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Physician (Clinical Director Pulmonary/Critical Care/Sleep Medicine)

Veterans Health Administration · Department of Veterans Affairs

Open to the publicPermanentFull-timeSecurity clearance requiredClosed
Location
Tucson, AZ
Salary
$365,000 – $380,000/yr
Pay grade
GS 15
Openings
1
Posted
May 21, 2026
Closes
Closed Jun 22, 2026

Summary

SAVACHS is the principal teaching affiliate of the University of Arizona Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy. Candidates must be eligible for a faculty appointment with the University of Arizona commensurate with clinical experience and academic achievement to facilitate teaching of medical students, residents and fellows.

Duties

The Southern Arizona VA Health Care System (SAVACHS) is seeking a Clinical Director of the Pulmonary/Critical Care/Sleep Medicine Division. Commitment to excellence in patient care and an interest in teaching are essential. A record of contribution to the scientific literature is preferred. In addition to contributing to the clinical mission of the division, the division chief will be expected to participate in a variety of leadership duties. These will include distribution of clinical and educational assignments among the division staff, support of administrative functions of the division, mentoring division colleagues, and supporting division research when feasible.

The Tucson VA is a tertiary care facility providing a full range of clinical services including complex coronary angioplasty, structural heart interventions, cardiac surgery, neurosurgery and Mohs surgery. It has been a flagship quality provider within the VA and was a 2012 winner of the prestigious Robert W. Carey Performance Excellence Award. We are in a growth area for the VA. Consequently, the VA is open to major capital investment in our facility; we are in the construction phase for both an Emergency Department expansion and a Primary Care expansion.

SAVACHS is the principal teaching affiliate of the University of Arizona Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy. Candidates must be eligible for a faculty appointment with the University of Arizona commensurate with clinical experience and academic achievement to facilitate teaching of medical students, residents and fellows.



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

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Approved
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, and 11 paid Federal holidays per year.
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 incumbent is expected to actively participate in quality improvement activities and ensure compliance with rules and regulations of the agency, facility and department. The incumbent will also ensure that a satisfactory process is maintained for supervision and training of fellows, residents and medical students from University of Arizona College of Medicine rotating through the Pulmonary Division. Like all Pulmonary Division members, the candidate must maintain American Heart Association BLS and ACLS certification. A commitment to compliance with VA and SAVAHCS regulatory requirements is expected. Investigators with VA Merit Review Awards are afforded up to thirty-five percent protected time for research. The successful candidate will enjoy the security of VA salary funding, the generous federal benefits package, our lovely southwestern climate, the professional advantages of academic affiliation, and a medium size city with the cultural enrichments of a major university.

Work Schedule: Full-time, permanent, Monday-Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm.

Qualifications

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: Preference will be given to candidates who are board certified. A track record of success in leadership, education, administration and/or research will be noted in the selection process.

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 Examinations and Evaluations.

Education

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.

Requirements

  • U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
  • All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
  • Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
  • Subject to background/security investigation.
  • Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
  • Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
  • Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
  • You may be required to serve a probationary period.
  • Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

This vacancy has closed

This posting closed on Jun 22, 2026 and is kept for reference. Browse current physician openings below, or see all open roles.

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Source: USAJOBS / U.S. Office of Personnel Management. HealthJobsFinderUSA is an independent service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by OPM or USAJOBS.

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