Physician - Assistant Chief of Medicine

The Assistant Chief of Medicine (ACoM) will provide leadership and direction for the Medical Service staff and its programs, to include care in the acute inpatient units and Emergency Department at the Salem VA Medical Center. The incumbent must possess clinical knowledge that provides the ability to manage these programs and provide direct supervision to clinical providers, including physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. This position is located in Salem, Virginia.

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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:

• The incumbent must possess clinical knowledge that provides the ability to manage these programs and provide direct supervision to clinical providers, including physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants, specifically with regard to efficient delivery of services, quality of service, and customer satisfaction.
• The incumbent will be responsible for day-to-day clinical operations regarding bed flow, thus ensuring smooth, safe transitions from the Emergency Department to inpatient units to outpatient care.
• The incumbent is responsible for implementing Veteran Health Administration (VHA) Handbooks, Directives, rules, policies and regulations governing a broad range of clinical and administrative aspects of the Medical Center as they relate to emergency and inpatient care.
• Evaluation of productivity optimization, workload capture, and sustainable staffing models.
• The incumbent will participate as a participant or leader in Medical Center committees as required.
• The ACoM will collaborate closely with Medical Service leadership.
• The incumbent will serve as the Acting Chief of Medicine as needed.
• Facilitates the delivery of appropriate patient care in collaboration with other health professionals, medical center staff, and management.
• Orders and interprets appropriate diagnostic tests for specialty.
• Discusses treatment plan(s) with patients and or family/caregivers (following COBRA and HIPAA guidelines).
• Completes all medical record documentation in CPRS within prescribed timeframes.
• Utilizes problem solving methodologies to resolve problems that impact patient care or staff performance.
• Demonstrates and trains medical students and residents in relevant medical procedures that are required to provide optimal patient care appropriate.
• Assists in conducting studies regarding treatment modalities, outcomes, and other aspects of patient care when appropriate.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:45am-4:30pm

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: Must complete and maintain both BLS and ACLS certification, which satisfy VHA requirements. May be obtained after hire.

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

Physical Requirements: The physical requirements for this position may include the following tasks which may be performed intermittently: moderate lifting (15-44 lbs.); moderate carrying (15-44 lbs.); Reaching above shoulders; use of fingers; walking (up to 6 hours); Standing (up to 2 hours); Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" ; far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and 20/40 in the other; hearing aid 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.