Physician (Patient Aligned Care Team) with Recruitment/Relocation/EDRP

The Amarillo VA Health Care System, Amarillo, TX is currently seeking Primary Care Physicians for the Amarillo facility and Lubbock VA Clinic in Lubbock, TX.

This is an Open Continuous Announcement & will remain open until May 07, 2027 or until all positions are filled. The first cut-off date is June 1, 2026. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled.

The Primary Care Physician will act as a provider within a Patient Aligned Care Team. The incumbent will provide primary care to an assigned patient panel as delineated in the clinical privilege list for a primary care physician. This will include, but is not limited to, diagnosis and management of a variety chronic medical illnesses, diagnoses and management of a variety of acute medical illnesses, providing patient education in regards to their acute and/or chronic illnesses, addressing preventative care topics with patients, coordination of patient care with consultants and specialists, performing routine in office procedures within the primary care scope of practice, and formulation of care plans to ensure patient's overall health and well-being.

All PACT Physicians who are granted privileges to provide, deliver and/or interpret are hereby granted the following core privileges:

• Responsible for examining, diagnosing, and treating patients with both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions. Ensures that all treatment meet generally accepted standard of care criteria.
• Completing clinically appropriate workup for each diagnosis via physical exam, diagnostic laboratory and/or diagnostic imaging. Relaying results of diagnostic laboratory or diagnostic imaging to the patient in a timely manner.
• Provides patient education regarding their diagnoses and treatments along with addressing preventative medicine at each visit. The physician is responsible for acting as a leader within their PACT and providing teaching/mentoring to each member of their team to improve the overall care experienced by the patient.
• Coordination of patient care with consultants and specialists as needed
• Timeliness - all documentation must be completed by the incumbent themselves within 7 days from Date of Service
• Each note meets Standard Criteria - must contain the basic elements for an accurate, complete, and billable primary care note.
• Adheres to VHA Code of Ethics, performs own duties as required, and Maintains Information Security Protocols as covered in N.E.O.
• Displays Professionalism at all times.
• Adheres to HIPAA guidelines in both written and verbal communication.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday (0800-1630)

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus) or Relocation Incentive: May be available for highly qualified individual.
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.
Former EDRP participants are ineligible to apply for EDRP incentive. Contact vhaedrpprogramsupport@va.gov, and VISN17EDRP2@va.gov for the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more.

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards.
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus) or Relocation Incentive: Authorized
Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Authorized
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.
Former EDRP participants are ineligible to apply for EDRP incentive. Contact vhaedrpprogramsupport@va.gov, and VISN17EDRP2@va.gov for the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more.

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

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: Be a citizen of the United States (U.S.) in accordance with section38 U.S.C. § 7402(c). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens according to 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).
• 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 one of the schools approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs 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 of the American Osteopathic Association for the year in which the degree was granted.
• 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.
• For foreign medical graduates not covered in (1) or (2) above, facility officials must confirm that the medical school meets (or met) Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) eligibility requirements for the year the candidate graduated.
• 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.

Additional Requirement: Licensure and Registration. Physicians must possess a 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. The physician must maintain current registration in the state of licensure if this is a requirement for continuing active, current licensure.

Preferred Experience:

• Minimum of 2 years of Primary Care experience in an outpatient setting
• Must be Board Certified; Board Eligible also accepted for new FM or IM Residency Graduates
• Experience in Women's Health Care Exams and standard Primary Care outpatient procedures
• VA experience preferred

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

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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, facility must confirm that the medical school meets (or met) Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) eligibility requirement for the year the candidate 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.