Summary

The Birmingham VA Health Care System is recruiting for a full-time Physician Assistant (General Surgery) located within Surgical Service.

Duties

Clinical responsibilities center around pre-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative care, as well as general surgical patient management. Duties include, but are not limited to:

Pre-Operative

• Obtain comprehensive histories and perform physical exams.
• Order and interpret diagnostic tests (labs, X-ray, MRI, CT, etc.).
• Educate patients on the surgical plan, risks, preparation, and postoperative expectations.
• Complete pre-operative documentation and surgical clearance.

Intra-Operative

• First-assist in surgeries (retraction, suturing, hemostasis, handling instruments, robotic or laparoscopic support depending on training).
• Maintain communication with OR staff to ensure proper workflow.
• Perform simple surgical procedures as delegated (incision & drainage, wound management, casting/splinting, etc.)

Post-Operative

• Round on inpatients and assess recovery progress.
• Manage postoperative care (dressings, drains, sutures/staple removal, wound checks).
• Address consults, triage postoperative issues, and manage complications.
• Provide patient education on discharge and home care.

General Clinical Care

• Diagnose and treat adult patients in clinic and inpatient settings.
• Prescribe medications as delegated.
• Perform therapeutic procedures (injections, aspirations, minor wound care).
• Conduct inpatient and ER consults, determine need for admission.

Administrative Duties of a General Surgery Physician Assistant

• Administrative responsibilities support surgical workflow, team coordination, compliance, documentation, and patient throughput.

Clinical Documentation & Compliance

• Document histories, progress notes, operative notes, and discharge summaries.
• Complete and route consults and ensure required clinical information is present.
• Manage encounters to ensure completion by end of clinical day.

Care Coordination

• Coordinate inpatient rounds, surgical follow-up, and multidisciplinary communication.
• Facilitate referrals and consults to specialty and tertiary services.
• Organize transitions of care (discharges, transfers to higher levels of care).

Clinic & Workflow Operations

• Assist in scheduling appropriate surgical or clinic appointments.
• Manage wait lists and ensure timely patient scheduling.
• Oversee clinic flow and troubleshoot delays.

Work Schedule:

Monday - Friday, 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Telework:

Available; Ad-hoc only.

Virtual:

This is not a virtual position.

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives:

Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS):

Not Authorized

Salary Range:

• Physician Assistant-I (PA-I): $120,966 - $160,874
• Physician Assistant-II (PA-II): $131,852 - $175,357
• Physician Assistant-III (PA-III): $143,719 - $191,140

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. 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.

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.

Physical Requirements:

Eligible applicants must be physically and mentally able to perform efficiently the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation, without hazard to themselves or others.