Physician - Associate Chief of Staff (ACOS) / Designated Education Officer (DEO)

The position is in the Education Service under the Associate Chief of Staff for Education (ACOS-E) at the Cincinnati VA Medical Center. The incumbent's primary purpose is to have direct oversight and management of the Trainee and Affiliate Education program's daily operations at all facets, from onboarding to out boarding of the trainees, coordination with the care/services lines, assigning tasks and establishing workflow for the frontline administration team, and management.

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards.

Functions (Major Duties) not limited to:

Enables Learning - The ACOS/E will serve a critical role in executing the educational mission of the medical center which hosts a very large and complex health professions trainee program.

• Evaluation of the Clinical Learning Environment
• Academic Affiliations
• Educational Policy and Compliance
• Health Professions Trainee On-Boarding Procedures

Aligns Resources - The ACOS/E serves an important role in supporting the ACOS/E in fiscal oversight of local facility Education funds and ensuring the proper allocation of educational resources and funded trainee positions.

• Health Professions Trainee On-Boarding Procedures
• Stipend Trainee Positions
• Resource and Allocation Reports
• Education Service Budget
• Infrastructure Support

Drives Results - The ACOS/E provides educational expertise, advice, guidance, and problem-solving to identify and understand trainee needs, problems, and opportunities.

• Patient Safety and HRO Principles
• HPT Recruitment and Hiring Practices
• Trainee Satisfaction Surveys:
• Health Professions Trainee Supervision:
• Processes Reports

Leads Change - As an educational leader for the facility, the ACOS/E will assist the ACOS/E in facilitating continuous process changes and innovation in trainee educational programs.

• Development of new and innovative educational initiatives for HPTs
• Diversity and Inclusion
• Modernization of the HPT Learning Experience
• Professional Development
• Research and Quality Improvement

Practices Medicine - The ACOS/E is expected to spend anywhere from 0-50% time devoted to the practice of medicine. The ACOS/E must qualify to be fully credentialed and privileged in their trained discipline of medicine and must be qualified to supervise Health professions trainees in this discipline.

Provides Facility Leadership - The ACOS/E will fully support the educational mission of the agency and medical center by serving as facility leader and is expected to serve as the acting ACOS/E (DEO) when needed, such as when the ACOS/E is unavailable or on leave.

• Committees and Workgroups
• Program Management
• Strategic Planning

Customer Service: The ACOS/E can integrate customer service, including patient satisfaction and stakeholder support into a management plan. This service chief is a customer-driven executive, who enhances internal and external customer satisfaction. The ACOS/E models customer service by handling complaints effectively and promptly, ensuring a customer-centered focus in direction and daily work. This executive uses customer feedback in planning and providing products and services and encourages subordinates to meet or exceed customer needs and expectations.


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, 7:30a.m. - 4:00p.m.

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: Board Certification required for oversight responsibilities of the position/ACGME program. Progressive VHA Leadership/management experience. Knowledge and understanding of Health Professions Trainee Onboarding processes. 3) Clear grasp and understanding of EHRM (Oracle) workflows, processes and procedures required to orient residents fellows and other trainees in the documentation of Veteran medical care.


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

Physical Requirements: In Accordance With 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.