Neurologist

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCMENT. All qualified applicants will be referred to the hiring manager on a weekly basis.

The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

This position is located the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6), Fayetteville NC VA Health Care System (FNCVAHCS). The successful candidate will serve as a Neurologist under the Medicine Service Line. The incumbent will ensure the quality and timeliness of the services provided, customer satisfaction, as well as compliance with the standards of accrediting bodies such as the Joint Commission and the Inspector General's Combined Assessment Program. The incumbent collaborates with other services as appropriate.

The Neurologist is accountable to the Chief, Medicine Service, for assuring the most effective delivery of care in Neurology while meeting and exceeding compliance standards. The Neurologist will provide expert consultation and treatment to patients referred to the outpatient and inpatient Neurology Service and provide feedback and consultation to other Neurology Practitioners within the Neurology section. In this role, the incumbent will also provide feedback and patient education to the patients and their families and will demonstrate excellence in all facets of patient care and meets or
exceeds compliance standards.

The Neurologist is responsible for patients in the outpatient general neurology consult and follow-up clinics and providing inpatient consultation to the acute medical and intensive care units. The incumbent will provide consultative evaluations and treatments to patients referred from sections of the hospital and/or affiliated VA outpatient clinics and perform administrative functions and other tasks as assigned by the Chief of the Medicine
Service. The outpatient clinics will consist of both in-person and virtual clinics. Patients seen in the Neurology Consult Clinic are evaluated and treated by the Neurologist for disorders such as Headache, Peripheral Neuropathy, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Neck/Back Pain, seizures and Tremor. The Neurologist will perform neurologic procedures, such as NCS/EMG; EEG interpretation; and/or Botox administration, commensurate to his/her individual training and expertise, in accordance with local VA credentialing and privileging requirements.

Other responsibilities include and are not limited to:

• Responsible for entering accurate, complete, timely progress notes for each episode of care in the patient's electronic record. This is accomplished by utilizing the Electronic Health Record (EHR).
• Responsible for the proper use, maintenance, and calibration of specialized equipment used in the assessment and care of patients.
• Adheres to safety, health, and infection control standards, regulations and work practices. He/she reports any unsafe conditions to supervisor and/or appropriate officials.
• Supervise and teach Neurology Residents and medical students during their Neurology rotation.
• Demonstrates knowledge and maintains standards in the use and reprocessing of Reusable Medical Equipment (RME).

The Neurologist is expected to participate in performance improvement activities, disaster preparedness, administrative duties, and other responsibilities assigned by the Associate Chief of Staff for Specialty Service.

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.
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

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: Must be 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.

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:

1. Schools of medicine accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for the year in which the degree was granted, or
2. 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.
3. 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.