Physician (Emergency Medicine)

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.

Duties of the ED physician include but are not limited to: patient assessment and treatment/ management of urgent/ emergent conditions, acute conditions, exacerbation of chronic conditions, admission and/or transfer of urgent/emergent veterans, providing medical clearance for veterans requiring admission to inpatient Mental Health, and providing care to VA staff who become ill or injured while on duty in the absence of the Occupational Health provider. Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) are required.

Other duties include, but are not limited to:

• Performing assessments and examinations in the emergency department and fast track
• Coordinate patient care and treatment plans.
• Ordering and interpreting appropriate diagnostic tests and x-ray studies, as well as diagnosing and treating patients according to standard, usual and acceptable methods and techniques.

Responsibilities

Clinical:

1. Primary focus of practice is the independent clinical evaluation and care of Veterans presenting to the Emergency Department and ED Fast Track.
2. Utilizes and promotes approved standards of care, procedures, methods and techniques, safety precautions and protocols in their application to this population in all settings.
3. Collaborates with other health care resources to ensure quality of care.
4. Keeps abreast of latest trends, skills, procedures, and protocols relevant in the area of specialty and serves as a resource person for the medical center staff
5. Assists in the supervision of Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants providing care in the Emergency Department as well as Resident Physicians who operate as Consultants to the ED.

Administrative:

1. Participates in Quality Improvement activities
2. Participates and attends monthly staff meetings.
3. Participates and attends medical center committees as assigned by the Chief of the Emergency Department.

Education/Research:

1. Assures self-development responsibilities and maintains current knowledge of trends in clinical care and the theory, evidence base and implementation of shared medical appointments.
2. Participates in clinical research programs when appropriate.
3. May supervise Emergency Medicine Residents or other post graduate medical trainees in the Emergency Department.
4. Abides by all VA regulations governing research protocols/policies and/or procedures.
5. Research is not a requirement.

Supervisory Controls
The department of emergency medicine is its own service line and the incumbent is directly responsible to the Associate Chief of Staff of Emergency Medicine and Employee Occupational Health. Assignments evolve from the flow of work and the physician provides care without detailed instructions. The physician will work collaboratively with other clinicians and administrative leadership in the Emergency Department. Administrative assignments may be assigned by supervisor, self-generated or assigned by another provider. Work is reviewed for timely delivery of health evaluative services and high-quality decisions consistent with standardized practices.

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

Recruitment / Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): (May Be Authorized/Not Authorized)
Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Learn more.
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact vhaedrpprogramsupport@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: 24/7 Rotating Tour of Duty (Telework 1-2 day per Pay Period)

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: Board Certified in Emergency Medicine, experienced Emergency Medicine Physician preferred.

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

Physical Requirements: Moderate Lifting (15-25 lbs); Moderate Carrying (15-25 lbs); Straight Pulling {up to 2-3 hours); Pushing (up to 2-3 hours); Reaching above shoulder; Walking (up to 1-2 hours); Kneeling (up to 1 -2 hours); Repeated bending (up to 1 to 2 hours); Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; Near vision correctable; Far vision correctable; Depth perception; Ability to distinguish basic colors; Hearing (aid permitted).

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.