Physician - PIMS Section Chief

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program, 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.

This is an open continuous announcement. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis and qualified candidates will be considered as vacancies become available. Applications will remain on file until September 30, 2027.

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards.
Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized
Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Learn more.
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact VISN7EDRPFacilityCoordinators2@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

Duties:

• Serves as the primary clinical expert and attending physician for the Pain Management Section, providing direct patient care to Veterans with acute, chronic, and cancer-related pain conditions.
• Performs and supervises a full range of interventional pain procedures, including but not limited to:
  • Epidural steroid injections (cervical, thoracic, lumbar, caudal)
  • Facet joint injections and medial branch blocks
  • Radiofrequency ablation (RFA)
  • Sympathetic nerve blocks (stellate ganglion, celiac plexus, superior hypogastric)
  • Sacroiliac joint injections
  • Trigger point injections and peripheral nerve blocks
  • Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) trials and permanent implantation, including programming and long-term device management
• Maintains proficiency in fluoroscopy and ultrasound-guided procedures and ensures radiation safety compliance.
• Manages complex multimodal pain regimens including appropriate and judicious use of opioid therapy in accordance with VHA Opioid Safety Initiative (OSI) guidelines.
• Spinal Cord Stimulation Program
• Leads and develops the facility's SCS program, including patient selection, pre-procedural evaluation, psychological screening coordination, trial lead placement, and permanent implantation.
• Manages post-implant follow-up, device programming, troubleshooting, and revision procedures.
• Collaborates with neurosurgery, orthopedics, and industry representatives as needed for complex SCS cases.
• Ensures SCS outcomes are tracked and reported in alignment with VHA quality improvement metrics.
• Multidisciplinary Team Management
• Leads and coordinates a multidisciplinary pain management team that may include:
  • Pain medicine physicians and fellows
  • Physician Assistants (PAs)
  • Clinical pharmacists specializing in pain management
  • Psychologists and behavioral health specialists
  • Physical therapists
  • Social workers and case managers
• Facilitates regular multidisciplinary team meetings, case conferences, and treatment planning sessions.
• Establishes team communication protocols, workflows, and performance standards.
• Mentors and supports the professional development of team members.
• Administrative and Program Leadership
• Serves as the administrative Section Chief with direct supervisory responsibility over Pain Management Section staff.
• Develops, implements, and evaluates section policies, procedures, clinical practice guidelines, and quality assurance programs.
• Prepares and manages section budget, resource allocation, equipment procurement, and staffing plans in collaboration with the Chief of Staff and the Physical Integrated Medicine service line leadership.
• Leads strategic planning for section growth, including telehealth pain services, academic affiliations, and research opportunities.
• Participates in facility-level committees, including Pharmacy & Therapeutics, Peer Review, Quality Management, and Executive Leadership committees as assigned.
• Ensures compliance with The Joint Commission (TJC), OSHA, VHA Directives, and all applicable regulatory standards.
• Education and Research
• Provides didactic and clinical teaching to medical students, residents, fellows, and other trainees in affiliated training programs.
• Supports and may lead clinical research initiatives relevant to Veterans' pain management, including SCS outcomes research.
• Disseminates best practices through presentations, publications, and VHA-wide collaboration.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 7:30am - 4:00pm (Subject to change based upon agency needs).

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.

.Additional Requirements

• Board certified in Pain Medicine (ABPM, ABA, or equivalent)
• Minimum 3-5 years of post-fellowship clinical experience in interventional pain management
• Completion of an ACGME-accredited Pain Medicine fellowship

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience performing SCS trials and permanent implantations with documented procedural volume
• Prior supervisory or leadership experience in a multidisciplinary clinical setting
• Familiarity with VHA/VA systems, policies, and the Veteran patient population
• Experience with electronic health records, preferably VistA/CPRS or Oracle Health (Cerner)
• Experience with telehealth pain management services

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

Physical Requirements: The physical demands of this position involve primarily walking, sitting, talking, driving, use of the telephone, etc. Strenuous physical activity is not required although the incumbent is expected to withstand pressure and stress as part of their day-to-day activities. Light lifting, under 15 pounds, Light carrying, under 15 pounds, Hearing (aid permitted).

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.