Physician (Chief of Rheumatology)

The Section of Rheumatology at the Salisbury VA Medical Center in Salisbury, NC is seeking a physician leader with training and expertise in adult Rheumatology to oversee operations at its three sites of care (Salisbury, Charlotte and Kernersville). The Salisbury VAMC is a complexity 1a facility. The medicine specialty program consists of a broad array of services with over 100 specialists and consistently ranked in the top 10 by volume of encounters in the VHA.

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

Why join SVA HCS

• Scale & impact: Medicine specialties at SVA HCS comprise 100+ specialists and consistently rank top 10 in the VHA by encounter volume.
• Comprehensive Rheumatology services: Robust inpatient and outpatient consult services and diagnostics-including ambulatory bedside ultrasonography, infusion services and more-supported by dedicated staff and operational space at all three sites.
• Academic environment: Affiliation with Wake Forest University School of Medicine with faculty appointment and flexible protected time for education and research.
• Team strength: Lead a team totaling ~3 FTE, with regular rotations of fellows, residents and medical students.
• Primary practice and leadership responsibilities are distributed across Salisbury, Charlotte, and Kernersville VA locations, with established staff, space, and diagnostic capabilities at each site.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

Administrative:

• Strengthens and facilitates communication among members of the Rheumatology Section and with other Medicine Service supervisors.
• Reviews and monitors the clinical privileges of Rheumatology staff in consultation with the provider.
• Recommends disciplinary action for professional staff conduct detrimental to the service and veteran.
• Provide leadership and oversight of provider coding practices for billing purposes.
• Establishes and manages a quality assurance/improvement plan for the Rheumatology section in coordination with quality management.
• Monitors and approves all leaves of absence for Rheumatology staff members.

Clinical:

• Clinically and administratively directs and supervises the clinical Rheumatology staff.
• Responsible for ensuring that high-quality medical care is consistently provided in the Rheumatology outpatient clinics and inpatient consults.
• Responsible for developing, monitoring, and enforcing clinical practice standards, policies and procedures for Rheumatology providers.
• Maintains clinical privileges in the areas of his/her expertise and in all areas required to carry out the duties of his/her assignments/responsibilities within Medicine Services.
• Demonstrate sound decision-making skills, both clinical and administrative, which bring credit to the profession and serve to enhance the distinctive and contributory role of physicians.

Academic: (Applies only to physicians with Wake Forest faculty appointments.)

• Participates in the formal education of the residents, fellows and medical students by presenting teaching rounds, lectures, conferences, etc.
• Participates in grading sessions for medical students and GME trainees assigned to their services.
• Demonstrates and trains medical students/resident, fellows in medical procedures that are required to provide optimal patient care appropriate to their expertise.
• Assists in the development and implementation of education and training programs for medical students and fellows and residents, rotating through Medicine Service and accountable Clinical Services.

Research:

• Supports the medical Center-wide research mission. b. Assists in conducting studies regarding treatment modalities, outcomes and other aspects of patient care when appropriate.
• If involved in an ongoing research project, abides by all VA regulations governing research protocols/policies and/or procedures.
• Encourages participation in clinical research among other staff members.

Additional Duties:

• Provide strategic leadership and operational oversight for Rheumatology services across Salisbury, Charlotte, and Kernersville.
• Deliver and supervise complex inpatient and outpatient care, consults, and procedural services.
• Ensure high-quality, outcome-focused care through process improvement initiatives, data-driven practice, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Advance education and scholarship as a clinician-educator-research leader; supervise trainees; foster research and quality improvement projects aligned with section goals.

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be authorized for highly qualified candidates
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: Monday-Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm

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: Successful candidates will receive a faculty appointment at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, commensurate with experience and scholarly accomplishments. Flexible protected time supports educational and research activities within the clinician-educator-research track.
Preferred Experience:

• MD/DO with fellowship training Rheumatology.
• Board certification (ABIM) preferred; board eligibility considered.
• Active, unrestricted medical license in the U.S.
• Proven leadership experience in multi-site or complex health systems.
• Commitment to education, outcomes, and continuous improvement.
• Sleep Medicine training/certification desirable but not required.

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

Physical Requirements: See VA Handbook and Directive 5019

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.