Physician - Radiologist

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.

DUTIES:
The diagnostic radiologist provides a spectrum of image interpretation, image-guided procedures and patient care services within the specialty of Diagnostic Radiology and may also possess additional subspecialty expertise. In addition to the clinical practice of general diagnostic radiology, other duties include contributions to quality assurance and performance improvement, oversight of technical quality, education of staff and trainees, committee assignments and other activities that support clinical operations and the mission, values and goals of the VA and the Medical Center. The Incumbent shall provide professional (physician) guidance for all necessary imaging services for which he/she is privileged. Approximately 80,000 examinations are performed annually, including Computed Tomography (CT), Ultrasound (general and vascular), Plain Film and Fluoroscopy, Bone Density, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Nuclear Medicine and IR exams.

Duties include but are not limited to:
- Provide expertise and support in all major facets of Diagnostic Radiology and patient care.
- Interpret general radiology examinations, including plain films.
- Perform fluoroscopic examinations (contrast and non-contrast) alongside licensed technologists.
- Interpret CT examinations of the head, neck, body, and extremities.
- Interpret general and selected ultrasound examinations.
- Participate in Quality Management activities, including film-quality review, clerical checks, peer review, and other assigned quality initiatives.

Oversight of quality and safety:
- Review exam requests for clinical appropriateness.
- Prescribe and adjust imaging protocols based on specific clinical indications.
- Provide oversight of technical image quality and deliver constructive feedback to technologists.
- Provide clinical oversight for imaging-related medication administration, including contrast, procedural preps, and other Imaging Service medications.
- Serve as a resource for radiation safety, MRI safety, and infection-control practices.
- Participate in quality-assurance activities, including peer review, protocol review, appropriateness-criteria evaluation, and performance-improvement initiatives.

Image Interpretation and Consultation:
- Interpret imaging examinations with comparison to prior studies and correlation with clinical information in CPRS.
- Generate comprehensive reports including pertinent findings, measurements, evaluation of normal and abnormal structures, differential diagnoses, recommendations, and impression.
- Provide timely imaging reports aligned with clinical urgency, using appropriate communication methods based on acuity.
- Consult with providers regarding imaging exam selection, interpretation of results, and other radiologic support functions.
- Participate in multidisciplinary conferences, including Tumor Board and other clinical case reviews.

Patient Care:
- Interact with patients to obtain relevant clinical history and focused physical-exam findings within the scope of radiology practice.
- Provide patient education and support; obtain informed consent; issue required disclosures; document care in CPRS; and enter clinical orders as appropriate.
- Coordinate patient care by communicating with clinical providers to support evaluation, management, follow-up, and continuity of care.
- Provide timely and definitive notification of time-sensitive or clinically significant imaging results.
- Integrate professional resources-including colleague consultation, literature review, and continuing education-to maintain current, evidence-based practice.

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards.
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact VISN2EDRPCoordinators@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 - Friday 8:00 am - 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.

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

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019

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.