Physician (General Surgery)

This position is located within the North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System and assigned to the Jacksonville 1 VA Clinic in Jacksonville FL, an outpatient ambulatory care facility. The General Surgeon provides comprehensive surgical evaluation and ambulatory procedural care to Veterans, supporting the mission of the Veterans Health Administration by delivering safe, evidence-based, patient-centered surgical services in a non-operative,
clinic-based environment.

This is an open continuous announcement that will remain open until filled. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis. Eligible applicants will be referred each week for consideration until a selection is made.

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

Recruitment/ Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): 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

This is a full-time position with no call responsibilities. The General Surgeon is responsible for providing a broad range of general surgical services in an outpatient clinic environment, including general surgical evaluations, minor surgical procedures appropriate to an ambulatory setting, and the full spectrum of pre-operative and post-operative patient management for Veterans whose care can be managed without inpatient admission. This is a full-time, no-call, ambulatory surgical practice position.
A summary of the duties is mentioned below but not limited to:

• Experience in ambulatory surgical practice, demonstrated participation in quality improvement or leadership initiatives, and strong communication and interdisciplinary collaboration skills.
• Participation in performance improvement activities, surgical quality initiatives, peer review, and assigned committees that support system-wide clinical and administrative goals.
• Conducts detailed consultations for general surgery conditions, determines appropriate diagnostic testing, provides clinical guidance regarding treatment options, obtains informed consent, and ensures optimal coordination of care.
• Ensures optimal coordination of care. Additional responsibilities include managing surgical patients throughout the continuum of care, monitoring outcomes, addressing post-procedural concerns, and facilitating referrals to higher levels of care when clinically indicated.
• Collaborate closely with interdisciplinary team members, including advanced practice providers, nursing, medical support staff, diagnostic services, and referral facilities, while maintaining timely and accurate documentation in the electronic health record and ensuring compliance with all VA and facility policies, including standards outlined in the Medical Staff Bylaws.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
(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 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.
• 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 (General Surgery) 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.
• English Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d)

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

Physical Requirements: Physical requirements for this position include light lifting (under 15 lbs.), straight pulling (.5 hour), reaching above shoulders, use of fingers (both hands required), walking (1 hour intermittently), standing (2 hours intermittently); ability to distinguish colors and shades of color; rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; near vision correctable to 13" to 16"; hearing aid permitted.

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.