Physician (Chief of GEC)

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.

Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center (FHCC) located in North Chicago, Illinois is the nation's only fully integrated facility that supports Active Duty Naval service members, Naval recruits, and our nation's Veterans. Our mission is to 'Ready Warriors and Care For Heroes'. With this, we are actively seeking a highly qualified, board-certified Physician to join our team.

The Chief of Geriatrics and Extended Care (GEC) is a physician who works under the leadership and direction of the Deputy Chief of Staff. The incumbent will provide administrative and clinical oversight and will be actively involved in the decisions that support the function and goals of the GEC areas. This position encompasses the Community Living Centers located in GEC as well as Home Based Primary Care (HBPC). Providers in GEC are responsible for inpatient care, graduate medical education, and scientific research as appropriate. This position will provide oversight to Geriatric Medicine in the GEC Service Line. The incumbent will provide direct patient care, offer support to the nurse practitioners and/or physician assistants and work with additional interdisciplinary staff. The Chief of GEC will act as a point of contact for fellow physicians and clinical staff assigned to the Service Line. This individual will also work directly with all levels of the organization on projects, committees, and teams to meet the overall needs of Geriatrics and Extended Care and the facility. The Chief of GEC, should possess clinical experience, be familiar with a variety of the field's concepts, practices, and procedures and possess experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals.

Major Duties:

• Admit, follow, and discharge Community Living Center (CLC) patients as needed to maintain good patient flow.
• Oversee geriatric and palliative care consultation for the in-patient population. Provide clear, complete direct and electronic communication with staff in all areas of the Medical Center and with community contacts to facilitate smooth patient transitions, quality patient care and high customer satisfaction. Participate in interdisciplinary team meeting (IDT) weekly.
• Collaborate with the GEC nurse practitioners/physician assistants, including case reviews and preceptor reviews.
• Participate in care plan meetings and family meetings in conjunction with residents' care needs.
• Meet ethical and professional standards as written in the Medical Staff Bylaws and ensure that work products are following written and communicated facility expectations, standards, policies, and procedures.
• Provide informal clinical consultation for the GEC staff.
• Participate in selected VA committees as needed.
• Maintain current requirements for credentialing and privileging including necessary license and certifications.
• Pursue high quality continuing education and professional development opportunities.
• The healthcare field is ever-changing and requires constant updating of knowledge. It is therefore important that the incumbent participate in continuing education that will enhance health care management skills and knowledge.
• Duties require numerous daily contacts with residents, employees, and visitors, in addition to VA headquarters representatives, VISN representatives, medical care representatives, officials of other government agencies, representatives of our educational affiliates, community and State health care providers, etc.
• Respond to any suspense, Congressional or OIG inquiry, etc. related to GEC Service Line.
• Creates and monitors quality improvement measures for process improvement in active collaboration with the Quality Management Office. Responsible for compliance with all safety, regulatory, and accrediting body requirements.

Work Schedule: Monday-Frida, 8:00am - 4:30pm

Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact vha.elrsprogramsupport@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more.
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

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

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.

Additional Requirement:

• Board certified in Internal Medicine, preferably board certified or eligible in Hospice & Palliative Care.

Preferred Experience:

• 5 years of clinical or administrative experience in geriatrics and extended care
• Familiar with the concepts and practices in long term care for aging populations
• Experience with Green House Homes, Medicare and VHS Geriatrics and Extended Care Programs

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

Physical Requirements: Incumbents must be able to perform the duties as a Physician. Moderate lifting (15-44 lbs.), light carrying (under 15 lbs.), use of fingers, both hands required, ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously, near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4, Specific visual requirement 20/50 one, 20/100 other (glasses permitted), hearing (aid permitted), mental and emotional stability, ability to hear conversational voice (aid permitted), protracted or irregular hours of work. This position requires potentially long periods of continued walking, standing, and sitting. The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing. The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on patient needs. Must comply with any Employee Health requirements as a condition of employment.

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.