Physician- Interventional Cardiologist- Section Chief

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.

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

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

The Cardiology Section Chief provides administrative, clinical, research and programmatic leadership services in the section of Cardiology at Oklahoma City VA Health Care System (OKC-VHS). The Chief of Cardiology demonstrates outstanding professional ability to develop and implement various inpatient and outpatient Cardiovascular programs in Interventional Cardiology, General Cardiology, Electrophysiology, and multimodality imaging including ECHO, Nuclear Cardiology, Cardiac CT angiography and vascular imaging at OKC-VHS.

Duties of Chief of Cardiology

• The Cardiology Section Chief supervises Cardiology providers and medical instrument technicians in the section of Cardiology, and reports directly to the Chief, Medicine Service Line.
• Chief of Cardiology should have comprehensive administrative, clinical, and research expertise in the domains of Interventional Cardiology, non-invasive cardiology, multimodality imaging in Cardiology (including ECHO cardiography, Nuclear Cardiology, Cardiac CTA, and Vascular Imaging) to lead Cardiology program in OKC-VHS.
• The Section Chief will contribute time to VISN 19, and National Cardiology program as requested by the Chief of Staff or Chief of Medicine.
• The Section Chief will provide Cardiovascular consultation and procedural services and follow up in the inpatient and outpatient setting at the OKC-VHS.
• The Section Chief may travel to Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) for the supervision of Cardiovascular services.
• The Section Chief will provide administrative, clinical, research and programmatic leadership for the section to maintain clinical, educational, research excellence and recruitment activities as monitored by VHA regulations.
• The Section Chief will provide administrative, clinical, research and programmatic leadership support for GME training programs including General cardiology, Interventional cardiology, Electrophysiology, Internal medicine residency and nurse practitioner residency program.
• The section Chief Ensure cardiology providers compliance with VHA regulations, medical staff by laws, facility policies, Joint Commission standards, performance metrics, and appropriate regulations, including the provider professional evaluation process.
• The Section Chief will maintain the cardiology clinical standards, educational standards, research standards, clinical grids, and section schedules for cardiology providers.
• During employment, participation in special projects pertinent to cardiovascular sub-specialty may be necessary as the projects become available with strategic or other initiatives at local facility, VISN 19 or national level.
• When working with inpatients, the Section Chief is expected to participate in interdisciplinary quality improvement projects in the facility.

Work Schedule: Typical work hours are Monday to Friday 8-4.30 PM. Alternative work hours, if desired, should be agreed upon at the time of joining. Each full-time provider is required to work a minimum of 80 hours per pay period (every two weeks) unless on leave status. On call duties would be assigned as necessary, primarily for coverage of inpatients and emergency room needs arise after hours for covering of cardiovascular services.

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:
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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.

Additional Requirement:

• ABIM Certifications in Cardiology and/or Interventional Cardiology

Preferred Experience:

• Knowledge of VHA regulations/policies, ACC/AHA/SCAI regulations, ACGME regulations, medical staff by laws, facility policies, Joint Commission standards, and VHA performance metrics.
• At least 2-years of Cardiology section level leadership experience, and 3-5 years of academic experience. As the incumbent must be familiar with VHA policies and procedures
• 3-5 years of VA experience is preferred.
• NBE Certification in ECHO RPVI and Cardiac CTA certifications.

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

Physical Requirements: The physician should be physically and mentally capable to perform the duties of the position including examinations, formulate the diagnosis and treatment plan and educate residents. Physical activities include sitting, standing (up to 4 hours) walking (up to 2 hours), heavy lifting (45 pounds or over), reaching above the shoulder, and repeated bending. The incumbent should be emotionally and mentally stable; and capable to perform the duties of the position.

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 (COCA) for the year in which the degree was granted. OR
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.