Physician (Urology 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..

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Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Learn more.
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@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 Urology Section Chief provides leadership, oversight, and supervision for all Urology services at the VA Caribbean Healthcare System (VACHS), a Level 1 High Complexity facility. The incumbent ensures high-quality, patient-centered urologic care; fosters interdisciplinary collaboration; oversees program development; manages clinical and administrative operations; and ensures compliance with VA, VISN 8, and regulatory standards.
The incumbent will be responsible for the following:

• Directs, plans, develops, and evaluates Urology Section programs, ensuring alignment with VISN and VHA objectives.
• Maintains full responsibility for credentialing and privileging of all Urology staff, including compliance with OPPE and FPPE requirements.
• Supervises all personnel within the Urology Section, including physicians, nurses, advanced practice providers, coordinators, and administrative staff.
• Ensures staff competency, training, and adherence to VA and OSHA safety standards.
• Manages workforce planning, FTEE allocation, performance evaluations, disciplinary actions, and recruitment in coordination with Human Resources
• Serves as liaison to VISN 8 and VHA Central Office on Urology-related issues, reporting requirements, and program initiatives.
• Participates in facility, VISN, and national committees or workgroups as assigned.
• Oversees quality improvement processes, including morbidity and mortality reviews, peer review activities, and performance improvement initiatives.
• Performs evaluation, diagnosis, and management of urologic conditions for Veterans.
• Provides operative and non-operative care within granted clinical privileges.
• Participates in on-call responsibilities and provides consultations to inpatient, outpatient, and emergency services.
• Ensures appropriate documentation and adherence to evidence-based clinical standards.
• Collaborates with multidisciplinary teams to coordinate complex care plans.

Work Schedule: Monday to Friday 7:00am - 3:30pm

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 Urology 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.
    • Board Certification-Board certifi cation is required if the position being fi lled is required to: (1)supervise medical students or physician residents (including fellows); (2) have faculty status with anaffi liated medical school (for example, in joint recruitments with affi liated medical schools); and/or(3) to be board certifi ed by virtue of specifi c VHA policy (for example, as director of a cardiaccatheterization laboratory or Director of Clinical Laboratory Medicine).
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• Selective Placement Factor (SPF) for locations in Puerto Rico-
  This position includes a skill,knowledge, ability or other worker characteristic basic to -and essential for- satisfactoryperformance of the job. Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment andrepresent minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible forfurther consideration. Evidence of the Selective Placement Factor must be refl ected in your resume.
  The SPF for this position is: In addition to the English Language Profi ciency, you must also beprofi cient in basic written and spoken Spanish in order to perform the duties of this position.

Preferred Experience:

• More than five years of clinical experience as a practicing Urologist.
• Demostrated experience in personnel management and oversight of clinic operation, including related administrative responsibilities.
• Experience leading service activities and managing key administrative responsiblities withing the department.

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

Physical Requirements: This position requires visual acuity, keen hearing, clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. Potentially long periods of continued walking, standing, stooping, sitting, bending, pulling, and pushing. Transferring patients and objects may be required. May be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations or operative/invasive procedures. May occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. Must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations and able to shift priorities based on patient needs. Must complete annual Employee Health requirements, such as annual TB screening or testing, as a condition of employment. Must be physically, emotionally and mentally competent and able to perform efficiently the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation, without hazard to yourself or others.

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.