Physician Assistant Primary Care Residency

The North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System Physician Assistant Residency in Primary Care focuses on clinical practice essential to providing exemplary healthcare to the nation’s veterans. This 12-month program will help trainees develop expertise within the Veterans Affairs Patient Aligned Care Teams, or PACTs. They will be exposed to a variety of common disease processes seen in a typical, complex VA patient throughout multiple care areas. 

This residency program offers a competitive salary, paid vacation and sick leave, and options for health insurance. Resident(s) can enjoy the predictability of a fixed daily schedule with weekends and federal holidays off. This in-depth exposure to the VA care system is the best possible preparation for a career as a future VA team member. 

Application Deadline:  May 30, 2025
Start date:  Fall 2025 (Start date is flexible upon acceptance) 

Please view details regarding the application criteria/process below.

Mission Statement 

To train physician assistants (PAs) to become commendable health care providers. To provide these PA residents with a program designed specifically to expose them to broad evidence-based knowledge and both rare and common disease processes seen in the veteran population.  The program will assist residents in advancing the necessary skills to provide suitable, safe, and high-quality care to patients.  

Program Description

The PA residency is a 12-month clinical and didactic education program focusing on adult primary care medicine designed to produce highly competent primary care physician assistants.

Throughout the year the PA Resident will have his/her own assigned weekly continuity clinic in Primary Care as well as multiple half to full day clinics throughout the year. In addition, the PA Resident will participate in a year-long longitudinal mentoring, assessment and interdisciplinary curriculum that will be augmented by rotation specific content.

In addition to didactic lecture, the Resident will participate in Grand Rounds, monthly PA didactic lectures and other rotation specific conferences. 

Educational opportunities are also available in the facility’s Interdisciplinary Simulation and Education Center.

Residency Overview 

• One-year commitment 
• Throughout the year, the PA resident(s) will have weekly continuity care clinic in Primary Care. If resident(s) are interested in a specific specialty, an additional weekly continuity clinic can be added to the schedule, if feasible 
• Receive training from physicians and midlevel providers from the Malcom Randall VAMC / UF Health Shands Hospital  
• All clinical rotations within the North Florida/South Georgia Malcom Randall VA Medical Center (unless a VA CBOC or another site is mutually agreed upon by the PA Resident and the Program Director). 
• Residents are involved in Grand Rounds and other rotation-specific conferences
• Competitive stipend and benefits, including fixed daily schedule (Monday-Friday), no weekends, and off for federal holidays 
• Hiring preference within the VA system upon completion of residency 
• One resident selected for the 2025-2026 academic year  

Residency Rotations

Most rotations are 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. with no call, nights, or weekends.

Inpatient Rotations 

• Hospitalist Medicine
• Psychiatry/Behavioral Medicine 

         o    Substance Abuse/Detox Clinic 
         o    Consult Service 

Outpatient/Clinic Based Rotations

• Cardiology 
• Emergency Medicine/Urgent Care 
• Internal Medicine 
• Palliative Care 
• Endocrinology 
• Pulmonology / General Surgery 
• Dermatology 
• Infectious Disease
• Electives, not limited to: 

         o    Procedure Service 
         o    Gastroenterology 
         o    Hematology/Oncology 
         o    Nephrology 
         o    Orthopedics 

Weekly Continuity Clinics

• Primary Care
• Additional continuity clinics optional 

Training Sites 

Malcom Randall VA Medical Center 
1601 Southwest Archer Road
Gainesville, FL 32608 

North Florida/South Georgia
Veterans Health System
5571 S.W. 64th Street
Gainesville, Florida 32608

North Florida/South Georgia
Veterans Health System
5469 SW 34th Street
Gainesville, Florida 32608

Application Criteria/Process 

• Graduate of an ARC-PA accredited PA program (do not need to be a new graduate) 
• NCCPA certified (or eligible)  (Provide official proof of certification)
• Current BLS certification 
• Completed application form (linked at the bottom of this page)
• Official transcripts from college/PA school  (Sent from Program)
• Personal statement on why you are interested in this post-graduate primary care residency program 
• Three letters of recommendation (one must be from the PA program director) 
• Current resume/curriculum vitae   
• There is no application fee 
• Competitive applicants will be interviewed via Microsoft Teams, dates pending
• Selected individuals must adhere to all federally mandated policies (which includes VHA Directive 1193, COVID-19 Vaccination Program for VHA Health Care Personnel) 
• To check your eligibility to train at a VA facility, please view the checklist located at https://www.va.gov/OAA/docs/2021HPTInstructionsv4_1.pdf which is linked from the VA's Office of Academic Affiliations' Health Professions Trainee Resources page 

Application and supporting material may be mailed, e-mailed, or faxed to:

Adrienne Feinglass, MMS, PA-C
North Florida/South Georgia
Veterans Health System
5571 S.W. 64th Street
Gainesville, Florida 32608

Email: Adrienne.Feinglass@va.gov
Fax:

Application Deadlines

Application Deadline: May 30, 2025

Interview (virtual) dates: conducted virtually pending application submission

Final Decision: Summer 2025

Residency start dates: Fall 2025 (Start date is flexible upon acceptance)

2025-2026 cycle: 1 Resident will be accepted

Program Contacts

Program Director: Adrienne Feinglass, MMS, PA-C; Adrienne.Feinglass@va.gov

Assistant Program Director: Naghma Ahmed, MPAS, PA-C; Naghma.Ahmed@va.gov

Medical Director: Kaleeswari Arulselvam, MD; Kaleeswari.Arulselvam@va.gov

Associate Chief of Staff - Office of Education: L. Chad Hood, MD; Laurence.Hood@va.gov

Postgraduate Residency Manual is available upon request.