PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT II – BWH/BWFH Outpatient Neuromuscular & Autonomic Neurology

At the heart of Boston’s Longwood Medical and Academic area, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a U.S. News & World Report top ranked hospital, offers physician assistants (PA) a robust and supportive community to practice. PAs will join a dedicated team that benefits from established PA leadership with a PA Services department which offers opportunities for dedicated PA onboarding and orientation, continuing medical education, simulation-based training opportunities, health and wellness events, and peer mentoring. The success of the PA program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital centers around exceptional patient care, dedication to teaching and education, participation in research, and opportunities for professional growth and development. Whether you are interested in clinical medicine, research, education, administration, or innovation, you will find opportunities to reach your goals at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. As part of the Mass General Brigham Healthcare System, PAs will have access to world class health insurance, tuition reimbursement, competitive retirement options, CME benefits, access to affiliated childcare, exclusive discounts and rewards, and more in the Boston area and beyond, and opportunities to work collaboratively with other Harvard Medical School-affiliated hospitals.

The physician assistant II (PA) is a licensed provider who has acquired a broad range of knowledge and skills through the successful completion of a physician assistant program. The PA is responsible for the assessment and management of various populations of patients, medical and/or surgical, including diagnostic and therapeutic interventions, development of appropriate plans of care and ongoing evaluation. The physician assistant works under the supervision of an attending physician and reports directly to the department administrator or chief physician assistant.

The PA will perform in accordance with all state and federal regulations and institutional policies including but not limited to the BWH PA Scope of Practice, Prescriptive Practice Guidelines, approved clinical privileges, and BWH PA policy.

Principle Clinical Duties and Responsibilities for the PA role within the BWH Department of Neurology

• Provides direct care, counseling, and teaching to designated patient populations in the ambulatory, inpatient, operative, and/or procedural setting(s)
• Performs complete histories and physical examinations
• Orders, interprets, and evaluates 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 electronic documentation
• 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 interdisciplinary team members
• Demonstrates expert clinical judgment skills to function in an independent role
• Additional duties and responsibilities as required by the department/division

While the PA can expect a relatively predictable work schedule planned whenever possible, scheduling variations may occur in order to cover clinical needs as they become apparent to the department/division/clinic. The PA may be asked to take call, pick up additional shifts, work variable hours, and/or provide backup coverage as needed.

Outlined below are the general responsibilities of a PA within the Department of Neurology:

Specific Clinical Duties for this role:

• The schedule is: Monday through Friday, approximately 8 hours per day, to optimally support the patient care needs of the Division and its patients. This role will a combination of neuromuscular and autonomic neurology. The providers time be split between both Brigham and Women’s Main Campus and Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital.
• Provides comprehensive, time-appropriate clinical care within the clinic under the supervision of an attending physician to support the needs of the division
• Acts as responding clinician for patients undergoing autonomic testing.
• Responds appropriately to patient care needs, including but not limited to: triages and manages patient care issues as they arise, to the extent that the PA will obtain and evaluate studies/labs, write orders, obtain consultations and interpret lab values with the assistance of the supervising physicians as necessary during face-to-face interactions or via telemedicine practices
• Holds regular outpatient clinics to support the evaluation, diagnosis, and management of cognitive and neuropsychiatric disorders. Visits include obtaining a history, performing an exam, and making clinical decisions about patient care.
• Takes responsibility for ordering clinical testing, referring to other clinical specialties, and prescribing medications for their individual patient panel
• Serves as the “point person” for all aspects of longitudinal care of the patients in his/her clinic, including returning phone calls, answering patient portal messages, completing medication renewals, prior authorizations, insurance paperwork in collaboration with staff and supervising physicians.
• Works in collaboration with division staff to obtain required prior authorizations for medications as required by patients’ insurances. Participates in the medication reconciliation process including medication review.
• Engages in patient/family teaching within context of a caring relationship; “coaching” patients towards health/wellness, disseminating information on condition, medication compliance, and follow-up care in collaboration with the supervising physicians.
• Develops and maintains patient education materials as needed.
• Participates in quality improvement efforts as directed by the service leadership; the PA should also initiate quality improvement as appropriate.
• Mentors and works collaboratively with the personnel across our center, including members of Neuropsychiatry, Neuropsychology, and Social Work to best support patient care (including physicians, trainees, research assistants, division administrative staff, call center staff, and others).
• Develops and maintains expertise and proficiency with BWH computer systems as needed to independently perform daily tasks such as EPIC order entry, EMAR, lab tests and results, incident reporting, and other patient care systems.
• Provides consistent, high quality and timely documentation including ambulatory visit progress notes, telephone documentation, virtual visit documentation, and forms of documentation within the EPIC medical record/billing system.
• Participates in team meetings, multi-disciplinary care team rounds, and daily communications with the clinical and research teams.
• Attends internal and external educational meetings and engages in appropriate continuing medical education to maintain and enhance skill and competence.

Non-Clinical Duties and Responsibilities:

• Demonstrates professional collaborative and consultative relationships with other providers
• Follows all prescriptive practices and monitoring requirements
• Participates in departmental and organizational committees and programs as appropriate, and attends all required meetings, in-service and professional trainings
• Maintains superior interpersonal and communication skills as a member of the healthcare team 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. Takes appropriate action and files safety reports as needed for system improvement
• Demonstrates understanding of procedures, policies, and documentation required to ensure compliance with hospital standards of care
• Successfully attends and completes the BWH PA onboarding program within six months of employment
• Additional duties and responsibilities as required by the department/division

EEO Statement

BWH is an Equal Opportunity 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.