Physician-Gastroenterologist

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 (1 to 5 years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

This is an Open Continuous Announcement and may be extended beyond the current closing until the position(s) are filled. Eligible applications will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis during the duration of the announcement. Once a selection is made and offer is accepted the announcement may close pending no additional vacancies.

The Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center serves as the primary health care provider for more than 151,000 Veterans in southeast Texas. Houston exudes a cosmopolitan and down-home vibe together that lets the residents of the country's fourth-largest city and third-largest county (Harris) know that there's no place quite like Houston. The city attracts visitors and transplants with a wonderful mix of world class arts, booming business, pro sports and award-winning cuisine.

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

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be authorized for highly qualified applicants.
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact demetrius.roberts@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
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

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• As Gastroenterology (GI) physician, you will provide comprehensive medical and selected specialty services for outpatients.
• Clinic services are required five days per week which includes patient examinations, patient education for procedure preparation, contacting patients with procedure results, and consult triaging.
• Gastroenterology physician will diagnose, treat, and manage patients according to standard, usual, and acceptable methods, and techniques.
• Provide services such as outpatient examinations, consultation services related to Gastroenterology and management of patients with current treatment regiments.
• The Gastroenterology Physician will need to manage and perform the following items but not limited to the below. The minimum requirement is competency in these areas.
• Gastroenterology clinic to include examination of patient and establish medical diagnoses by patient history, physical examination, and other criteria.
• Perform inpatient and outpatient GI consultations.
• Perform GI procedures.
• Upper endoscopy & related procedures (dilatation, sclerotherapy, injection or thermal hemostasis, foreign body removal, mucosal biopsy, polypectomy, percutaneous gastrostomy/jejunostomy).
• Colonoscopies and related procedures (dilatation, sclerotherapy, injection or thermal hemostasis, foreign body removal, mucosal biopsy, polypectomy, colonic decompression).
• Flexible sigmoidoscopy & proctoscopy with mucosal biopsy (certification in colonoscopy indicates certification in this category, separate reporting not necessary).
• Esophageal stent insertion.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm, subject to change based on the needs of the facility.

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.

Specialized and/or Preferred Experience: None beyond minimum qualifications. The minimum requirement is competency in these areas GI clinic to include examination of patient and establish medical diagnoses by patient history, physical examination, and other criteria. Perform inpatient and outpatient GI consultations. Upper endoscopy, Colonoscopies & related procedures. Highly desired trained and/or expertise in neurogastroenterology, and/or ESD, EUS, ERCP, and/or ABIM Transplant Hepatology BE/BC.

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

Physical Requirements:
Light lifting, under 15 lbs
Light carrying, under 15 lbs
Use of fingers
Both hands required
Walking (8 hours)
Standing (8 hours)
Both legs required
Both eyes required
Depth perception

Environmental Factors:
Working closely with others
Working alone

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.