Health Practitioner

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VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
United States Department of State
An Equal Opportunity Employer
How to Apply

Announcement Number: HP-2012-0001
Position Title: Foreign Service Health Practitioner
Open Period: 12/19/2011 - 01/20/2012
Series/Grade: FP - 0610 03
Salary: $76219 - $111930
Promotion Potentian: FP-03
Duty Locations: MANY Vacancies Throughout the World
For More Information: Medical Services Office, 202-663-1084, medhr@state.gov

WHO MAY APPLY

Applicants must be U.S. citizens and at least 20 years old to apply and at least 21 years of age to be appointed. By law, all career candidates must be appointed to the Foreign Service prior to the month in which they reach age 60.

Duration Appointment

Permanent

Marketing Statement

The Department of State is developing a rank-order Register to fill a limited number of Foreign Service Health Practitioner vacancies. The specific number to be hired will depend on the needs of the Foreign Service in any given year and is subject to change.

Grade Level: FP-03
Salary Range: $76,219 - $111,930

THE FOREIGN SERVICE HEALTH PRACTITIONER CAREER

The Office of Medical Services in the Department of State maintains and promotes the health of employees and their eligible family members who represent U.S. Government agencies abroad. The Department assigns Foreign Service Health Practitioners, Medical Officers, Medical Officer / Psychiatrists and Medical Technologists to selected posts overseas. Many of these posts have significant health risks and local medical facilities are often inadequate to cope with them. The Foreign Service Health Practitioner assumes the role of primary care provider, and is responsible for administering a full range of community health care services, including preventive health education for the U.S. Embassy's official community and on a regional basis when indicated.

Regional Foreign Service Health Practitioners are presently serving among others in Abidjan, Abuja, Accra Addis Ababa, Algiers, Ashgabat, Astana, Ankara, Asmara, Antananarivo, Berlin, Baghdad, Beijing, Bishkek, Brasilia, Bucharest, Budapest, Baku, Bangkok, Beirut, Bogota, Brussels, Cairo, Chengdu, Chennai, Chisinau, Colombo, Conakry, Damascus, Dushanbe, Frankfort, Freetown, Guatemala City, Hanoi, Harare, Havana, Hong Kong, Juba, Islamabad, Jakarta, Kabul, Kampala, Karachi, Kyiv, Kathmandu, Kigali Kinshasa, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait, La Paz, Libreville, Luanda, Lusaka, Lilongwe, London, Managua, Manama, Manila, Maputo, Mexico City, Monrovia, Moscow, Mumbai, Nairobi, Ndjamena, New Delhi, Niamey, Nouakchott, Ouagadougou, Peshawar, Phnom Penn, Port au Prince, Prague, Pretoria, Pristina, Quito, Rabat, Rangoon, San Salvador, Santo Domingo, Sofia, Tashkent, Tel Aviv, Tbilisi, Tegucigalpa, Tirana, Tokyo, Tripoli, Tunis, Vientiane, Vienna, Yaoundé, Yerevan, Ft. Lauderdale, UlaanBaatar, and Washington, D.C. There may be additional posts opening in the near future.

While the preference of an applicant for a particular post or area of assignment is given every possible consideration, assignments are dictated by 'the needs of the Service.'

Key Requirements

All applicants, in order to be considered for selection, must:

  • Be U.S. citizens.
  • Be at least 20 years old to apply and at least 21 years of age to be appointed. By law (Foreign Service Act of 1980), all career candidates must be appointed to the Foreign Service prior to the month in which they reach age 60 (except for preference-eligible veterans).
  • Obtain a Top Secret Security Clearance.
  • Obtain an appropriate medical clearance for Foreign Service work.
  • Obtain a Suitability Clearance following a review by a Final Review Panel of the candidate’s record for conduct in accordance with suitability standards defined in Chapter 3 of the Foreign Affairs Manual. Factors considered by the Final Review Panel include, but are not limited to: misconduct in prior employment; criminal conduct; use to excess of intoxicating beverages; trafficking in or abuse of narcotics or controlled substances; and failure to meet financial obligations. For more details see http://careers.state.gov/specialist/selection-process or http://www.state.gov/m/a/dir/regs/fam.

Potential applicants are strongly urged to read this entire vacancy announcement to ensure they meet all of the requirements for this position and fully understand the special circumstances involving a career in the Foreign Service before applying.

MAJOR DUTIES

Serving as a Foreign Service Health Practitioner in support of the employees of the United States Government and their eligible family members, a health practitioner may work independently or in conjunction with other Foreign Service medical personnel. The Foreign Service Health Practitioner duties include the following:

  1. Providing primary health care services Collects information about patients through interviews and observations, examines patients (adults and children), including medical clearance examinations, analyzes diagnostic tests, advises patients, prescribes treatment, writes prescriptions, performs therapeutic procedures, offers mental health support, consults with health care team, documents patient information, manages immunization program, and maintains professional credentials.


