Summary

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 are ineligible.

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: Board certified or board eligible
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: The incumbent must be able to perform all activities of the position without restriction
• This position may involve standing, walking, stooping, bending, reaching, lifting, and turning
• The work may involve going up and down flights of stairs.

Duties

• The Section Chief of Primary care ensures the continuation of comprehensive health care for veteran patients
• This PC Section Chief is required to exercise a high level of leadership and organizational skill, independent judgment, problem-solving ability, and content expertise in program development, implementation and evaluation
• The position requires the ability to communicate effectively with executive leadership, service chiefs, field staff on a variety of clinical and administrative strategic priorities
• The scope of care is responsible for Primary Care services, but must also provide indirect oversight for all medical, surgical, and ancillary services provided at this facility 80% Clinical
• The incumbent needs to have graduated from an accredited Board Certified /Board Eligible Primary Care Physician program and be able to perform and teach all of the services required in the practice of Primary Care Medicine as listed below at a minimum: Provides leadership, management, and oversight of providers and/or programs that support Primary Care delivery of care
• Collaborates in the development and maintenance of written policies and procedures defining operational requirements for Primary Care program
• Functions as the Primary Care subject matter expert and enforces Primary Care and VHAFNC policies and procedures
• Participates in recruitment and selection of all new Primary Care staff with a significant and active role in the selection of applicants
• Medical significance, interpretation, and correlation of patient testing data
• Anatomic Pathology - able to interpret and explain anatomic pathology results as appropriate
• Consultations - Able to provide consultations for patients, instructing physicians as appropriate
• Medical Staff Privileges - As applicable, serve as an active member of the Medical Executive Council staff for those facilities served
• Collaborates with the Credentialing and Privileging office to ensure all clinical staff are compliant with current onboarding requirements for licensed providers and non-licensed practitioners to include monitoring dependent practitioners
• Standards of Performance - Define, implement, and monitor standards of performance in quality control, quality improvement, and cost-effectiveness of the Primary Care as appropriate or at the direction of medical director or designee
• Quality Improvement Responsibilities - Assume responsibility for implementation of the quality improvement plan
• Personnel - Ensure that there are sufficient qualified personnel with adequate documented training and experience to meet the needs of the Primary Care section
• Strategic Planning - Perform planning for setting goals and developing and allocating resources appropriate to the medical environment
• Directly supervises Primary Care providers
• Supervisory duties to include conducting proficiencies, chart reviews, writing scopes of practice, and corrective action as needed
• Serves on committees representing the Primary Care Service Line
• Responds to action items and patient concerns in a timely manner in proper format
• The Primary Care Section Chief is accountable to the Associate Chief of Staff for Primary Care
• The Primary Care Section Chief directly supervises all providers that are assigned
• VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package
• VHA Physician Total Rewards
• Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Available to highly qualified candidates Relocation Incentive: Available to eligible candidates
• Appraised Value Offer (AVO): EDRP Authorized: Contact Cheryl Lahair at cheryl.lahair@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
• Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Authorized
• Learn more
• Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
• Contact Cheryl Lahair at cheryl.lahair@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
• 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 Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.