Physician (Rheumatology)

The Section of Rheumatology at the WG Bill Hefner Salisbury, VA HealthCare Center (SVA HCS), in Salisbury, NC is seeking a physician with training and expertise in adult Rheumatology for its three sites of care (Salisbury, Charlotte and Kernersville). The SVA HCS 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

The WG Bill Hefner Salisbury VA Medical Center is seeking a physician to provide comprehensive Rheumatology patient care at the VA Medical Center (VAMC). The physician is accountable to the Chief of Medicine Service assuring the most effective delivery of care. Primary practice and leadership responsibilities are distributed across Salisbury, Charlotte, and Kernersville VA locations, with established staff, space, and diagnostic capabilities at each site. The incumbent physician is expected to interview, examine, select diagnostic testing appropriately, and interpret/collate results (including lab and radiology results) to coordinate patient care.

Duties include but are not limited to the following:

• Communicates and documents with clarity to patients and medical personnel to coordinate patient care.
• Midlevel, medical student, resident, and fellow supervision within the Rheumatology section if applicable.
• Procedural skills may include interpret EKGs, perform arthrocentesis as well as arthrocentesis with therapeutic injection, basic understanding of indications for and use of musculoskeletal ultrasound.
• Consultative input to outpatient and inpatient care. Collaborate with midlevel providers and physician colleagues with clear communication and documentation.

Performs the administrative components of patient care management, such as:

• Participate in the educational programs for the section personnel as well as the medical staff.
• Participate in the educational programs for VA-funded graduate medical education trainees.
• Participate in monitoring the quality, safety, and appropriateness of patient care, both at the Section and facility level.
• Perform miscellaneous activities of the Medical Service inclusive but not limited to special projects that help fulfill and/or enhance the mission of the Department of Veterans Affairs as assigned by the Chief of Medicine, and Chief of Staff.
• Demonstrate ethical conduct and serve as a positive role model to others at all levels of the organization.
• Participate in quality assurance programs and chart reviews.
• Attend Medicine Service monthly staff meetings and COS quarterly meetings as per bylaws.
• Complete medical records in accordance with Bylaws and Rules and Regulations of the Medical Staff
• Participate in Medical Staff committee assignments.
• Perform other duties assigned by the Chief of Medicine, or his Associate.
• Participate in, and attend, CME activities and VA continuing educational activities.
• Participate in scholarship activities if and once clinical, administrative, and educational responsibilities are fulfilled.

Performs Staff Chief Duties such as:

• 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.

Academic appointment:

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.

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

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: MD/DO with fellowship training Rheumatology.

Preferred Experience: Board certification (ABIM) preferred; board eligibility considered, Proven leadership experience in multi-site or complex health systems, Commitment to education, outcomes, and continuous improvement, and Sleep Medicine training/certification.

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

Physical Requirements: Eligible applicants must be physically and mentally able to perform efficiently the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation, without hazard to themselves or others. Depending on the essential duties of a specific position, usable vision, color vision, hearing or speech may be required. however, in most cases, a specific physical condition or impairment of a specific function may be compensated for by the satisfactory use of a prosthesis or mechanical aid. In accordance with VA Directive and Handbook 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.