Staff Physician- Rheumatologist

This position is in the Rheumatology Department within the Medical Service and practices at the independent clinical level of practice. The Physician has specialized knowledge of practice related to assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of a variety of Rheumatology conditions. Rheumatology is the discipline whose providers treat diseases that affect your joints, muscles, and bones, including those known as autoimmune conditions, connective tissue disease or inflammatory (rheumatic) diseases.

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

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

Major duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Directs patient care in the inpatient and outpatient settings.
• Diagnosis and treatment of diseases of adult patients presenting with illnesses related to Rheumatologic conditions.
• Provides evaluation and ongoing care management for patients with a wide variety of Rheumatologic conditions using various modalities of care (e.g. VA Video Connect, Telephone, E-consult).
  • Inpatient Rheumatology consults and follow-up for our patients in the Community Living Center (CLC) and Center for Rehabilitation and Extended Care (CREC)
  • Outpatient Rheumatology consults and follow-up
• Performance of Rheumatology procedures.
• Ordering of diagnostic imaging studies and labs.
• Participating actively in performance improvement and attending assigned meetings or process action teams.
• Management of patients requiring biologics and IV bisphosphonates.
• Active participation in the clinical quality improvement initiatives.
• Active participation in the teaching and academic mission of the VA, including teaching residents, students and fellow.
• Reviews no-shows, contacting patients for abnormal lab tests, review of requests for refills.
• Required to train fellows, as well as precepting resident, medical students, and other trainees in the field of Rheumatology.
• Required to support an academic environment oriented to fellows and medicine residents with an emphasis on education and research.
• Selectee should be highly customer-service focused, an active role model, innovative thinking, and have clinical excellence with exceptional interpersonal, teaching and communication skills.
• Board certification/board eligible in Rheumatology is required

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00AM-4:30PM
-Subject to change based on the needs of the service

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) leading to eligibility for board certification, OR
  • (2) Those approved by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) leading to eligibility for board certification, OR
  • (3) 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
  • (4) Non-US residency training programs followed by a minimum of three years of 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 experience.
  • 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 Requirements: Must be Board Certified/Board Eligible in Rheumatology

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

Physical Requirements: This position requires: light to moderate lifting (15 - 44 lbs.); light carrying (15 lbs. and under); reaching above shoulder; use of fingers; both hands required; walking (up to 2 hours); standing (up to 2 hours); kneeling (up to 1 hour); ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; near vision correctable at 13" to 16"; far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other; depth perception; ability to distinguish basic colors; ability to distinguish shades of colors; hearing (aid permitted); emotional stability; mental stability; working closely with others; and working alone.

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.