Physician (Cardiology)

The Lt. Col. Luke Weathers, Jr., VAMC in Memphis, TN is recruiting for Cardiology position to serve as a full-time Specialty Care physician. The position is accountable to the Chief of Specialty Care, for assuring the most effective delivery of state-of-the-art care by meeting or exceeding compliance standards. The position will include an affiliate faculty appointment at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN commensurate with qualifications.

General duties include, but are not limited to:

• Clinical practice, supervising and teaching Cardiology fellows, residents and medical students.
• Responsible for providing consultation on various forms of cardiovascular disease states, both for diagnosis and treatment in the inpatient and outpatient settings.
• Expected to share attending call responsibilities with the other cardiologists in covering some night, weekend and holiday calls as needed.
• Round with the team of residents and fellows on such occasions and perform emergency procedures on patients in the Intensive Care Unit or when required the Emergency Department or Operating Room.
• Required to give didactic lectures to Cardiology fellows and also participate in academic activities such as journal review, Grand rounds, conferences and lectures.
• Responsible for recognizing patients appropriate for referral or consultation with the collaborating physician. Consultations with collaborating physicians may occur through personal, telephone, or electronic media contact.
• A physician co-signature will be required for the admission history, physical examination and admission plan for new patients as well as daily plan care/progress note for established patients. Discharge notes and discharge summaries will be electronically co-signed.
• Provide comprehensive patient care in the form of noninvasive, consultative, and inpatient/outpatient cardiology care. Moderate Sedation Privileges and certification required. Fluoroscopy privileges not required. Central venous line insertion and management. Intra-arterial lines insertion and management. Interpret EKGs. Interpret holter monitors. Cardioversion, Stress test interpretation, tilt testing, non-invasive ICD stimulation, pacer and ICD evaluation and programming as needed.
• Clinical activities may include, but are not limited to, clinical assessment and evaluation - Inpatients and Outpatients. Health care management of assigned veteran patients with acute and chronic illnesses. Ordering and interpreting laboratory and diagnostic studies. Consultation and referrals; Inpatients and Outpatients. Patient follow-up, as appropriate. Health promotion and disease prevention. Patient, family, and staff education and counseling. Clinical research. Outpatient Clinics for general and interventional Cardiology Patients. Inpatient Services including CCU and consultative services, rounding with a team of Cardiology fellows, Internal Medicine Residents, Medical students, Pharmacists etc.
• The major responsibility is that of a Non-invasive/preventive Cardiologist (62.5%) with some Cardiology research responsibilities (37.5%). The incumbent in conjunction with other Cardiologists will help build a robust Cardiology practice with focus on Heart failure, Cardio-oncology and Preventive Cardiology.
• Any other duties as assigned.

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

Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): May be eligible for highly qualified applicants.
Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): 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. Learn more.

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 8:00AM - 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.

Preferred Experience:

• Board Eligibility/Certification in Internal Medicine
• Board Eligibility/Certification in Cardiovascular Diseases
• Board Eligibility/Certification in Echocardiography
• Board Eligibility/Certification in Nuclear Cardiology

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

Physical Requirements: See 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.