Physician - Chief of Endocrinology

The Iowa City Veterans Affairs Health Care System (ICVAHCS) is seeking a Part-Time, Physician - Chief of Endocrinology to join the Specialty Care Service Line at the VAMC in Iowa City, Iowa.

The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.

Duties include but are not limited to:

• The Section Chief will supervise all operational aspects of the Endocrinology Section, including establishment of the highest clinical care standards, continued growth of the research operation, and the provision of high-quality education to health profession learners.
• The Endocrinology Chief will have primary responsibility for supervising other Endocrinology Providers in the Section, and to ensure that they are performing to the highest standards of clinical, research, and educational excellence with the highest degrees of professionalism.
• The Section Chief will be the clinical director of all inpatient consultation services, outpatient clinics and procedural units.
• Ensures Endocrinology care is delivered in accordance with hospital policy, meeting or exceeding community standards and VHA national benchmarks.
• Assures that care of patients in both outpatient and inpatient settings is smooth, patient-centric, and safe. This includes but is not limited to, collaboration and good communication with the Emergency Department, Subspecialty Sections, and Clinics admitting patients to the hospital.
• Oversees the development and implementation of systems redesigns projects, quality improvements, and assurance programs of the Endocrinology Section.
• Champions initiatives designed to improve overall quality using evidence based medicine and peer review.
• Participates in clinical review process such as tort claims, peer reviews,
  management reviews and administrative activities, as directed by the Chief of
  Medical Service.
• The Endocrinology Section Chief fosters a culture of transparency, communication, collegiality and patient centered interdisciplinary teamwork.
• She/he will use astute business acumen to optimally utilize resources and adapt to changes, exercising leadership and flexibility.
• The Chief of Endocrinology Section is expected to maintain current medical knowledge and technical skills and provide both leadership and documentation that all Endocrinology Providers within the Section are competent with respect to current privileging. He/she is expected to maintain excellent diagnostic, judgmental, and therapeutic acumen in the care of veterans receiving Endocrinology interventions.
• Performs clinical duties including but not limited to full general endocrinological evaluations/examinations on established or newly consulted patients in the Endocrinology clinics, inpatient wards or Emergency Department.
• Other clinical responsibilities will include expanded use of non-traditional care such as (CVT), electronic consultation (e-consult) to improve access to Endocrinology care.
• The Section Chief is encouraged to maintain research funding for their own program and support the growth of the research operation in their section. This may include bench research, clinical and translational research, or health services research.
• The Section Chief will work collaboratively with the affiliate, the Division of Endocrinology at the University of Iowa, to ensure the implementation of outstanding educational curriculum in Endocrinological 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 annual paid time offer 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
Malpractice: Free liability protection with tail coverage provided
Contract: No Physician Employment Contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting
Work Schedule: Monday through Friday 8:00am-4:30pm. Alternative work hours, if desired, should be agreed upon at the time of hire.

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: One or more years as a section chief of physician/nurse practitioner/physician assistant supervisory experience; familiarity with electronic records systems.

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

Physical Requirements: Physical activity includes sitting, standing (up to 2 hours), walking (up to 2 hours), heavy lifting (45 pounds or over), reaching above the shoulder, and repeated bending. Incumbent should be emotionally and mentally stable, and capable to perform the duties of the position. You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination. 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.