Physician (Designated Education Officer - (DEO))

Our facility is seeking physicians to serve as the Designated Education Officer (DEO). The DEO is responsible for establishing, maintaining, and evaluating the quality of health professions training programs and the quality of care delivered by trainees at the VA facility. Provides direction and oversight of the HPE service and education support for a full spectrum HPTs and others, which includes employees, upper-level facility management, affiliate schools, and HPTs.

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The Designated Education Officer (DEO) is responsible for establishing, maintaining, and evaluating the quality of health professions training programs and the quality of care delivered by trainees at the VA facility. The position provides direction and oversight of the HPE service and education support for a full spectrum of paid and without compensation (WOC) HPTs and others associated with a complex healthcare system, which includes employees, upper-level facility management, affiliate schools, and HPTs. The position provides a wide range of program management and administrative duties supporting the HPE programs. The DEO provides leadership, advice, and subject matter expertise in tasks, projects, and assignments related to HPE programs. Provides policy development, analysis, decision making, and implementation activities affecting the VA health care system. Responsibilities and duties are described in VHA Directives and summarized below. Oversees all functions related to the administration of HPE funding, accreditation, appointment process, and affiliate relationships in accordance with VHA OAA directives, handbooks, policies, memos, and notices; Joint Commission Standards; and accreditation standards for multiple health professions.

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Provides oversight to identify, evaluate, and mitigate risk of injury to HPTs, patients, staff and visitors in collaboration with facility Occupational Health and Patient Safety.
• Reviews and ensures that minimal qualifications and credentials are met by HPTs coming to VA for academic programs as attested to by the Trainee Qualifications Certification Verification Letter (TQCVL).
• Interacts with affiliated institutions as appropriate on matters pertaining to HPT assignments and curricula and on evaluation of the VA medical facility as a training site.
• Acts as a consultant to other VA medical facility staff on educational matters and interpreting policies according to VA requirements; provides comprehensive support to residency and training program and site directors.
• Acts as the liaison with the sponsoring institution's Designated Institution Officer (DIO) and other education leaders in the academic programs of education and research. - Advocates for sufficient VA resources for appropriate management of HPE programs.
• Exercises oversight and administration of all clinical training programs at the VA medical facility and ensures compliance with all pertinent requirements and program accreditation standards. This oversight responsibility includes fiscal matters, affiliation and disbursement agreements, programmatic accreditation, credentials of HPTs, appointment, and payment of HPT stipends.
• Establishes local procedures for Educational Activity Record (EAR) keeping and disbursement including training, reconcile invoices, submitting rate schedules and reimbursing affiliates in a timely manner.
• Works closely with OAA to expand programs, collect and report data, and obtain guidance for unusual circumstances.
• Reviews and signs appropriate Program Letters of Agreement prepared by the affiliated institution.
• Manages special situations and issues pertaining to HPTs and advising the VA facility Director and the program director of the affiliated institution (or VA-sponsored program) concerning HPT competence, conduct, and compliance with VA regulations and policy.
• Ensures that all VA-sponsored programs maintain accreditation, collaborating with VA program director(s) on reporting, site visits, and making timely payments to match organizations and/or certifying bodies.
• Assigns work to staff in the HPE service.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 7:30am - 4:00pm
Telework Eligibility: Adhoc
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

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: Experience in developing, implementing, and managing a Health Professional training program.

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

Physical Requirements: Physicians should be physically and mentally capable of performing examinations, formulating diagnosis and treatment plans, and educating residents. Physical activity includes sitting, standing (for up to 4 hours), walking, moderate lifting (intermittently, 10 lbs.), reaching above the shoulder, and repeated bending. Physician should be emotionally and mentally stable and capable of performing the duties of the position.

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.

• U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest