Physician - Ophthalmologist

Major Duties and Responsibilities Consist of, but are not limited to the following:

• Attending required staff meetings, communicating up and down the chain of command and helping prepare heads-up and issue briefs related to adverse patient outcomes at the direction of the Section Chief.
• Clinical Management including indirect patient care: open encounter and open consult maintenance, CPRS documentation requirements. Maintains involvement in matters concerning clinic productivity, relevant performance measures, Quality and Patient Safety oversight, as well as process improvements.
• Conducts clinics several times per week.
• Performs and supervises retinal laser procedures in the laser room.
• Document services through appropriate notes, such as History and Physical, Progress notes, and Procedure notes.
• Performs ophthalmologic procedures on patients including consultation, and ophthalmic care to correct or treat various conditions, illnesses and injuries.

• Makes preliminary diagnosis; directs, prescribes or provides treatment, arranges for specialized care or patient referral as required.
• Training and familiarity with diagnosis and state-of-the-art management of patients with disorders of the retina.
• Provides comprehensive ophthalmology care including prevention, health maintenance, early diagnosis, treatment and follow-up services to patients.
• Conducts outpatient clinics; reviews patients' medications, diet, course of therapy, adherence to management plan and patient observations; modifies management plan as indicated; and instructs and counsels patients as required.
• Serves as a consultant to primary care physicians and accepts referrals and outpatient consultations from other providers.
• Functions in a teaching capacity by educating others (patients, staff) in the assessment, treatment, management and evaluation of ophthalmologic disorders.
• Refers patients as appropriate; works closely with allied health professionals; and participates in the Surgical Department Quality Assurance and Peer Review programs.

• 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.

• Minimum 5 years clinical/surgical practice as a staff/attending ophthalmologist preferred, however new graduates will be considered.

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.]

• 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.