Physician (Cardiology-Interventional)

The Lt. Col. Luke Weathers, Jr., VAMC in Memphis, TN is recruiting for a Interventional Cardiologist to serve as a full-time Specialty Care physician. The position is accountable to the Chief of Specialty Care, for assuring the most effective delivery of state-of-the-art care by meeting or exceeding compliance standards.

General duties include, but are not limited to:

• Clinical practice, supervising and teaching Cardiology fellows, residents and medical students.
• Responsible for providing consultation on various forms of cardiovascular disease states, both for diagnosis and treatment in the inpatient and outpatient settings.
• Share attending call responsibilities with the other cardiologists in covering some night, weekend and holiday calls as needed.
• Co-direct a robust clinical program in structural heart disease, and peripheral arterial intervention. The incumbent will be responsible for building and directing the structural program if he/she has appropriate credentials.
• Lead and manage the Cardiology/Coronary Care Unit (CCU) team consisting of Cardiology fellows, Internal Medicine Residents, Medical students, Pharmacists, Mid-level providers etc. while on the inpatient service.
• Give didactic lectures to Cardiology fellows and also participate in academic activities such as journal review, Grand rounds, conferences and lectures.
• Administratively responsible to the Chief, Medical Service within Cardiology section- Cath Lab. Clinical oversight and supervision will be provided by the collaborating and supervising physician.
• In the absence of the primary collaborating physician, an appointed staff physician will serve as the alternate collaborating physician.
• Recognizing patients appropriate for referral or consultation with the collaborating physician. Consultations with collaborating physicians may occur through personal, telephone, or electronic media contact.
• Physician co-signature will be required for the admission history, physical examination and admission plan for new patients as well as daily plan care/progress note for established patients. Discharge notes and discharge summaries will be electronically co-signed. A discharge order may be written with the concurrence of the physician.
• Responsible for determining patients suitable for percutaneous coronary intervention. Any patient with more than one vessel coronary disease especially involving the proximal LAD will be discussed in the Cath conference. Patients with left main or ostial LAD lesion when assigned for PCI in the Cardiology Cath Conference will undergo PCI with Surgical standby.
• Provide comprehensive patient care in the form of invasive, non-invasive, consultative, and inpatient/outpatient cardiology care. Moderate Sedation Privileges and certification required. Fluoroscopy privileges and certification. Central venous line insertion and management. Intra-arterial lines insertion and management. Interpret EKGs. Interpret holter monitors. Use of thrombolytic agents. Pericardiocentesis. Arterial puncture. Temporary trans venous pacemaker placement. Intra-aortic balloon pump insertion and management. Percutaneous coronary intervention, cardiac catheterization and angiography. Peripheral arterial interventions. Stress test interpretation. Debulking devices including CSI atherectomy, rotablator, laser Angiojet for intervention for cardiovascular diseases.
• Clinical assessment and evaluation - Inpatients and Outpatients. Health care management of assigned veteran patients with acute and chronic illnesses. Ordering and interpreting laboratory and diagnostic studies. Consultation and referrals; Inpatients and Outpatients. Patient follow-up, as appropriate. Health promotion and disease prevention. Patient, family, and staff education and counseling. Clinical research. Outpatient Clinics for general and interventional Cardiology Patients. Inpatient Services including CCU and consultative services, rounding with a team of Cardiology fellows, Internal Medicine Residents, Medical students, Pharmacists etc.
• Any other duties as assigned by the supervising physician or his/her designee as it relates to scope of practice.

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

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be eligible for highly qualified applicants.

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: Monday-Friday 8:00AM - 4:30PM

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.

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

Physical Requirements: Moderate Lifting (15-25 lbs); Moderate Carrying (15-25 lbs); Straight Pulling (up to 2-3 hours); Pushing (up to 2-3 hours); Reaching above shoulder; Walking (up to 1-2 hours); Kneeling (up to 1-2 hours); Repeated bending (up to 1 to 2 hours); Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; Near vision correctable; Far vision correctable; Depth perception; Ability to distinguish basic colors; 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.