Physician Assistant Fellow Medicine

Please forward your Resume, Personal Statement, Transcript, and 2 letters of recommendation to: PAFellowship@bwh.harvard.edu

The Department of Medicine Physician Assistant Fellowship is a post-graduate fellowship dedicated to enhancing the development of a new graduate PA or those transitioning to practice medicine in a hospital setting. The Fellowship provides post graduate education that will develop skilled, compassionate, efficient physician assistants who will deliver safe, high quality care to a diverse patient population. The Fellowship also promotes leadership in the PA field as well as early career professional development.

The Physician Assistant Fellowship is a 12-month position with both clinical and didactic responsibilities. Practice areas include general medicine, oncology, cardiology, critical care, and options for specialty services such as infectious disease and palliative care. The PA Fellow will be responsible for assisting attending physicians in the medical management of patients with ongoing guidance and mentorship. The PA Fellow works closely with the physician and nursing staff to develop and coordinate a plan of care designed to meet the physical, psychological and social needs of patients and their families. Strong interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills are required. Knowledge of current literature and a commitment to continued learning are also required. The mission, vision and core values of the Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) are incorporated into all areas of practice.

The PA Fellow is required to attend dedicated teaching, which includes didactic lecture/discussion, simulation, and procedure training as below. The PA fellow patient responsibility will begin with a lower patient census and will gradually increase throughout the program to match growing skill level. The PA fellow will have designated non-clinical time to participate in courses, didactic lessons and other professional development activities.

Principle Clinical Duties and Responsibilities:

The following clinical duties and responsibilities will be performed with ongoing guidance and mentorship from attending physicians, PA Instructional Faculty, and the PA Fellow program directors, with gradually increasing levels of independence and competency:

• Provides direct care, counseling, and teaching to a designated patient population in the inpatient, operative, and/or procedural setting
• Performs complete histories and physical examinations
• Orders, interprets, and evaluates appropriate laboratory and diagnostic tests
• Develops appropriate plans of care and follow-up based on the outcomes of diagnostic, laboratory, and physical examination findings
• Orders medications and writes prescriptions according to organizational and regulatory policies and procedures
• Consistently provides high quality and timely documentation including admission and progress notes, procedure notes, and discharge summaries
• Performs bedside procedures as are appropriate to the patient population
• In some settings, the PA may first assist in the operating room or procedural areas
• Practices cost effective medicine in an efficient manner, maximizing available resources
• Discusses patient data with other physicians and professionals as appropriate in a multidisciplinary setting
• Demonstrates expert clinical judgment skills to function in an independent role
• Additional duties and responsibilities as required by the department/division

Didactic Responsibilities

• Participate in weekly PA Fellowship didactic sessions
• Join local department level teaching offerings by PA and resident teams
• Attend hospital wide educational opportunities such as Medical Grand Rounds and PA Grand Rounds
• Participate in medical simulation training
• Complete point of care ultrasound training
• Complete procedure training including but not limited to arterial blood gas, NG tube placement, venipuncture, and possibly lumbar puncture, paracentesis, and central line placement in conjunction with the BWH Medicine Procedure Service
• Complete SAGE (Speaking About Goals and Expectations) training
• Attend regularly scheduled feedback sessions with Instructional Faculty and PA Fellow program directors

Other Duties and Responsibilities:

• Demonstrates professional collaborative and consultative relationships with other providers
• Follows all designated prescriptive practices and monitoring requirements with the designated supervising physician and administrative report
• Participates in departmental and organizational committees and programs as appropriate and attends all required meetings, in-services, and professional trainings
• Maintains superior interpersonal and communication skills as a member of the healthcare team in order to collaborate effectively with patients, families, staff, and community health workers
• Remains actively involved in continuing education with a commitment to self and departmental growth
• Adheres to all established safety policies, procedures, and precautions; identifies potential or actual unsafe situations in the environment and takes measures to rectify the situation
• Demonstrates understanding of procedures, policies, and documentation required to ensure compliance with hospital standards of care
• Develop proficiency with BWH computer systems as needed to independently perform daily tasks (EMR, Epic preferred)
• Participate in QA/QI projects as appropriate

• Complete the BWH PA New hire Orientation through PA Services
• Additional duties and responsibilities as required by the department/division

Please forward your Resume, Personal Statement, Transcript, and 2 letters of recommendation to: PAFellowship@bwh.harvard.edu

QUALIFICATIONS:

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  The appropriate candidate will have successfully completed a graduate level physician assistant program (Master's degree) accredited by the Accreditation and Review Committee for Physician Assistants (ARC-PA) or such other accrediting agency as may qualify a graduate to sit for the NCCPA certifying examination
  
  
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  BS/MS joint programs and those candidates with a BS and PA certificate are eligible, but ONLY for those who graduated BEFORE 1995
  
  
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  Certification by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) must be obtained prior to first day of employment
  
  
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  Must hold a current valid license or be eligible for licensure as a physician assistant in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
  
  
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  Must have or eligible for, and maintain, a current DEA registration and Massachusetts Controlled Substance Registration
  
  
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  Must complete 100 hours of CME according to national and state regulations during each two year period.
  
  

SKILLS/ ABILITIES/ COMPETENCIES REQUIRED

• Understand etiologies, risk factors, underlying pathologic process, and epidemiology for medical conditions
• Identify signs and symptoms of medical conditions
• Select and interpret appropriate diagnostic or lab studies
• Manage general medical and surgical conditions to include understanding the indications, agents and other relevant treatment modalities
• Identify the appropriate site of care for presenting conditions, including identifying emergent cases and those requiring referral or admission
• Identify appropriate interventions for prevention of conditions
• Identify the appropriate methods to detect conditions in an asymptomatic individual
• Differentiate between the normal and the abnormal in anatomic, physiological, laboratory findings and other diagnostic data
• Appropriately use history and physical findings and diagnostic studies to formulate a differential diagnosis
• Provide appropriate care to patients with chronic conditions.
• Consistently provide high quality and timely documentation including admission notes, progress notes, discharge summaries.

Required professional abilities:

• Must have the ability to work in a high stress, dynamic, busy clinical setting with changing organizational climate
• Must have the ability to be self-directive and to demonstrate initiative in addressing the responsibilities of the position
• Must have the ability to utilize appropriate problem-solving and conflict resolution skills
• Must be energetic and quality driven and have a proven ability to be a productive member of a team dedicated to providing optimal patient care
• Must maintain the highest degree of professional judgment with the supervision and guidance of a licensed physician

Brigham and Women's Hospital is an Affirmative Action Employer. By embracing diverse skills, perspectives and ideas, we choose to lead. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, age, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, military service, genetic information, and/or other status protected under law. We will ensure that all individuals with a disability are provided a reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.