Staff Physician/Orthopedic Section Chief

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.

VA St. Louis Health Care System seeks an accomplished orthopedic surgeon to lead as Section Chief of Orthopedic Surgery. This role combines clinical expertise with administrative leadership and education in a collaborative, mission-driven environment.

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

Recruitment/Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized and may be offered to highly qualified individuals.
Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Learn more.
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact visn15edrp@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance

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 Section Chief serves as a key member of Surgical Service and facility leadership, participating in strategic planning, policy development, and program growth to meet the orthopedic needs of the Veteran population. A key component of this role is the academic partnership with Washington University in St. Louis. The Section Chief must have advanced fellowship training in Reconstruction, Shoulder & Elbow, Sports Medicine, Orthopedic Trauma, or Adult Hip & Knee and be eligible for and maintain a faculty appointment at Washington University.

The Chief of Orthopedic Surgery serves as the senior physician leader responsible for the oversight, coordination, and advancement of orthopedic surgical services within the Surgical Service at the VA St. Louis Health Care System. The Section Chief provides strategic and operational leadership, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, Veteran-centered orthopedic care while fostering a culture of professionalism, safety, and continuous improvement.

• Provide strategic, clinical, and operational leadership for the Orthopedic Surgery Section, ensuring high-quality, Veteran-centered care.

• Provide comprehensive outpatient, inpatient, and operative orthopedic surgical care, including consultations, pre- and post-operative management, and performance of a full range of procedures within subspecialty expertise.

• Maintain an active surgical practice and participate in the general orthopedic call schedule in support of continuous, safe patient care.

• Oversee section operations, including staffing, scheduling, access to care, documentation standards, quality metrics, and compliance with VA and accreditation requirements.

• Supervise and mentor orthopedic surgeons, advanced practice providers, residents, and students, fostering a positive, team-based learning environment.

• Collaborate with Washington University and other partners to support education, quality improvement, research, and program development that enhance Veteran musculoskeletal care.

Work Schedule: Full-Time tour of duty to be negotiated upon selection.

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 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 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), b) OR
  [(2) Those approved by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA),OR
  (3) Other residencies (non-US residency training programs followed by a minimum of five years of verified practice in the United States), 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.
  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 or fee-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.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.

Additional Requirement:

• Must be eligible for faculty appointment with Washington University.

Preferred Experience:

• Board-certified orthopedic surgeon with comprehensive experience and fellowship training in on of the below subspecialties such as Reconstruction, Shoulder & Elbow, Sports Medicine, or Trauma.
• Demonstrated proficiency in advanced surgical techniques and evidence-based practice.

• Strong leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.

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

Physical Requirements: More information can be found in VA 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, or
2. Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation of the American Osteopathic Association for the year in which the degree was granted.
3. For foreign medical graduates not covered in (1) or (2) above, facility officials must verify with the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) that the applicant has met requirements for certification, and must obtain a copy of the ECFMG certificate, if claimed by the applicant. [If the applicant does not claim an ECFMG certificate, facility officials must still confirm that the medical school meets (or met) ECFMG eligibility requirements for the year the candidate 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.