Career Center

Summary

The Urgent Care Medicine Physician entails a combined physician appointment in the Urgent Care Clinic - Medicine Section of the VA TN Valley Health System (Murfreesboro Campus) and with the Internal Medicine Department at Meharry Medical College.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position - you must meet the basic requirements as well as any additional requirements (if applicable) listed in the job announcement. Applicants pending the completion of training or license requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Currently employed physician(s) in VA who met the requirements for appointment under the previous qualification standard at the time of their initial appointment are deemed to have met the basic requirements of the occupation.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy
• Degree of doctor of medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in medicine or osteopathic medicine
• The degree must have been obtained from one of the schools approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs for the year in which the course of study was completed
• Current - full and unrestricted license to practice medicine or surgery in a State - Territory - or Commonwealth of the United States - or in the District of Columbia
• Residency Training: Physicians must have completed residency training - approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in an accredited core specialty training program leading to eligibility for board certification
• (NOTE: VA physicians involved in academic training programs may be required to be board certified for faculty status.) Approved residencies are: (1) Those approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) - b) OR [(2) Those approved by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) -OR (3) Other residencies (non-US residency training programs followed by a minimum of five years of verified practice in the United States) - which the local Medical Staff Executive Committee deems to have provided the applicant with appropriate professional training and believes has exposed the physician to an appropriate range of patient care experiences
• Residents currently enrolled in ACGME/AOA accredited residency training programs and who would otherwise meet the basic requirements for appointment are eligible to be appointed as "Physician Resident Providers" (PRPs)
• PRPs must be fully licensed physicians (i.e. - not a training license) and may only be appointed on an intermittent or fee-basis
• PRPs are not considered independent practitioners and will not be privileged
• rather - they are to have a "scope of practice" that allows them to perform certain restricted duties under supervision
• Additionally - surgery residents in gap years may also be appointed as PRPs
• Proficiency in spoken and written English
• Additional Requirement: Successful applicants must: (a) be board certified in Internal Medicine (b) qualify for appointment as a faculty member in the Internal Medicine Department at Meharry Medical College at the level of Instructor - Assistant or Associate Professor Preferred Experience: Acute care/UCC/ED experience of> 2yrs in a facility)- with a moderate patient volume - and > 2 yrs experience in hospital medicine - preferably in an academic setting
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: The work is largely clinic and hospital based
• No manual labor is required above ordinary situations
• Incumbent must be capable of using a computer given that all clinical charting is electronic.

Duties

• VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package
• VHA Physician Total Rewards
• This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) - a student loan payment reimbursement program
• You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment
• Program Approval - award amount (up to $200 -000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application
• Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply
• Pay: Competitive salary - annual performance bonus - regular salary increases Paid Time Off: 50-55 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave - 13 days of sick leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year and possible 5 day paid absence for CME) Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory CME: Possible $1 -000 per year reimbursement (must be full-time with board certification) Malpractice: Free liability protection with tail coverage provided Contract: No Physician Employment Contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting FUNCTION OR SCOPE: Urgent Care Physicians assess - work up - and provide initial treatment to patients who present to the Urgent Care Center (UCC) with any illness or injury - condition or symptom
• An urgent care physician is expected to provide service and perform any procedure necessary to ameliorate minor illnesses or injuries - provide stabilizing treatment to patients presenting with major illnesses or injuries
• He/she will assess all patients in order to determine the appropriate level of care for patients being admitted to the inpatient wards
• Staff UCC physicians have no supervisory responsibilities
• Acute medicine physicians or hospitalist is responsible for managing patients on the acute medicine floor and function as preceptor for medical residents
• May also be consult on patients in the mental health wards and community living centers (CLCs)
• Physicians function as managing physician for a nurse practitioners or physician assistants as assigned by TVHS
• Physicians function as preceptor for residents in the clinic and hospital setting as assigned by TVHS
• As a staff provider he/she does not have supervisory responsibilities for other attending physicians
• Treats patients 18 years of age or greater
• Consistently communicates and treats customers - (veterans - their representatives - visitors and all VA staff) in a courteous - tactful and respectful manner
• The physician will provide the customer with consistent information according to the established policies and procedures and will handle the conflicts and problems when dealing with customers constructively and appropriately
• The physician will protect printed and electronic files containing sensitive data in accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974 and other applicable laws - Federal Regulations - VA statures and policy and VHA policy
• The physician protects data from unauthorized release - or from loss - alteration - or unauthorized deletion and follows applicable regulations and instructions regarding access to computerized files and release of access codes - etc
• Work Schedule: 8-12-Hour shifts - some weekend coverage