  2. Managing occupational health and preventive medicine programs Performs health maintenance, identifies endemic conditions, provides disease prevention, orients new personnel, updates post medical information, monitors food safety, ensures safe drinking water, acts as the occupational health advisor, oversees the pre-employment or fitness for duty of local employees, provides emergency care for those on U.S. government property, adheres to quality assurance procedures, submits reports, assists in facilitating emergency visitation travel, and monitors department's medical provider basic life support (BLS) certification.


  3. Administering health unit functions Manages health unit resources, exercises fiscal responsibility, supervises health unit staff, facilitates military access to care, follows laboratory protocols, and advises consular personnel.


  4. Coordinating emergency medical response Updates the emergency action plan, provides emergency medical training, manages MED's emergency response programs, coordinates post pandemic medical response, advises post management, provides medical leadership in crises, provides emergency medical care, provides VIP medical coverage, initiates medical evacuations, and acts as patient advocate.


  5. Evaluating local medical resources Evaluates local medical resources, establishes professional networks, and coordinates local medical care.

Foreign Service Health Practitioners are considered 'essential personnel' and are on call to provide services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

Applicant must have a minimum of four years of experience within the last six years providing direct patient care, which includes at least two years experience within the last six years providing family primary care post NP or PA certification; Family primary care is defined as that provided for pre-natal and pediatric patients through adult population.

Applicants must have experience providing primary care. Candidates must have specialized experience as an FNP or PA including chronic and emergency care, in an independent family or general practice setting. The candidate must demonstrate the ability to manage administrative aspects of a health unit as well as the ability to cope with extraordinary medical crisis, often in remote and isolated settings. Education and experience must demonstrate that the applicant can function as a public/community health provider.

Applicant must be a skilled and experienced primary health care practitioner who recognizes and understands the problems of delivering health care to a large group of Americans posted in widely varied settings, often where local medical resources are limited or nonexistent. Experience in providing long distance triage and care via electronic communications such as telephone, radio, telegram and e-mail to individuals is important.

Candidates must be able to develop, coordinate, and administer health care delivery programs. These include but are not limited to individual and community health promotion and disease prevention programs. This includes teaching health topics to both small and large groups. Candidates must provide comprehensive health assessments and medical care to individuals and families across the life span.

Candidates must be able to organize and supervise a diverse group of health care providers who have varying degrees of expertise, education and command of the English language. Candidates must understand the unique cultural differences related to health care delivery in varied countries and address these differences in a positive manner. The candidate must be able to assess, diagnose, and treat infectious diseases.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES, AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS

The education, work experience, and other qualifications will be evaluated for evidence of the following knowledge, skills, abilities, and other requirements that have been identified as important to successful job performance as a Health Practitioner based on extensive job analysis research. Not all of these attributes need to be met by a candidate; the attributes will be used as a set to evaluate candidates:

  • Knowledge at the nurse practitioner or physician assistant level of family practice medicine and/or advanced practice nursing, pediatrics, women's health issues, obstetrics, infectious diseases, orthopedics, dermatology, gastroenterology, neurology, urology, laboratory/radiology/ diagnostic testing, pharmacology, general surgery, mental health conditions, alcoholism and drug abuse, nutrition, emergency medical techniques, immunizations, food and water safety, and medical quality assurance procedures.


  • Technical skill in family practice, clinical interviewing, physical assessment, performing medical examinations, performing medical procedures, operating medical equipment, planning of evaluation and treatment, triage, basic computer programs, and research techniques.


  • Personal skills in oral communication, written communication, interpersonal relations, stress tolerance, teaching others, supervision, leadership, time management, acclimating to different cultures, collaborating, and organizing events and projects.


  • Other requirements: empathetic personality, self confidence, firmness of convictions, adaptability, unflappability, creativity, ability to keep confidentiality, tolerance of non-scheduled work hours, physical endurance, worldwide availability, tolerance of separation from family, and country loyalty.

SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTIONNAIRE

Purpose: Describe your experiences that relate to the required skills which demonstrate your ability to be a successful Foreign Service Health Practitioner.

Instructions: During the application process, you will be asked to individually address each of the numbered items listed below, limiting responses to 200 words or less for each item. Examples can be drawn from any part of your experience, but must reflect personal accomplishments. You should compose your replies carefully as one of the skills required of an experienced Health Practitioner is the ability to write clearly and concisely.

