HVI PA Fellowship

The Heart and Vascular Institute (HVI) offers a Physician Assistant (PA) fellowship program for new and recent graduate PAs seeking advanced training in cardiovascular medicine.

Program Approach

PA fellows are licensed Physician Assistants who have completed their formal medical education, obtained a Master’s degree in PA medicine, and have passed a national certifying exam. These individuals work as part of the healthcare team at HVI to provide high value, high quality, patient centered care. PA fellows will develop a strong foundation in general cardiology and rotate through subspecialty areas to include electrophysiology, heart failure, structural cardiology, vascular, vein, procedural cardiology, and imaging. Fellows will receive dedicated EKG instructions, participate in professional development and practice improvement projects.

Directors

Program Director
Lori McVay, DMSc, PA-C, CPAAPA, DFAAPA
Email Program Director

Medical Director
Carl Moore, MD, FACC, FACP

PA Fellowship Overview

Program Duration: 9 months

Class Size: 2

Curriculum: This program includes both didactic instruction and hands-on clinical training. Time is spent in the inpatient and outpatient setting under the direction of Centra Heart & Vascular Institute Fellowship Faculty, which includes physicians, NPs, and PAs.

Clinical Experience: PA Fellows will develop a strong foundation in general cardiology but will also rotate through subspecialty areas to include electrophysiology, heart failure, valve, and structural cardiology, vascular medicine, the vein center, interventional cardiology, cardiac imaging, congenital cardiology, and cardiothoracic surgery. PA Fellows will also complete a community hospital rotation.

Didactic Instruction: Each rotation will have dedicated didactics to include assigned reading, lectures, and case presentations. Fellows will also participate in Cath conference, morbidity and mortality conference, research and scholarship as well as receive dedicated EKG instruction, documentation educations, mentoring and professional development. During the Fellowship, each Fellow will also complete a practice improvement project.

Program Mission Statement

Our mission is to provide a quality cardiovascular educational experience to ensure the development of highly skilled healthcare providers who deliver personalized, comprehensive and compassionate heart and vascular care.

Accreditation

The Centra Heart & Vascular Institute General Cardiology Fellowship Program has notified ARC-PA of their intent to apply for accreditation. The program has been placed on the sub commission's agenda and is in the process of completing the provisional application. A site visit is planned for March 28-29, 2024. The program will provide updates to faculty members, administrators, current and prospective fellows throughout the process as updates become available.

Program Goals

Prepare PAs for careers in cardiovascular medicine through didactic instruction and hands-on clinical experience.
Provide PAs with an educational experience that is tailored to meet their unique learning needs.
Prepare PAs to provide high value, high quality, patient-centric care.
Facilitate professional development and life-long learning.
Develop PAs with advanced training in cardiovascular medicine who will be more competitive in the job market as well as eligible for employment within HVI as positions are available.
Support the transition of new graduate PAs into clinical practice to improve employee satisfaction, engagement, and retention.

PA Fellow Testimonial

The HVI General Cardiology PA Fellowship prepared me for practice as a PA in cardiology by granting me the opportunity to work with and learn from all subspecialties in the broad and continuously expanding field of cardiology. Among the very large albeit well-organized group, I learned from seasoned cardiologists working in noninvasive and heart failure, as well as structural/interventional and electrophysiology focuses. It was equally challenging and rewarding; after completing the vigorous training and education, I felt extremely well prepared for a career in cardiology. I would recommend the fellowship program to anyone committed to obtaining a unique experience and a high-level clinical education in cardiology with the best cardiology group in Virginia.

— Matthew Truitte, PA

Information for Applicants

Eligibility

Be a graduate or be on track to graduate successfully from an accredited PA program.
Passed the NCCPA certifying exam or be exam eligible and have passed the exam prior to the program start date.
Must be Virginia state licensure eligible at the time of interview and have obtained Virginia state licensure prior to the program start.
DEA at the time of program start.
Meet all criteria for privileging as set forth by Centra Medical Group, Lynchburg General Hospital, and all payors at the time of program start.

Applicants

CV
One-page personal statement demonstrating desire to work in cardiovascular medicine.
Letter of recommendation from cardiology preceptor and PA faculty member, if applicant did not complete a cardiology rotation at the Heart and Vascular Institute (HVI). This requirement is waved for those completing a cardiology rotation at HVI.
Recent professional photograph.
PA Graduate Transcripts

Application Process

Program applications are accepted starting February 15th and are due by April 15th. Applications must be submitted to the Program Director by email. All applications must be complete at the time of submission; partial applications are not accepted.
Selected candidates will be contacted by the Program Director by email to schedule an initial virtual interview.
Interviews will occur in May of each year.
Top ranking candidates will be offered an in-person interview.
Candidates will be notified of decisions by the Program Director no later than June 1st.