Physician (Pulmonologist/Intensivist)

The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

The West Palm Beach VA Healthcare System seeks an academically minded Pulmonary and Critical Care Physician to provide both inpatient and outpatient care. Sleep medicine capabilities are advantageous but not required. The position involves educational responsibilities for internal medicine residents and pulmonary fellows, as well as clinical research opportunities.

This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT. Eligible applicants will be referred until all vacancies are filled.

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

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

Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact the VISN 8 Compensation Center of Excellence at VISN8CCOE@va.gov for questions/assistance Learn more.
Recruitment Incentive: Not Authorized
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

DUTIES INCLUDE (BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO):

• 12 hour in-house ICU shifts (with a resident team) providing care to medical, surgical, and cardiac patients
• Perform and/or supervise ICU procedures including central line placement, intubation, bronchoscopy, thoracentesis, chest tube placement and others as required
• Supervise residents in critical care consultations
• Lead multidisciplinary ICU rounds on a daily basis
• Coordinate the daily care of all patients in the ICU
• Lead the code blue and rapid response team
• Provide general outpatient pulmonary care during dedicated clinic shifts
• Perform bronchoscopies in the outpatient setting including possible EBUS and robotic bronchoscopy
• Perform inpatient pulmonary consultations
• Perform sleep medicine evaluations and interpret sleep studies (if certified)
• Supervise internal medicine residents and pulmonary fellows in both the inpatient and outpatient settings
• There are opportunities for clinical research in a growing research program

Miscellaneous activities of the Medical Service including committee assignments, QA activities, and other special projects that help fulfill and/or enhance the mission of the Department of Veterans Affairs as assigned by the Chief, Pulmonary Section, Medicine Service or West Palm Beach VAMC Executive Leadership..

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (and potential for some 12-hour ICU DAY/NIGHT).

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.
• Board Certified or Eligible in Pulmonary and/or Critical Care.

Preferred Experience: Board Certified in Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Experience.

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

Physical Requirements: The Physician should be physically and mentally capable to perform the duties of the position including examinations, formulating a diagnosis and treatment plan and educating residents. Physical activities include sitting, standing (up to 4 hours) walking (up to 2 hours) and repeated bending. The incumbent should be emotionally and mentally stable; and capable to perform the duties of the position.

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.