Foreign Service Specialist Opportunities

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
United States Department of State

An Equal Opportunity Employer
How to Apply

AMENDMENT

Announcement No.: FSHP-03-1
Opening Date: November 1, 2003
Closing Date: Indefinite

Position Title: FOREIGN SERVICE HEALTH PRACTITIONER

Grade and Starting Salary Range: FP-3, $55,901 - $82,093

Additional Benefits: Tax free housing overseas, tax free educational allowance, etc. (See "benefits package" for more information.) In addition, the Foreign Service Health Practitioner attends two State Department-sponsored continuing medical education programs each year and receives at least ten hours of Category 1 CME credit per CME.

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

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 percent of their careers stationed abroad, moving at two-to-four year intervals. The remainder of their time will be spent at the Department of State in the Washington, D. C. Metropolitan area or Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Effective Date: April 15, 2004

This amends the mailing address for all applications materials:

From:
U.S. Department of State
Attention: Foreign Service Health
Practitioner (FSHP)
Application Evaluation Branch
5th floor, Room H-518
2401 E Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20522

To:
U.S. Department of State
Office of Medical Services
Attn: MED PERSONNEL
SA-1 - Room L-216
2401 E Street, NW
Washington, DC 20522

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
United States Department of State

An Equal Opportunity Employer

Announcement No: FSHP-03-1
Opening Date: November 1, 2003
Closing Date: Indefinite

Position Title: FOREIGN SERVICE HEALTH PRACTITIONER

Grade and Starting Salary Range:
FP-3, $55,901 - $82,093

Additional Benefits:
Tax free housing overseas, tax free educational allowance, etc. (See "benefits package" for more information.) In addition, the Foreign Service Health Practitioner attends two State Department-sponsored continuing medical education programs each year and receives at least ten hours of Category 1 CME credit per CME.

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

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 percent of their careers stationed abroad, moving at two-to-four year intervals. The remainder of their time will be spent at the Department of State in the Washington, D. C. Metropolitan area or Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
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 implementing the following procedures at each post of responsibility:

• Provides primary health-care at home posts and regional posts to authorized patients.
• Collaborates with Regional Medical Officers (physician and/or psychiatrist) and Foreign Programs as needed
• Recommends and facilitates medical/dental evacuation as necessary.
• Evaluates the quality of local and regional health care providers and facilities.
• Establishes and maintains professional relationships with local providers and other health care facilities.
• Maintains appropriate communication with constituent regional posts to advise home and regional posts' management on current medical issues, policy questions with medical implications and to provide administrative and technical health care guidance to personnel.
• Monitors environmental health and safety conditions and acts as liaison with local and U.S. authorities.
• Assures sanitation surveys and monitors inspection of post food facilities.
• Provides a proactive disease prevention and health education program at home and regional posts.
• Prepares Health and Information Booklet.
• Actively participates in the annual budget preparation for the Health Unit.
• Administers the Health Unit and supervises Health Unit support staff.
• Organizes primary care conferences for U.S. Embassy local hire medical professionals.

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

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.

Regional Foreign Service Health Practitioners are presently serving in Abuja, Accra, Ankara, Asmara, Antananarivo, Beijing, Bucharest, Budapest, Baku, Bangkok, Bogota, Brussels, Colombo, Conakry, Harare, Havana, Hong Kong, Islamabad, Kabul, Kampala, Kiev, Kathmandu, Kigali, Kinshasa, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait, La Paz, Lilongwe, London, Managua, Manila, Maputo, Mexico City, Monrovia, Moscow, Nairobi, Ndjamena, New Delhi, Niamey, Ouagadougou, Prague, Pretoria, Quito, Rabat, San Salvador, Santo Domingo, Sarajevo, Sofia, Tashkent, Tel Aviv, Tbilisi, Tegucigalpa, Tirana, Tokyo, Tunis, Vienna, Yaounde, Yerevan, Ft. Lauderdale and Washington, D.C. 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."

COMPENSATION AND TENURE

The salary for Foreign Service Health Practitioners is FP-3, Step1 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 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.

EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

In addition to the general requirements for employment in the Foreign Service, an applicant must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited School of Nursing or in a related medical field that includes public/community health in the curriculum. Applicants must be a graduate of an accredited Nurse Practitioner (NP) or Physician Assistant (PA) program at the time of appointment.

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 in the enclosed supplement, "Information and Benefits for Foreign Service Specialists."

LICENSURE/CERTIFICATION

Applicants must be currently licensed as a Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant 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 an NP or PA 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.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

Applicant must have minimum of four years of recent experience providing direct patient care, which includes at least two years experience as a NP or PA; such experience will be evaluated on an individual basis.

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 non existent. 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. They 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.

Candidates must have excellent interpersonal skills. These include the capacity to achieve the cooperation and confidence of patients, coworkers, supervisors, and subordinates. Individuals need experience in team building, leadership and management.

Candidates must be able to write and communicate clearly. Communications skills include clear and concise communication of medical findings to medical professionals and nonprofessionals alike.
Applicants must be computer literate.

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: Using plain white paper and either a typewriter or word processor, individually address each of the numbered items listed below, limiting responses to 200 words or less for each item. The writing should be double-spaced. 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:
   
   1. 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. 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.

PROCEDURES FOR APPLYING

The following materials are required for a complete application package. They become the property of the Department of State and will not be returned. All items listed must be submitted together. To receive these documents via e-mail please send a message to medhr@state.gov.

1. Completed Application for Federal Employment (DS-1950).
2. Completed Employment Data Form. This is an optional form, which request information to be used for statistical purposes only. This form is found in pages 6 & 7 of form DS-1950.
3. Official transcripts, plus any other documentation which includes all courses taken, grades, semester or quarter hours earned, cumulative grade point averages for all courses taken, class standing/s, and major (copy of Bachelor's Degree).
4. Current license 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).
5. Completed SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTIONNAIRE

These documents should be submitted and addressed to:

U.S. Department of State
Office of Medical Services
Attn: MED PERSONNEL
SA-1 - Room L-216
2401 E Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20522

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CALL (202) 663-1084

While this vacancy announcement shall remain open indefinitely, 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 and security 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, sons and daughters 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 ORGIN, SEX, RELIGION, AGE, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, DISABLING CONDITION, POLITICAL AFFILIATION, MARTIAL 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.

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Equal Opportunity Employer.