Physician (Urologist) - Recruitment/Relocation Incentive/EDRP Authorized

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. Award amount (up to $200,000), and eligibility period (one to five years) after reviewing the application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.

A Recruitment/Relocation Incentive may be authorized for a highly qualified candidate.

The assigned urologist is required to deliver surgical procedures in the operating room and specialty clinical services within Surgical Service.

Responsibilities include: performing surgical operations, outpatient ambulatory surgical procedures and clinic duties; and address outpatient and inpatient surgery consultations for new and established patients. Participate in ward/ICU rounds as necessary and perform any other relevant activities as necessary for initial and follow-up patient care. The physician is expected to follow each patient through the full continuum of care process to include admissions, discharges, performing histories and physicals when pre-surgical evaluation is not available, requesting and writing orders for diagnostic tests and procedures for pre-op, prior to surgery, and completing informed consents as required. The physician is also responsible for educating patients and family members. Full-time physicians will participate in the rotation of on-call duties per the monthly on-call schedule; night, weekend and holiday call may be required. The physician will adhere to policies and procedures regarding the completion of all required orders, operation/procedure notes/reports, discharge summaries, progress notes, clinical reminders, and all other required medical documentation. The physician will ensure the most effective delivery of care, while meeting and exceeding compliance, Joint Commission and VA Central Office performance measure standards. Additionally, the physician will train and provide supervision for medical students and residents in all aspects of their rotations as required. CTVHCS is affiliated with Texas A&M Health Science Center, and applicants should be qualified for academic appointments.

Additional Duties:

• Physician may be required to provide "medical opinions", "internal and external" peer reviews.
• Required to attend surgical and quarterly medical staff meetings, complete all required Talent Management System (TMS).
• Must complete all medical documentation in a timely manner as directed by the Veterans Health Administration and local CTVHCS policies.
• Physician must adhere to and follow all VA policies, procedures and guidelines to ensure patient safety and ensure high quality of care is provided to Veterans.

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards.
Recruitment/Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be available for highly-qualified candidates
Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Learn more.
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact vhaedrpprogramsupport@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: TBD (Typically M-F, 0800-1630 CST)

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.

Preferred Experience:

• Board Certified or Board Eligible
• Ability to provide medical opinions in medical specialty
• Operative Surgeon
• Robotic Surgery experience desired

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

Physical Requirements: Heavy lifting, 45 pounds and over; Reaching above shoulder; Use of fingers; Both hands required; Both legs required; Hearing (aid permitted); Mental/ Emotional Stability.

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.