Some positions may require Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS), and/or Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) certification based on the certification required for practice privileges relevant to the position and the individual PA's privilege set;
• Ability to travel to alternate locations in the course of work. If driving, possession of a valid California driver's license prior to appointment and the ability to qualify for and maintain a County driver authorization;
• *As a condition of employment, pursuant to California Government Code Sections 3100-3109 and Local Ordinance, all County of Santa Clara employees are designated Disaster Service Workers (DSWs), including extra help. A DSW is required to complete all assigned DSW-related training, and in the event of an emergency, return to work as ordered.

Knowledge of:

• Principles, practices, and methods of acute and primary care medicine and continuity of patient care;
• Diagnosis and treatment of common medical problems related to a clinical specialty area;
• Sciences basic to medicine (e.g., anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, microbiology);
• Laws and regulations pertaining to the practice of medicine as a Physician Assistant;
• Current trends and concepts in medicine as they relate to a Physician Assistant;
• English usage, style, grammar, punctuation, and spelling;
• Common computer systems and applications.

Ability to:

• Evaluate and treat patients with acute and/or chronic complaints and health maintenance concerns;
• Recognize situations that require the immediate attention of a physician and initiate lifesaving procedures, when necessary;
• Adhere to all relevant regulatory, County, hospital, and clinical policies and procedures;
• Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with people of diverse backgrounds and cultures;
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work, at all levels, including colleagues, the public, and representatives of other agencies;
• Gather complete, detailed, and accurate medical histories;
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