Physician Assistant

Join Our Expanding Neurosurgery Team at UPMC Altoona

Are you passionate about making a difference in the field of neurosurgery? UPMC Altoona is excited to invite applications for a Full-Time Physician Assistant to join our dynamic and growing neurosurgery department. This is an incredible opportunity to advance your career in a supportive and innovative environment

Why Choose UPMC Altoona?

• New Graduates Welcome : We are eager to invest in the next generation of healthcare professionals and are open to hiring and training new graduates. This is an excellent opportunity for recent graduates interested in surgery to launch their careers in a supportive environment.

• Collaborative Environment : Work closely with a dedicated team, including one experienced surgeon, a medical assistant, and a practice coordinator. This intimate setting fosters strong mentorship, collaboration, and streamlined communication, allowing for personalized patient care and professional growth.

• Enhanced Operative Skills : With the opportunity to assist in surgeries, you will see your operative skills grow immensely. This position offers hands-on experience that can significantly enhance your surgical proficiency and confidence in the operating room.

• Impactful Work : Play a vital role in delivering high-quality care to our patients in both outpatient and inpatient settings.

Position Highlights:

• Schedule : Enjoy a Monday-Friday daylight schedule with some on-call responsibilities, allowing for a healthy work-life balance.

• Diverse Responsibilities : This role encompasses a blend of patient care:

• 50% : Outpatient clinic visits, where you'll assess and manage patient care. Please add some conditions that they will see such as spinal cord injuries, Moyamoya disease, ect…

• 25% : Inpatient rounding with the MD, providing continuity of care for our hospitalized patients.

• 25% : Assist in the operating room, gaining hands-on surgical experience.

See what being an Advanced Practice Provider can do for UPMC and what UPMC can do for Advanced Practice Providers – it’s more than just a job

What Can You Bring to UPMC?

• Contribute to UPMC’s mission of Life Changing Medicine

• Set the standards for the level and quality of care for the care delivery team

• Provide patient care activities for a group of patients and their families through the application of independent judgment, communication, and collaboration with all team members.

• Establish and maintain collaborative relationships with physicians, other health care providers, patients, and their families, to achieve desired patient outcomes throughout the continuum of care.

• Demonstrate a commitment to the community and to your health care profession

What Can UPMC Do for You?

• A career path that provides you with the right experience to be successful in the position you want to obtain now and, in the future

• Health and welfare benefits like medical, vision, dental, and life and disability, and an exceptional retirement program

• Work life balance to help manage other important aspects of your life such as: PTO, wellness programs, paid parental leave

• Competitive pay for the work that you do – base pay, merit, and premium pay

• Sign-on Bonus available if applicable

Staff/Senior Level:

The Staff or Senior Advanced Practice Provider (APP) is a Physician Assistant and a member of the care delivery team. The APP is responsible to set the standards for the level and quality of care. The APP has responsibility, authority, and accountability for the provision of care through supervision by and collaboration with a physician. The APP manages and provides patient care activities for a group of patients and their families through the application of independent judgment, communication, and collaboration with all team members. The role of the APP encompasses the beginnings of leadership, partnership, collaboration, and supervision. The APP establishes and maintains collaborative relationships with physicians, other health care providers, patients, and their families, to achieve desired patient outcomes throughout the continuum of care. The APP begins to demonstrate a commitment to the community and to their healthcare profession.

The successful candidate will be placed according to years and months of experience for employment purposes.

Responsibilities:

• Applies basic professional practice knowledge and skills appropriate for practice setting. Communicates effectively, both verbally and in documentation. Demonstrates critical thinking in all areas of professional practice. Learns to incorporate acceptable standards of professional practice as well as business unit and health system's goals to improve patient safety, quality, and satisfaction. Formulates a plan of care that considers individual patient needs. Demonstrates initiative and seeks formal and informal opportunities to improve clinical practice. Seeks guidance and asks questions to continuously improve professional practice. Builds relationships with patients, families, and colleagues. Identifies ethical situations within patient care or within the workplace and seeks assistance. Professionally accepts assignments that gradually increase patient load and complexity.

