Physician - Chief of Specialty Care

The Chief of Specialty Care, provides administrative, programmatic, and clinical leadership for Specialty Care to ensure achievement of the clinical, research, and education goals. The incumbent reports to the Chief of Staff and serves as a key clinical resource for the Medical Center Director and the Chief of Staff.

This is an Open Continuous Announcement and may be extended beyond the current closing date until the position is filled. Eligible applications will be referred at regular intervals, as additional vacancies occur and/or 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.

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

Recruitment/Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be eligible for Highly Qualified Applicants
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): May be eligible for Highly Qualified Applicants

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


Major Duties/ Responsibilities:

• Directs, manages, and coordinates the planning and implementation of the VA Medicine care throughout the G.V. Sonny Montgomery VAMC catchment area spanning Mississippi and parts of Louisiana and Alabama.
• Develops or directs the development of performance standards, evaluates the performance of key supervisors, and reviews the evaluations made by subordinate supervisors or other employees.
• Responsible for budget development and execution for Specialty Care
• Exercise administrative, programmatic, clinical, and academic oversight of Medicine Care Service and programs to ensure delivery of quality services.
• Serves as the principal spokesperson and advocate for Specialty Care and programs within the VA Medical Center
• Coordinates and integrates clinical and administrative aspects of the programs into a comprehensive package of services to meet the needs of the Veteran population.
• Directs patient care needs assessments; identifies gaps in services and supports program development to meet those needs.
• Within the local planning process, develops short and long-range goals and objectives for provision of Medicine Service and programs
• Ensures that there is compliance with all Joint Commission and other regulatory body functions and standards that are applicable to Medicine Service and programs (assessment of the patient; care of the patient; patient rights/organizational ethics, continuum of care; safety, etc).
• Oversees, develops, coordinates, and evaluates academic programs affiliated with Specialty Care Service and serves as liaison with the sponsoring institutions for such programs.
• Coordinates and integrates interdepartmental and intradepartmental services, establishing and maintaining professional relationships with other services and facility management which result in improved patient care.
• Develops program review and evaluation to ensure patient satisfaction dimensions of care and performance measures are achieved and that clinical quality of services and appropriate clinical resource/medication utilization and continuously evaluated and improved, as demonstrated by performance measures and wait times.
• Exhibits leadership in initiating changes in patient care programs based on current concepts and findings from research and studies. Keeps informed of developments in the management and treatment of diseases and illnesses through continuing medical education, both formal and informal.
• Recruits, trains, supervises, and retains the highest quality staff, and programs support staff, as appropriate.
• Responsible for the completion of all clinical, educational, and administrative duties and requirements.
• Continuously reviews the professional performance of all individuals with clinical privileges.
• 20% of the time spent providing clinical care in Specialty
• When requested, serve as the Acting Chief of Staff during the absence of the Chief of Staff, and member of the Clinical Executive Board.
• Administrative on-call nights/weekends/holidays and appropriate call coverage back up for clinical duties.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm with call coverage

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:

• A minimum of three (3) years of Supervisor/ Manager/ Director/ Chief or equivalent experience to lead, develop, implement, monitor, and evaluate clinical and administrative processes related to the medical care of Veterans
• Board Certified in Internal Medicine or an Internal Medicine Specialty
• Broad knowledge base with consult management
• An understanding of Medicine, Medicine subspecialties and ancillary services
• Demonstrated ability to interact and communicate (orally, telephonically, and written) with others effectively and appropriately, presenting a professional image of the service and the VA.
• Demonstrated skill in budget development and execution

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

Functional Requirements:

• Light lifting, under 1 pounds
• Reaching above shoulder
• Use of fingers
• Walking 2 hours
• Standing 2 hours
• Hearing (aid may be permitted)

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.