Chief of Physical Medicine and Rehab

The Augusta VA Medical Center is a healthcare facility operated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, serving military veterans in the Augusta, Georgia area. It provides a wide range of medical services, including primary care, specialty care, mental health services, emergency care, and rehabilitation. The Augusta VA is committed to delivering comprehensive, high-quality healthcare tailored to the needs of veterans. Additionally, it offers outpatient and inpatient services, pharmacy, and wellness programs to support veterans' overall health and well-being.

• Provides guidance to a team of Physiatrists that act as rehabilitation consultants to other clinical staff, including nursing home care providers as well as providing supervision and direction with respect to patients receiving rehabilitation services in the inpatient rehabilitation program as needed.
• Provides oversight of the TBI performance measures and monitors and refers to case management as appropriate.
• Has extensive experience with pain management and is expected to provide guidance in the expansion of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) program, including expertise in CAM and/or procedural pain interventions.
• Provide expert guidance in the performance of procedures such as electromyography, nerve conduction testing, trigger point and joint injections.
• Ensures the most effective delivery of rehabilitative and medical services while meeting or exceeding compliance with Joint Commission, HIPPA, PHI and VA Central Office performance measure standards. Is expected to follow each patient through the full continuum of care to include admission, discharge, performing histories and physicals, requesting/assisting in the coordination of rehab diagnostic and treatment modalities specific to each patient's needs.
• Provides education and counseling of patients and family as appropriate. Required to transfer and receive external Veteran patients from other facilities as appropriate.
• Required to attend staff meetings, complete all required Talent Management System (TMS), must complete all medical documentation in a timely manner as directed by the Veterans Health Administration and local policies. Must adhere to and follow all VA policies, procedures and guidelines to ensure patient safety and ensure high quality of care is provided to Veterans.

• 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.

• At least two years' experience as a service chief overseeing a medical staff.
• At least two years' experience as an attending physician.
• You must possess current Board Certification in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and demonstrate extensive leadership and administrative experience in managing a physical medicine service, including supervision of clinical staff, program development, and resource management.
• Proven experience leading multidisciplinary teams in the development and implementation of innovative clinical rehabilitation initiatives or research that result in measurable improvements in patient outcomes, increased efficiency of care delivery, or expanded access to rehabilitation services. Strong preference will be given to candidates providing specific examples of these achievements in their application package.
• Applicants who do not meet this selective placement factor are ineligible for further consideration.

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.