Physician - General Surgeon

VA Central California Health Care System is currently seeking a full-time Physician - General Surgeon in the Surgical Service. This position is critical to the VA's mission to provide high-quality, Veteran-centered care.

**This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until June 15th, 2026. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be January 21, 2026, with subsequent cut-off dates every 2 weeks. Eligible applications received after that date will be accepted on an ongoing basis and qualified candidates will be considered as vacancies become available.**VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards.

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards.

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm
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

Major duties include, but are not limited to:

The General Surgeon serves as a specialty professional who performs a full range of surgical procedures in connection with the evaluation and treatment of diseases which need a surgical diagnosis and/or treatment to achieve palliation or cure. The General Surgeon will have assigned OR time and clinic time. Surgical Department strives to maintain a safe working environment, in which we identify and address issues and concerns as they relate to safety and well being within the General Surgery Section. The General Surgeon will provide direct patient care in outpatient clinic, inpatient setting, operating room, Emergency department and other locations as deemed necessary by Chief of Surgery or Facility leadership to include:

• Administrative duties designated by the Chief of Surgery.
• Duties involving preventative medicine, emergency preparedness, Joint Commission, and other internal and external health systems requirements deemed by the Chief of Surgery.
• Supervision and training of Surgical Residents, other trainees, and physician extenders.
• Provide fair and equitable on-call services during daytime, after-hours, weekends, and holidays based on a mutually agreed upon and pre-determined schedule.
• Demonstrates courtesy, respect, and a positive attitude toward all stakeholders.
• Has the knowledge and skill to assist customers with questions or concerns.
• Understands the importance of and participates in service recovery.
• Recognizes the need and modifies care as necessitated by patient's age and abilities.
• Ability to provide accurate and understandable instructions to patients.
• Understands the importance and is compliant with participating in patient identification and time-out processes.
• Ability to recognize patient signs of physical distress and monitors the patient's condition during treatment.
• Knowledge of computerized patient records systems, and their application to surgical patients, to include approved abbreviations and the format for completion of progress notes.
• Compliant with maintaining patient confidentiality per HIPAA regulations relative to both written and verbal patient information.
• Compliant with VHA cyber-security policies and directives.
• Other duties as assigned.

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 Certification/ Board eligible of Surgery
Preferred Experience: 1-3 years of recent surgical experience

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

Physical Requirements:

• Applicants must meet physical standards for the position. A physical examination prior to placement is required. This is a designated drug testing position. After appointment, you will be subject to random testing for illegal drug use. Requires lifting 15-44 pounds; pushing (approx. 2 hours); reaching above shoulder; use of fingers and both hands; walking and standing from 3-5 hours and kneeling. Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously. Must have depth perception and ability to distinguish basic colors and shades of colors. Hearing aid is permitted.

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.