Physician-(Primary Care)-Section Chief

Duties include, but are not limited to: The Section Chief of Primary Care oversees delivery of primary care services for Veterans within ECHCS and provides direct clinical care. The incumbent interacts with Veterans, families, community agencies, and staff, and supports the overall operation of this complex service, including education, clinical leadership, research, quality improvement, and safe equipment practices. The Section Chief ensures alignment with national, network, and local missions and performance measures, manages resources effectively, fosters a collaborative team environment, oversees orientation and training of clinical staff, and proactively identifies service needs and concerns.

60% ClinicalSection Chief practices in an outpatient clinic setting with ECHCS at the expert level. The Section Chief is academically and clinically prepared to be responsible for managing the full spectrum of primary care. Primary Care at ECHCS includes, but is not limited to, assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring outcome measures of healthcare problems of patients presenting with internal medicine concerns. A nonexclusive list includes the following:

• Perform histories and physicals
• Initiate and adjust therapeutic regimens
• Order diagnostic and therapeutic tests/studies
• Initiate consults to specialty services
• Prescribe medications/supplies in accordance with VA policy and the VA formulary
• Provide appropriate follow-up care
• Triage patients with non-medicine complaints, diseases, and injuries to appropriate discipline for diagnostics and treatment

Administrative: 40%The Section Chief, under the direction of the DACOS, provides leadership and strategic direction for Primary Care. Responsibilities include business planning, program development, and oversight of clinical operations. The Section Chief manages Primary Care staff, supports labor-management relations, ensures quality and productivity standards, and meets the primary care needs of the Veteran population. The role includes conducting and attending staff meetings, supporting educational and research activities, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements, supervising residents, maintaining accurate documentation, and safeguarding patient confidentiality. The Section Chief establishes and upholds standards of clinical competence, monitored through credentialing and privileging processes in accordance with policy. As part of the management team, the Section Chief contributes to local and network-wide mission, vision, and goals, promotes effective problem resolution, and maintains accountability for all professional and administrative activities within their scope of supervision.

• Responsible for strategic direction, business planning, program development, organization, and implementation of Primary Care.
• Management / leadership of all Primary Care staff assigned to his/her section
• Labor and management relations
• Standardization of clinical practice
• Assurance of quality metrics
• Meeting the productivity standards and outcome measures

• 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.

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.

• U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation/examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.