Physician (Part-Time Gastroenterologist)

The Gastroenterology physician is expected to provide comprehensive patient care to inpatient services, consultative inpatient care, and outpatient specialty care at the James H. Quillen VAMC to include the Community Living Center and the Emergency Room. The physician will manage patients with ongoing medical conditions, in collaboration with other services of the James H. Quillen VAMC. The incumbent is accountable to the Chief Medicine Service.

NOTE: This announcement will be open until the position is filled. Applications will be sent to the hiring manager every two weeks. This announcement may close prior to the closing date listed if a selection has been made.

Salary will be prorated based on hours worked.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Interviews, examines, selects diagnostic testing appropriately, and interprets/collates results to coordinate patient care.
• Ensure the quality of care of Veterans being treated.
• Communicates and documents with clarity to patients and medical personnel to coordinate patient care
• Responsible for ensuring non-physician providers (NP, PA, etc... ) have adequate and timely backup for medical decision making.
• Procedural skills may include arterial puncture, EKG interpretation, Arthrocentesis, Foley catheter insertion, abdominal paracentesis, venipuncture, nasogastric tube insertion, lumbar puncture, thoracentesis, intra-arterial line & central venous line placement, and endotracheal intubation based on credentialing.
• Consultative and direct input to inpatient care. Collaborate with midlevel providers and physician colleagues with clear communication and documentation.
• Ensures warm handoff is done appropriately between shifts in accordance with all applicable guidelines.
• Participate in the educational programs for section personnel as well as the medical staff.
• Participate in quality assurance programs and chart reviews. Responsible for all performance metrics that are affected by inpatient/outpatient medicine, including but not limited to various metrics such as SAIL, ORYX, LOS, UM admission and continued stay, etc.
• Attend regular Gastroenterology team meetings
• Demonstrate ethical conduct and serve as a positive role model to others at all levels of the organization
• Attend Medicine Service monthly staff meetings and COS quarterly meetings as per bylaws
• Complete medical records in accordance with Bylaws and Rules and Regulations of the Medical Staff
• Participate in Medical Staff committee assignments
• Perform other duties assigned by the Chief of Medicine or designee (i.e., Administrative Officer)
• Participate in, and attend, CME activities and VA continuing educational activities.
• Other duties as assigned.

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

Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): 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.
Learn more. EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact VISN9HREDRP@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

Work Schedule: 2.5 days per week - (Example: Two days at 8:00am - 4:30pm and One day at 8:00am - 4:30pm) - to be discussed in interview.

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.

Providers must meet the following requirements:
This position requires proficiency in basic computer operations, including the use of email, typing, instant messaging platforms, and dictation software when authorized. Use of dictation software is permitted only on a case-by-case basis, contingent upon available licensure associated with vacated or retired positions. Providers must be able to independently generate timely, accurate, and complete clinical documentation without reliance on dictation. Applicants who are unable to produce documentation without dictation will not meet the qualification requirements for this position.

Providers must be able to document care within the electronic medical record, communicate with internal staff through approved instant messaging systems, and engage with patients via secure messaging in accordance with VHA policy.

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

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service.

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.