Associate Chief of Surgery

The Associate Chief of the Surgery Service is responsible for maintaining overall operations in the surgery department and supervising a broad range of surgical services to include the following specialty services: General Surgery, Urology, Podiatry, Gynecology, Urology, Urology, Ophthalmic, Orthopedic, Vascular, and Cardiothoracic Surgery. The incumbent will provide direct supervision of all providers within their respective sections, with delegation of some oversight to Subspecialty Section Chiefs, if available and appropriate. Primary responsibility for all operations and clinical activity in the Service Line shall lie with the Service Chief of Surgery.

The incumbent shall ensure national, network, and local missions, values, vision, and performance and productivity measures are supported and met; likewise, he shall provide efficient management of resources and budgetary constraints, facilitate a collaborative team environment, develop orientation and training of pertinent clinical staff under the service, and proactively identify needs and concerns of the service

The incumbent will be the point of contact for physicians and clinical staff assigned to the section. The individual will work with staff and physicians to optimize utilization of clinical systems, infrastructure, and resources through education and training, quality and outcomes assessment, and providing support in accordance with organizational goals. The incumbent will work closely with hospital staff, department directors, and physicians to ensure the highest standards of quality and services are maintained. The incumbent also serves as a liaison between customers, Information Technology staff, and other departments and services. This individual will work directly with all levels of the organization on projects, committees, and teams to meet
the overall needs of the section, service line, and facility. Topics of communication will include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Strategic planning
• Operational considerations
• Human resources issues
• Budget
• Equipment management issues
• Environmental issues
• Process improvement issues
• Liaison activities with other departments and directorates as needed

In addition to administrative duties, the incumbent will provide inpatient and outpatient services in their respective surgical specialties. S/he will also serve as the attending of record for patients on whom they (or their colleagues in the section) have been consulted and/or provided outpatient
or inpatient surgical services and will supervise trainees in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. The individual is expected to remain up to date on all licensing and board requirements and all VA training and employment requirements and to ensure the same for all clinical staff in their section.


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

Recruitment/Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be authorized to a 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

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm. Subject to change based on Agency Needs.

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.

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.