Director of Primary Care

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.

Lead with purpose in a role that blends clinical impact, leadership, and the opportunity to shape Veteran care across southeast Missouri.

The John J. Pershing VAMC is seeking a physician leader to serve as Director of Primary Care, overseeing provider operations, clinical quality, access initiatives, and primary care performance across the medical center and surrounding community-based outpatient clinics. This is an opportunity to influence care delivery at both the patient and system level while remaining actively engaged in clinical practice.

This position offers the rare balance of meaningful leadership responsibility and hands-on patient care, allowing you to continue practicing medicine while helping drive the future of Veteran healthcare.

Why West Plains?

Nestled in the heart of the Missouri Ozarks, West Plains combines small-town warmth with the amenities needed for comfortable day-to-day living, all surrounded by the natural beauty of southern Missouri. Whether you enjoy fishing, hiking, kayaking, hunting, camping, or simply escaping crowded city life, this region delivers.

Highlights include:

• Extremely affordable cost of living and housing
• Scenic Ozark landscapes with rivers, lakes, and outdoor recreation nearby
• Strong regional medical presence and community appreciation for physicians
• A slower pace of life that supports physician wellness and work-life balance

For physicians seeking meaningful work without sacrificing quality of life, West Plains offers something increasingly hard to find in medicine today: room to breathe.

Why VA?

Serving Veterans is unlike any other mission in healthcare. At VA, you have the privilege of caring for men and women who have served this country, many of whom carry stories, sacrifices, and experiences that profoundly shape the care relationship. Physicians at VA often describe the work as deeply meaningful because it allows them to practice patient-centered medicine with purpose, continuity, and impact. You are not driven by RVUs alone. You are part of a mission larger than yourself.

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

Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Learn more.
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
Contract Buy Out Program: This position may be eligible for the Physician / Provider Contract Buy Out Program (CBOP), which authorizes VHA to buy out service contracts (Locum agreements, loan repayments, sign-on bonus contracts, Physician-owned practices) in exchange for employment at certain rural or highly rural facilities for a period of obligated service (minimum 4 years).

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 Director of Primary Care shall oversee all physician and Advanced Practice Nurse Practitioner practice within the JJPVAMC and surrounding CBOC locations in Primary Care Service. This includes supervising the day-to-day operations of the providers assigned, serving as the oversight and lead for all primary care performance metrics and requirements, managing primary care policies, processes and protocols, etc. The incumbent shall participate in activities designated to meet all relevant requirements, including those of TJC and other accredited agencies. Incumbent is expected to practice in his/her discipline at least 50% of the time to maintain clinical proficiency. Incumbent will be a key member of the clinical leadership team and reports directly to the Service Chief - Primary Care at JJPVAMC.

Incumbent will also serve as the Physician Champion and User Role Assignment Coordinator (URAC) for EHRM (Cerner) roll out for the JJPVAMC. The successful candidate should possess excellent leadership skills, be knowledgeable and proficient with the principles of system redesign, including implementation and promotion of outpatient clinic access and hospital flow as well as well versed in electronic health records systems

• Minimum of 3-5 years of experience in Primary Care.
• Previous leadership training or demonstrated leadership experience is highly preferred.

Work Schedule: Monday- Friday 0800-1630

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:

• 3-5 years of experience practicing in a primary care setting required.
• Candidates with previous leadership training and/or leadership experience are strongly encouraged to apply.

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

Physical Requirements: This position requires a pre-employment physical. Requires lifting 15-44 pounds; pushing (approx. 2 hours); reaching above shoulder; use of fingers and both hands; walking and standing from 3-5 hours and kneeling. Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously. Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4. Far visions correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other. Must have depth perception and ability to distinguish basic colors and shades of colors. Hearing aid is 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.