• Actively engages in clinical development of all members of the healthcare team. Requests opportunities to learn advanced professional practice techniques from senior healthcare team members. Seeks, accepts, and utilizes performance feedback from peers, preceptors, and unit/department Leaders as a learning opportunity and to improve practice. Demonstrates enthusiasm for continuous learning and identifies and creates a plan for the continuation of learning and development. Identifies patient and family needs for education and provides basic education to support the episode of care. Seeks professional development and involvement through membership in a professional organization and/or reading professional literature on a regular basis.

• Demonstrates a basic knowledge of research, how it affects practice and who/what resources are available to assist with evidence-based practice by asking questions, demonstrating interest, participating in journal clubs. Clinical practice demonstrates knowledge of how quality and innovation impacts patient satisfaction, safety, and clinical quality outcomes. Identifies opportunities for improvement in the clinical area.

• Demonstrates the ability to communicate clearly and effectively with all members of the health care team. Begins to demonstrate awareness of cultural diversity, horizontal violence, and impairment in the health professions. Cares for patients and self by supporting safety in the workplace.

• Demonstrates accountability for professional development that improves the quality of professional practice and the quality of patient care. Makes recommendations for the improvement of clinical care and the health of the workplace and welcomes and participates in change initiatives. Leads by investing and building healthy relationships among colleagues and other disciplines. Shows the ability to set priorities. Begins to serve as an engaged member of a team supporting colleagues in service to patients and families and may participate in task forces or other initiatives.

• Demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care and/or interact appropriately with the patients served as specified below

• Demonstrate knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span

• Possess the ability to assess data reflective of the patient's status and interpret the appropriate information needed to identify each patient's requirements relative to their age-specific needs

• Provide the care needs as described in the department policy and procedures

Special Skills and Abilities Required

• Ability to establish and maintain positive, caring relationships with executives, managers, physicians, non-physician providers, ancillary and support staff, other departments, and patients/families

• Ability to work productively and effectively within a complex environment

• Handle multiple/changing priorities and specialized equipment

• Critical thinking, analytical and problem-solving abilities required as related to various aspects of patient care

• Good clinical judgment

• Critical thinking skills necessary to exercise and lead others in application of acceptable standards of practice

• Mobility and visual manual dexterity

• Physical stamina for frequent walking, standing, lifting, and positioning of patients

This position is dependent upon successful attainment and maintenance of hospital privileges, if applicable to the Business Unit practice.

Licensure, Education, Certifications, and Clearances

Physician Assistant (PA):  

• A graduate of a physician assistant program accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the physician assistant (ARC-PA) is required

• BS or MS candidate is preferred

• Experience as a physician assistant and/or experience in a clinical setting is preferred

• Current state PA license certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) is required

• Current CPR certification is required

• Act 33 Clearance will be required 

• Act 73 Clearance will be required

• Act 34 Clearance required

Senior Level

• Minimum 3 years of experience or Completion of a post-graduate residency

• The successful completion of an approved Nurse Practitioner or a graduate of a physician assistant program accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the physician assistant (ARC-PA) program is required

• BSN, MSN preferred for CRNP, BS or MS preferred for PA

• Completion of National Certification 

• Must achieve a Solid/Strong/Good performance rating or higher on annual performance evaluation for consideration and to maintain status annually

• Completion of an OAPP approved professional contribution within one year of hire or promotion into the position. 

• Must have department chair approval for promotion

• ACLS or ITLS or NALS or PALS or ACLS or other certifications listed must meet AHA standards that include both a didactic and skills demonstration component within 30 days of hire. 

OAPP: If practicing in an outpatient or other non-inpatient setting, APPs can use one of the certifications above or use a business unit approved certification which is relevant, and value added to the practice setting.

UPMC is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veteran

UPMC has a Center for Engagement and Inclusion that is charged with executing leading-edge and next-generation diversity strategies to advance the organization’s diversity management capability and its national presence as a diversity leader. This includes having Employee Resource Groups, such as PRIDE Health or UPMC ENABLED (Empowering Abilities and Leveraging Differences) Network, which support the implementation of our diversity strategy.