Chief of Imaging Service (Physician)

The Chief of Imaging Services has specific supervisory responsibility for the staff radiologists and non-radiologist staff including clerical staff, technologists, nursing, technical personnel (PACS administrators), and administrative personnel. They are expected to demonstrate a commitment to ongoing clinical competence through continued performance of direct patient care, formal study interpretation, engagement in trainee and staff education.

Portland is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated in the northwestern area of the state at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers. Portland is known for having the amenities of a major city (such as an international airport, an efficient public transit system, major league sports teams and many museums and art galleries) and the charms of a small city (such as plentiful arts and crafts fairs, independent bookstores and local traditions like the annual Rose Festival Parade). Rain or shine, you can take advantage of the city's proximity to nature by playing in the Willamette River, wandering through lush public parks and gardens, biking the city's 162 miles (261 km) of bike lanes and hiking trails both within city limits and in the nearby Columbia River Gorge.

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

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be available for highly qualified candidates
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Authorized
Appraised Value Offer (AVO): 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

The Chief of Imaging services is responsible for all operations in the Imaging Service and:

• Collaborate effectively with other VAPORHCS clinical service leaders in the development and execution of the overarching VAPORHCS strategic and business plan, ensuring coordination of service, reduction of redundancies, and enhancement of cost effectiveness.
• Build and articulate the Imaging Service vision with related goals, strategies, and tactics that promote care delivery that is both of high quality and efficient and that emphasize Veteran satisfaction;
• Manage proactively and efficiently a broad continuum of programs including all associated personnel, equipment, supplies, space, contracts and information system resources;
• Instill a culture of data fluency in which all leaders within the Service will have facility with tools available to measure and monitor safety, quality, access, efficiency, productivity, and Veteran and employee experience, and will use these tools as appropriate to benchmark performance, help shape resource allocation decisions, and target opportunities for improvement;
• Maintain policies, procedures, and clinical practices that accord with contemporary, evidence-based practices in inpatient and emergency settings and with national standards as established by VHA, The Joint Commission, and other accrediting bodies;
• Ensure that all business operations and health information practices within the Imaging Service adhere to the laws, regulations and standards which govern those activities, the reasonable expectations of VHA's business partners, and the highest standards of Compliance and Business Integrity;
• Stay abreast of changing conditions in health care within and external to VA, and encourage demonstration projects, pilots and other experimental approaches aimed at improving clinical outcomes/satisfaction and/or increasing revenue;
• Assemble timely budget formulations, monitor the Imaging Service's fiscal activities, and manage fund control points conscientiously.
• Other duties as assigned within the scope of the position

Work Schedule: Monday- Friday, 7:30am- 4:00pm PST

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.

Additional Requirement: Board Certified by the American Board of Radiology

Preferred Experience: Fellowship training in body, cardiovascular, or thoracic imaging; 5 years experience interpreting diagnostic imaging and/or imaging guided procedures; 3-5 years supervisory/managerial experience leading/managing multidisciplinary health care professionals in a hospital or large clinic environment.

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

Physical Requirements: Use of fingers; both hands required; ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; Both eyes required; Depth perception; Ability to distinguish basic colors; ability to distinguish shades of color; Hearing (aid may be 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.