Summary

The Palliative Physician Assistant provides Inpatient and/or Outpatient Palliative Care to Veterans the Salt Lake City VA Medical Center.

Duties

• Major duties and responsibilities of the position: Independently manages a panel of patients with terminal illness with an emphasis on symptom management related to illness and discussion of goals of medical care
• Develops and implements an individualized plan to achieve improved quality of life
• Demonstrates leadership and works collaboratively with the interdisciplinary team
• Orders and interprets labs - tests - and diagnostic studies
• Prescribes pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions
• Initiates referrals and consults to specialty services
• Provides education to patients and their families
• Assesses and adjusts the plan of care as needed to achieve optimal patient outcomes
• Exemplifies the ICARE core values of-Integrity - Commitment - Advocacy - Respect - and Excellence
• Clinical: Responds to all palliative care consults within 48 hours
• Provides care to inpatient palliative and hospice patients
• Initiates Outpatient consults for Hospice care as needed
• Provide goal setting with Veteran and family - by initiating - and chairing Veteran/family meetings and recording the outcome of the meeting in the veteran's record to communicate veterans/families' goals for all involved staff to understand
• These meetings may be in the inpatient or the outpatient setting
• The veterans attending health care provider is encouraged to attend these family meetings
• Some issues of discussion may include code status - advanced directives - identification of resource needs
• These meetings will include the social worker - and chaplain to be in attendance as much as able
• Collaborates with veterans and the medical providers caring for the veteran at the time (provider may be urgent care/ER - primary care - specialty care - or hospitalist) to be informed of the history and prognosis of the patient
• Available to Emergency Medicine as needed - to assist with case-finding and goal setting
• 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
• Review ongoing pain and symptom management with evaluation and adjustments as needed for Veterans under the care of the SLCVHA
• Special interest/skill in malignant acute pain management with availability to other medical providers for consultation
• Fills scripts for opioids - palliative care medications and durable medical equipment requests as needed
• Ensures that their clinical activities are within their Scope of Practice and are medically and ethically appropriate
• Administrative: Demonstrates leadership and works collaboratively with the interdisciplinary team
• Attends palliative care /hospice team meetings
• Attends palliative care memorial service - participating as requested
• Assists with evaluating requests made for inpatient palliative care admissions
• Contributes to local - VISN - and National Palliative Care workgroups or QI as needed
• Participating in conference calls as scheduled
• Works to strengthen and progress the overall Hospice and Palliative care service in VISN
• This activity is above and beyond normal duties and would contribute to higher level evaluations
• Other duties as assigned
• VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package
• Work Schedule: Monday through Friday - 8:00am to 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: May be authorized by supervisor Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized