Physician Assistant

**Job Description**:
**Position Summary**:
The Orthopaedic Physician Assistant (PA) is a health care provider who always works under the supervision of a registered physician. The PA supports the physician as the principle medical-decision maker and the supervising physician is responsible for the direction of the PAs’ activities. PAs are highly skilled providers that have the knowledge, skills, and experience to work as part of a physician led team in a variety of clinical settings. In general, PAs’ will have the skills and experience to deal with medical emergencies, specialized care and everyday health care needs. Clinical expert competencies are central to the function of PAs and draws on the other competencies of Communication, Collaboration, Management, Health Advocacy, Scholar and Professionalism.

**Qualifications**:

- Secondary School Diploma or Equivalent
- Undergraduate Degree
- Graduate of a Canadian or US Accredited Physician Assistant Education Program - mandatory
- Eligible to challenge the National Physician Assistant Certificate Exam, or Canadian Physician Assistant Certification - mandatory
- BCLS and ACLS

**Experience**:

- Two years experience managing inpatients, preferred
- Working orthopaedic knowledge, preferred

**Competencies**:

- Integrate all the core PA competencies to provide optimal, ethical and patient-centered medical care
- Perform a complete and appropriate clinical assessment of a patient and formulate a clinical treatment plan
- Use preventive and therapeutic interventions effectively
- Demonstrate proficient and appropriate use of diagnostic and procedural skills
- Recognize their scope of practice while demonstrating effective and appropriate consultation practice with other healthcare professionals in respect to patient care, education and legal opinions

**Responsibilities**:
**Clinical Assessment of Patients**
- Obtain health history as appropriate, including patient demographics, chief complaint, history of the present illness or injury, past medical, surgical, family and relevant psychosocial history, medications, allergies and systems review. Ensuring pre-op and post-op assessments are completed and documented
- Conduct comprehensive and focused physical assessments and interpret findings. This includes assessment of vital signs and examination of major body systems.
- Utilize primary and secondary assessment results to formulate a differential diagnosis and determine if further clinical investigation is required in conjunction with the most responsible physician.
- Order and complete preliminary interpretation of necessary diagnostic tests, which may include, but are not limited to, hematology, microbiology, chemistry, serology, urinalysis, blood gas, ECG, and plain film x-ray.

**Perform the following Diagnostic Procedures**:

- ECG
- Removal of splints and/or dressings
- Wound assessments

**Demonstrate at least an academic understanding of the performance of the following diagnostic procedures**:

- Routine and micro-urinalysis
- Basic hematology
- Chemistry
- Microbiology

**Communication**
- When/as directed by a registered physician:

- Provide relevant information and explanations, including a proposed treatment plan, to the supervising physician and seek further direction where appropriate.
- Provide education to patients, families and other health providers as appropriate to the clinical setting.
- Communicate with other members of the health care team and other hospital departments, both orally, in writing and electronically.

**Medical Documentation and Record Keeping**
- Maintain clear, accurate and appropriate records of the patient encounter and management plan
- Admission of notes, progress notes and discharge notes as needed
- Consultation requests
- Other types of documentation as required by the particular setting

**Consultation with Multidisciplinary team and Orthopedic Surgeons**
- Collaboration with physio therapists and occupational therapists in caring for all orthopedic patients
- Working with other specialists including Internal Medicine, Intensivists, Infectious Disease in caring for orthopaedic patients