  1. Clinical Experience: Describe your clinical experience working with well and acutely ill infants, children, and adolescents. Include the type of practice setting, number of patients seen weekly.
    1. Include a statement about your ability to manage care for a pediatric population in a remote setting.
    2. Please provide the same information about your women's health care experience.
    3. Describe your clinical experience and give a self-assessment of your abilities to care for and stabilize a trauma patient, multiple trauma patients prior to a medical evacuation.
    4. Describe a specific complex clinical case which demonstrates your skills in organizing patient problems and solutions.
  2. Organizational Abilities: Describe a specific achievement demonstrating your planning and organizational skills in the setting a multidisciplinary practice.
  3. Leadership and Teamwork Abilities: Discuss your abilities to participate as a team member working toward a common goal, as well as examples of your ability to lead a team in the accomplishment of a goal.
  4. Public Speaking and Teaching Ability: Describe specific examples demonstrating your public speaking and teaching abilities as part of an assignment or work-related task.

EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

In addition to the general requirements for employment in the Foreign Service, Applicants must be a graduate of an accredited Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) or Physician Assistant (PA) program at the time of appointment with a minimum of a bachelor's degree. A review panel will recommend the most competitive candidates be invited to take a proctored writing examination as part of the final assessment. The ability to draft an essay which will demonstrate a command of English grammar, spelling, and punctuation will be an important consideration in order to participate in an oral assessment, which is explained further which is explained further in our website, careers.state.gov/specialist, under Selection Process.

LICENSURE/CERTIFICATION

Applicants must be currently licensed as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) or Physician Assistant (PA) in a state, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States or the District of Columbia and must have current national certification as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) or the Physician Assistant equivalent from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, American Academy of Nurse Practitioners or the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants. Applications will not be accepted from Nurse Practitioners or Physician Assistants who are not currently licensed and certified. National Board certification and re-certification as a Family Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant must be maintained.

Compensation and Tenure

The salary for Foreign Service Health Practitioners is FP- 3, Step 1 through 14. The starting salary is dependent upon such factors as graduate level education and directly related specialized experience not used to satisfy qualifications criteria experience. Salary level will be determined at the time of a conditional offer of employment. To be creditable, such education and specialized experience must be in excess of that which is required to qualify as described under Education and Specialized Experience Requirements. Individuals already working in government positions may be appointed based on highest previous rate as a Federal employee and will be determined at the time of a conditional offer of employment. While the hiring of all medical professionals will start at FP3, Step 1, additional steps may be granted based on the following criteria:

  1. One in-grade step increase may be given for the first (and only the first) graduate degree below the doctoral level in a work-related field, awarded before the date of appointment.
  2. Two additional steps may be given for a doctoral degree in a work-related field, awarded before the date of the appointment.
  3. One step may be given for a masters degree from an accredited college or university in Public Health.

Foreign Service Health Practitioners compete for promotion annually with others in their specialty up to the level of Senior Foreign Service. The Foreign Service Career candidate will become eligible for tenure after a minimum of three years of service.

Medical Credentialing & Indemnification

Applicants are subject to a Medical Credentialing process conducted by the Quality Improvement Staff of the Office of Medical Services. The Medical Credentialing process includes queries of the National Practitioner Data Bank and Physician Data Profile through the American Medical Association (AMA). Once hired, medical personnel are indemnified for official duties only through the U.S. Federal Tort Claims Act.

HOW TO APPLY

We are not currently accepting applications for this position. Please subscribe to receive email updates regarding this position.

To apply, applicants must first register on USAJOBS at www.usajobs.gov and create an online federal resume. Your online resume must be typed or you may cut and paste an existing resume into the space provided. Once you have completed the registration process select the 'apply-online' button to the right. That button will transfer you to Gateway to State.

Follow the 'apply online' instructions at Gateway to State by answering self-assessment questions for the specific job to which you are applying. When completed, the information you provided at USAJOBS and the answers to the Gateway to State questions will become your application. Your registration, resume, and responses to questions will be used to evaluate your qualifications for this job. In addition, you must fax or upload some information to complete your application package.

Please note: Your application is automatically saved as you proceed through it. You may interrupt your application process and return to it until you submit it.

You have until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on the closing date of this announcement to complete the application process and supply the required documentation outlined in this vacancy announcement. Application packages MUST be complete and received by the closing date to receive consideration.

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES

If you are having technical difficulty with the application process, please contact the helpdesk by calling 1-866-656-6830 or by emailing mgshelp@monster.com.

Required Documents

As part of the online application, applicants will be asked to submit the following required documents:

  1. A Completed Online Questionnaire (Gateway to State online application).
  2. Copy of all current professional licenses as a Nurse Practitioner or Physician's Assistant in a state, the common-wealth of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States or the District of Columbia (current national certification as an NP or PA from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, American Academy of Nurse Practitioners or the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants).
  3. Copy of Board Certification
  4. Current Professional Liability Insurance fact sheet
  5. Standard ECFMG certificate (if applicable)
  6. Application Form, VA-10-2850 (pdf). (Complete Items 1 through 17 and 31 through 40). This form can be found on the Department of Veterans Affairs website: Application Form, VA-10-2850. Upon completion you will need to save a copy to upload or print out and fax with the appropriate system generated fax sheet. (All documentation submitted under this vacancy announcement on the Veterans Affairs forms will be reviewed and verified by Department of State personnel ONLY.)

