OCA-FY26-Physician (Cardiologist)

This is an open continuous announcement.Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis and qualified candidates will be considered as vacancies become available. The announcement may be closed at any time after the initial open period once all vacancies have been filled.

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.

Come work for the VA Caribbean Healthcare System where we provide services to Veterans in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These islands enjoy year-round summer, and you can experience Caribbean culture, history and diverse activities. As a territory of the United States, Puerto Rico offers the conveniences of the mainland and a trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands is only 30 minutes away. Join us to experience the wonders of working and living in a tropical paradise.

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

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be available to a highly qualified candidate.

EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact V8_EDRP_SANJUAN@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: 8:00a.m. - 4:30p.m.

The cardiologist is responsible for the supervision of assigned fellows, residents and medical students. Supervision shall include review of medical records, patient care, treatment, and consultation requests. There shall be an active and dynamic interchange of care in the clinical setting. The Incumbent will follow all duties designed by the Supervisor and/or Service Chief that could be changed within a reasonable time and within an internal medicine clinical setting providing appropriate instructions and coordination.
The overall responsibilities of the cardiologist typically include, but are not limited to:

• Ensures that high quality patient care is delivered in a resource-efficient manner.
• Manage patients with cardiology conditions such as, but not limited to, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, dysrhythmias, valvulopathies, acute coronary syndromes, unstable angina, non-ST myocardial infarction, ST elevation myocardial infarction, chronic stable angina, congestive heart failure, and others.
• Perform procedures related to the cardiology subspecialty such as, but not limited to, echocardiograms, 24-hour Holter, loop monitoring, stress test, dobutamine stress test, stress echocardiogram, and cardiac catheterization.
• Participation in active research regarding patients with cardiology conditions.
• Participation in educational and scholarly activities such as seminars, journal clubs, cardiac board conferences, grand rounds, morbidity and mortality, research conferences, and dissemination of acquired knowledge through peer-reviewed publications.
• Complies with VHA regulations and professional standards and ethical conduct.
• Works to ensure that the VA Caribbean Healthcare System programs reflect the mission and priorities of the VACHS and VA, as well as take an active participatory role as a leadership team member, providing counsel in defining and accomplishing the health system's mission and goals pertinent to their scope of practice.
• Complies with agency regulations, medical staff bylaws, VACHS policies, pertinent Joint Commission standards, and other appropriate regulations as they apply.

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.
• Education: 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.
• Licensure: 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.
• English Language Proficiency: Proficiency in spoken and written English.

Preferred Experience: At least one year of experience managing patients with cardiovascular disease.

Selective Placement Factor: Must possess ability to speak, write, and read Spanish at a fluent level.

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

Physical Requirements: Eligible applicants must be physically and mentally able to perform efficiently the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation, without hazard to themselves or others. Depending on the essential duties of a specific position, usable vision, color vision, hearing or speech may be required. however, in most cases, a specific physical condition or impairment of a specific function may be compensated for by the satisfactory use of a prosthesis or mechanical aid.

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.