Physician (Chief of Primary Care)

Summary

The Chief, Primary Care Service provides administrative, clinical, and programmatic leadership for the service to ensure achievement of the goals of the service. The incumbent reports to the Chief of Staff and serves as a key clinical resource for the Medical Center Director and the Chief of Staff.

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Duties

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Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized for highly qualified candidate

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

Duties include but are not limited to :

• Completing Medical Staff Leadership and Provider Profiling on-line training within three months of appointment as Service Chief.
• Clinically related activities of the Service.
• Administratively related activities of the department, unless otherwise provided by the organization. This includes but is not limited to:
• Timely completion of Action Items;
• Attendance at Required Meetings;
• Monitoring, reporting, and acting on patient access data;
• Management of staff accountability; and
• Management of staff counseling and discipline.
• Continued surveillance of the professional performance of all individuals in the Service who have delineated clinical privileges through the professional practice evaluation process (for detailed information see HCSM 11-54). This includes but is not limited to timely completion of FPPEs and OPPEs.
• Recommending to the medical staff the criteria for clinical privileges that are relevant to the care provided in the Service.
• Recommending clinical privileges for each member of the Service. This includes but is not limited to timely updating of Credentialing and Privileging.
• Assessing recommendations for off-site sources of needed patient care, treatment, and services not provided by the Service and communicating the recommendations to the relevant organizational authority.
• The integration of the Service into the primary functions of the organization.
• The coordination and integration of interdepartmental and intradepartmental services. This includes but is not limited to monitoring, reporting, and acting on consult management.
• The development and implementation of policies, manuals, and procedures that guide and support the provision of care, treatment, and services. This includes but is not limited to updating of procedures, policies, Care Coordination Agreements, and Health Care System memorandums.
• The assurance of a sufficient number of qualified and competent persons to provide care, treatment, and service. This includes but is not limited to:
• Monitoring, reporting, and acting on staff productivity;
• Ensure optimal staffing of the Section / Department;
• Review all leave requests, ensuring and documenting adequate coverage;
• Monitoring, reporting, and acting on fee-basis providers if applicable;
• Monitoring, reporting, and acting on contract providers if applicable;
• Provide staffing models and metrics to AVAHCS Leadership; and
• Oversight, management, and adjustment of tours-of-duty.
• The determination of the qualifications and competence of service personnel who are not licensed independent practitioners and who provide patient care, treatment, and services. This includes but is not limited to timely completion of Performance Appraisals and proficiency assessments.
• The continuous assessment and improvement of the quality of care, treatment, and services.
• The maintenance of and contribution to quality control programs, as appropriate. This includes but is not limited to monitoring, reporting, and acting on departmental quality metrics.
• The orientation and continuing education of all persons in the service. This includes but is not limited to:
• Monitoring, reporting, and acting on residency and fellowship program, and
• Oversight of residency and fellowship program
• The assurance of space and other resources necessary for the service defined to be provided for the patients served.
• Annual review of all clinical privilege forms to ensure that they correctly and adequately reflect the services being provided at the facility.
  

Work Schedule: Monday- Friday 7:30-4:00pm.

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.
  
  

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
• 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.
  
  

Preferred Experience:

• At least 1 year supervisory experience.
• Board Certified in relevant specialty.
  
  

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.



Physical Requirements:

Functional Requirements:

• Moderate lifting, 15-44 pounds
• Hearing (aid may be permitted)
• Light carrying, under 15 pounds
• Reaching above shoulder
• Use of fingers
• Both hands required
• Walking ( 1-2 hours)
• Standing ( 1-2 hours)
• Repeated bending 1 hour
• Both legs required
• Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously
• Both eyes required
• Depth perception
• Ability to distinguish basic colors
• Ability to distinguish shades of colors
• Hearing (aid may be permitted)
• Sitting (6-8 hours)
• Computer Tasks (6-8 hours)
  
  

Environmental Factors:

• Hospital environment
  
  

Education

Degree of Doctor of Medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in allopathic medicine or osteopathic medicine. The degree must have been obtained from an institution whose accreditation was in place for the year in which the course of study was completed. Approved schools are:

• Schools of medicine accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for the year in which the degree was granted, or
• Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation of the American Osteopathic Association for the year in which the degree was granted.
• For foreign medical graduates not covered in (1) or (2) above, facility officials must verify with the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) that the applicant has met requirements for certification, and must obtain a copy of the ECFMG certificate, if claimed by the applicant. [If the applicant does not claim an ECFMG certificate, facility officials must still confirm that the medical school meets (or met) ECFMG eligibility requirements for the year the candidate graduated.]
  
  
  
  

NOTE: The Under Secretary of Health or designee in the VHA Central Office may approve the appointment under authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405 of a physician graduate of a school of medicine not covered above if the candidate is to be assigned to a research, academic, or administrative position with no patient care responsibilities. The appointment will be made only in exceptional circumstances where the candidate's credentials clearly demonstrate high professional attainment or expertise in the specialty area.

Additional information

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

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Alexandria VA Medical Center

2495 Shreveport Highway

Pineville, LA 71360

US