Physician (Pain Management)

VA Phoenix Healthcare System in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service is seeking a practicing physician who will be responsible for the management of patients with chronic pain and related comorbidities including opioid use disorder. Chronic Pain Clinic is focused on the biopsychosocial factors impacting pain focusing in non-interventional management of pain in a tertiary step model of care.

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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

Pain Physician serves as a practicing physician who is responsible for the management of patients with chronic pain and related comorbidities including opioid use disorder who are enrolled for healthcare services provided by the Phoenix VA Health Care System (PVAHCS). The Pain Physician is responsible for administrative tasks associated with clinic operations. Chronic Pain Clinic is focused on the biopsychosocial factors impacting pain focusing on non-interventional management of pain in a tertiary step model of care. Patients seen in this clinic have gone through first and second line treatment with refractory results and require highly coordinated care.

The physician will work in a team setting with other physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psychologists, clinical pharmacists, physical therapists, dieticians, registered nurses, and support staff assigned to perform duties to accomplish the treatment of our patients. Computer skills are essential as PVAHCS is fully computerized for note documentation, entering orders and requesting consults.


Duties Include But Are Not Limited To The Following:

• Coordinate pain care for referred outpatients as assigned by PVAHCS.
• Evaluate and treat acute and chronic health problems for scheduled and unscheduled patients in the clinic setting.
• Perform histories and physical exams.
• Provides appropriate documentation to minimally include history, physical exam findings, diagnosis, definitive care plan and disposition of the patient.
• Ensures that patients are appropriately closed-out including disposition that clearly indicates the next steps of care.
• Ensures that each patient is provided a list of current medications and an appointment list at close-out.
• Perform office procedures contained within their approved privileges.
• Prescribe medications as appropriate.
• Order routine laboratory, radiological and diagnostic tests and provide initial interpretation of results.
• Communicate test results to patients.
• Initiate and expedite requests for consultations and special tests.
• Screen patients to determine the need for hospitalization
• Function as a preceptor for residents, fellows and other trainees in the clinic setting as assigned by PVAHCS.
• Provide education to the patient and family as necessary.
• Work collaboratively within interdisciplinary pain team.
• Assist with administrative consult management

In Addition You Will Also Be Require To:

Demonstrate the skills and knowledge necessary to provide care appropriate to the adult and geriatric patients served, including the ability to obtain and interpret information to identify patient needs to provide the care needed.

Demonstrates the ability to work with a variety of diagnoses and ages meeting the special needs of the following age groups:

Young adult 18-39 years
Middle adult 40-64 years
Older adult 65-80 years
Geriatric 80+ years

Work Schedule: Varies

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 allopathic 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 accrediting bodies for graduate medical education, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or American Osteopathic Association (AOA), in the list published for the year the residency, or fellowship if applicable, was completed; OR
  • (2) One year of post medical school training (internship, first year of residency, or transitional year residency) approved by ACGME or AOA followed by two years of post-training independent practice (performing under a full and unrestricted license) in the United States; OR
  • (3) Non-US residency training programs followed by a minimum of three years of verified independent practice in the United States (performing under a full and unrestricted license) performing duties related to the position they are applying for (United States fellowships would be creditable towards this requirement), 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.
  • Exceptions:
    • 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 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.
    • In rare and unusual circumstances, the Facility Director can submit a memo to the VISN Director through the VISN Chief Medical Officer, who may approve requests for reasonable exceptions to the residency training requirement for Physicians whose composite record of experience, accomplishments, performance, and qualifications warrant such action.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.

Preferred Experience: Pain management experience.

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

Physical Requirements: VA Handbook 5019/1, Part II, Pre-Placement Physical Examination and Evaluation

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.
2. Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) for the year in which the degree was granted.
3. For foreign medical graduates not covered in (1) or (2) above, confirmation must be made that the medical school meets (or met) Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) eligibility requirement for year 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.