Physician (Neurology)

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

The West Palm Beach VA Medical Center (Vero Beach) is seeking a Physician (Neurology) to manage all aspects of a general Neurology program in the Northern Catchment Area (Vero Beach/Port Saint Lucie) under the Chief of Staff and the Medicine Service Line.

This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT. Eligible applicants will be referred until all vacancies are filled.

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

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.

Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Authorized. Former EDRP participants are not eligible to apply for EDRP. Contact the VISN 8 Compensation Center of Excellence at VISN8CCOE@va.gov for questions/assistance. Learn more.
Recruitment incentive: Authorized.
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized.
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:

• The provision of neurologic evaluation and treatment of Veterans with compassion on both an inpatient and outpatient basis along with the education and counseling of Veterans and their families on medical conditions/treatments.
• Participating in and/or managing all aspects of a general Neurology program, to include clinical, administrative, academic, and research components if warranted.
• Managing patient workload within available staffing, which may include support of physician assistants or nurse practitioners.
• Performing the usual administrative components of patient care management, such as: documentation of progress notes and consultation findings in an electronic medical record, dictation and electronic signature of OP reports and hospital discharge summaries, electronic entry and signature of all doctor's orders for inpatients and outpatients, etc.
• Provides clinical consultation to West Palm Beach VA clinical staff both within and outside of the Medicine Service Line. Patient caseload may be inpatient, outpatient, or both. Neurologists examine patients suffering from neurological disorders, treatment resistant headache disorders, such as seizure disorders, Parkinson's disease or Alzheimer's disease.
• The physician may work with primary care physicians on a consulting basis when a patient has symptoms that suggest a neurological issue.
• Examinations for neurological patients may include tests of a patient's cranial nerve function, cognitive status, motor skills and sensory system by asking the patient to perform activities.
• Occasional supervision of medical students, physician residents, or physician fellows.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.
(Note: Work schedules are determined and approved by the supervisor. The incumbent may be required to work various shifts on a permanent or temporary basis based on facility/patient care 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 appointments 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.
• License and Registration: 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 (in NEUROLOGY). (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), 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.

• Board Certification: In Neurology.
• English Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d).

Additional Requirement: BLS certification is required.

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

Physical Requirements: Must pass a pre-employment physical examination as required by VA Handbook 5019. This examination is administered by VA Occupational Health. This position requires: light to moderate lifting (15 - 44 lbs.); light carrying (15 lbs. and under); reaching above shoulder; use of fingers; both hands required; walking (up to 2 hours); standing (up to 2 hours); kneeling (up to 1 hour); ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; near vision correctable at 13" to 16"; far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other; depth perception; ability to distinguish basic colors; ability to distinguish shades of colors; hearing (aid permitted); emotional stability; mental stability; working closely with others; and working alone.

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.