Once you have completed the online questionnaire, you will be prompted to decide either to upload your documents or to print out cover sheets generated within the application that must be used to fax the above required documents.

If faxing, it is extremely important that only these system-generated cover sheets, and the phone number included on them, be used for faxing these documents. The cover sheets are coded to insure that your documents are automatically attached to your online application. Please ensure that each document is faxed separately with the appropriate system generated cover sheet.

These documents must be either faxed or uploaded before the closing date of this announcement, which is midnight eastern standard time.

What to Expect Next

Applications will be considered as their completed package arrives in the Department. The Department of State will be hiring a number of candidates. Please note that the average processing time for an application is 7-9 months, including the completion of the credentialing, medical, security and suitability clearances. Applications, which are received through State's inter-office mail system or mailed in Government-franked envelopes, will not be processed.

Executive Branch agencies are barred by 5 US Code 3303 as amended from accepting or considering prohibited political recommendations and are required to return any prohibited political recommendations to sender. In addition, as mandated by US Code 310, relatives of federal employees cannot be granted preference in competing for these employment opportunities.

THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE IS COMMITTED TO EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AND FAIR AND EQUITABLE TREATMENT FOR ALL WITHOUT REGARD TO RACE, COLOR, NATIONAL ORIGIN, SEX, RELIGION, AGE, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, DISABLING CONDITION, POLITICAL AFFILIATION, MARITAL STATUS, OR PRIOR STATUTORY, CONSTITUTIONALLY PROTECTED ACTIVITY. THE DEPARTMENT PROVIDES REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS TO APPLICANTS WITH DISABILITIES. APPLICANTS REQUIRING ACCOMMODATION FOR ANY PART OF THE APPLICATION OR HIRING PROCESS SHOULD SO ADVISE THE DEPARTMENT. ALL DECISIONS FOR GRANTING REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS ARE MADE ON A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS.

BENEFITS

Additional Benefits: Tax free housing overseas, tax free educational allowance, etc. (See Compensation and Benefits in our website, careers.state.gov/specialist/benefits, for more information.) In addition, the Foreign Service Health Practitioner attends at least one State Department-sponsored continuing medical education programs each year and receives at least ten hours of Category 1 CME credit per CME.

Compensation and Tenure

The salary for Foreign Service Health Practitioners is FP- 3, Step 1 through 14. The salary is dependent upon such factors as graduate level education and directly related specialized experience not used to satisfy qualifications criteria experience. Salary level will be determined at the time of a conditional offer of employment. To be creditable, such education and specialized experience must be in excess of that which is required to qualify as described under Education and Specialized Experience Requirements. Individuals already working in government positions may be appointed based on highest previous rate as a Federal employee and will be determined at the time of a conditional offer of employment. While the hiring of all medical professionals will start at FP3, Step 1, additional steps may be granted based on the following criteria:

  • One in-grade step increase may be given for the first (and only the first) graduate degree below the doctoral level in a work-related field, awarded before the date of appointment.

  • Two additional steps may be given for a doctoral degree in a work-related field, awarded before the date of the appointment.
  • One step may be given for a masters degree from an accredited college or university in Public Health.

Foreign Service Health Practitioners compete for promotion annually with others in their specialty up to the level of Senior Foreign Service. The Foreign Service Career candidate will become eligible for tenure after a minimum of three years of service.

Other Information

Number of Vacancies: The Department of State is developing a rank-order List of Eligible Hires to fill a limited number of Foreign Service Health Practitioner vacancies. The specific number to be hired will depend on the needs of the Foreign Service.

Area of Consideration: All sources. Applicants must be U.S. citizens between the ages of 21 and 59 and able to qualify for a top secret security clearance.

Location: Individuals must be willing to serve worldwide. Generally, following a brief orientation period at the Department of State in Washington, D. C., newly hired Foreign Service Health Practitioners will serve an initial two year tour at a Foreign Service post overseas, and will usually spend an average of 60 to 80 percent of their careers stationed abroad, moving at two-to-four year intervals. The remainder of their time will basically be spent at the Department of State in the Washington, D. C. metropolitan area

MEDICAL CREDENTIALING & INDEMNIFICATION

 

Applicants are subject to a Medical Credentialing process conducted by the Quality Improvement Staff of the Office of Medical Services. The Medical Credentialing process includes queries of the National Practitioner Data Bank and Physician Data Profile through the American Medical Association (AMA). Once hired, medical personnel are indemnified for official duties only through the U.S. Federal Tort Claims Act.