Physician (Chief of Surgery)

Duties may include but are not limited to:

The responsibilities include hands on clinical work, oversight, and administration of all aspects of health care delivery for the Surgery Service.

• Assume the responsibility for the overall clinical management of the Surgery Service. This includes the organization of the administrative day-to day activities of the Operative Care Line as well as all associated clinical departments.
• Provide leadership and accountability for all aspects of the Operative Care Line operations, assuring support of the mission and values of the VHA, VISN 9, and the Lexington VA HCS.
• Assume responsibility for carrying out the goals, objectives, and plans and policies established by the Medical Center Director (MCD) and the Executive Leadership Team.
• Ensure the service functions as an integrated care delivery system, providing a full continuum of patient-focused care for Veterans.
• Utilize data about providers and available resources, to formulate strategic short term and long-range plans and goals for clinical operations, and to address deficiencies.
• Plan, implement, and manage the Performance Improvement/QM programs within the Lexington VA HCS clinical operations.
• Formulate and implement general policies, procedures, standards, and goals and objectives for the Operative Care Line that are consistent with, and supportive of, the mission of the Operative Care Line and the Lexington VA HCS.
• Oversees and responds to issues, concerns, and deficiencies in clinical outcomes, surgical standards of care, and coordination of surgical care within the Lexington VA HCS.
• Assess, consult, and treat patients requiring opinion or intervention, in the outpatient and inpatient settings. The Associate Chief of Staff, Operative Care Line is responsible for diagnosis, management, and follow-up of patients in both settings, as appropriate for care of those patients. In some instances, the Associate Chief of Staff, Operative Care Line will assess, diagnose, and make recommendations to primary care or other specialty services regarding management and follow-up of the patient. It is the responsibility of the specialty practitioner to review and implement recommendations based on the primary care or specialty provider's clinical judgment.
• Interpretation of the testing and other specialty imaging to establish diagnosis and assist in management of medical conditions.
• The Associate Chief of Staff, Operative Care Line will keep abreast of the recent advances in medical techniques and technological innovations as they become available. He/she will apply these techniques and innovations within the framework of the Veterans
  Administration's guidelines, directives, goals, and mission.
• Provide quality clinical care and services about customer satisfaction, compliance with Joint Commission regulations and other relevant accrediting agencies as indicated and ensure efficiency of service delivery.

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

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm

• 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.
• 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.