Physician - Hospitalist Section Chief

Veterans Health Administration; Wilmington (DE); On-site; USD 250,000 - 315,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Annual performance bonus

Paid time off: 50-55 days/year

Federal pension and 401K

Job summary

Veterans Health Administration (Department of Veterans Affairs) seeks a Hospitalist Section Chief to lead inpatient care delivery within the Medicine Service. The role emphasizes clinical excellence, leadership, and adherence to VHA guidelines in the Med-Surg wards and ICU.

The ideal candidate has an MD or equivalent, board certification, and strong interpersonal skills to coordinate care with patients, families, and the health care team.

Qualifications

• MD or equivalent in allopathic or osteopathic medicine.
• Board certification in Hospital Medicine or internal medicine preferred.
• Active or eligible medical license in the United States.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert inpatient medical care in Med-Surg and ICU settings.
• Lead the Hospitalist Section and manage schedules, resources, and quality improvement initiatives.
• Coordinate and communicate treatment plans with inpatient and outpatient teams; ensure timely documentation.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Communication skills

Leadership

Education

MD degree from LCME-accredited medical school

Job description

• Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

The Hospitalist, Section Chief, is accountable to the Chief of the Medicine Service, for assuring the most effective delivery of inpatient medical care in while meeting and exceeding compliance standards. The Hospitalist Physician will provide expert treatment to patients in inpatient settings, including, but not limited to, patients on the Med-Surg wards and Intensive Care Unit.

Key Responsibilities

In this role, the incumbent will also provide feedback and patient education to the patients and their families and will demonstrate excellence in all facets of patient care that meets or exceeds compliance standards. The incumbent will provide evaluations for other services, including the CLC (long-term care unit), and the emergency department (ED), and perform administrative functions and other tasks as assigned by the Chief of the Medicine Service.

The incumbent is expected to provide patient care that is compassionate, appropriate, and effective for the promotion of health and treatment of critical illnesses. The ideal candidate should possess strong interpersonal and communication skills that enable them to establish and maintain professional relationships with patients, families, and other members of the health care team.

The incumbent is expected to adhere to stated policies and provide timely documentation of clinical notes (e.g., admission H&Ps, daily progress notes and discharge summaries). In addition, the incumbent is expected to coordinate and communicate the treatment plan with other inpatient and outpatient health care providers involved in the care of the patients.

Administrative Duties (20%): The incumbent will ensure operations and compliance with Veterans Health Administration guidelines for Hospitalist Section of Medical Service. The incumbent will provide leadership as the Section Chief of the Hospitalist Section.

This will include, but not be limited to, managing the schedules of employees within the hospital section; ensuring consistent, up to date, call schedule coverage and posting; the holding of at least monthly section meetings; allocation of resources to ensure adequate coverage/availability of clinical programs; and direction and development of quality improvement (QI) processes and projects.

Attend weekly and monthly staff meetings as required; work directly with the facility leadership team on evaluations and training requirements for assigned staff. Clinical Duties (80%): The incumbent is expected to remain privileged in Internal /Hospitalist Medicine. The exact Professional privileges and Standards procedures for a particular physician will be approved by the Professional Standard's Board.

The incumbent is responsible for conducting and performing daily patient care rounding while supervising medical staff duties. Reviewing EMR and determining care plans for hospitalized patients, transferring patients, and discharging patients. Running RRTs and Code Blues. Collaborates directly with other sections of the hospital on patient care. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards.

Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized.( Approved for highly qualified candidates). Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Authorized.

• 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 to 4:30pm.

Requirements & Education

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: Schools of medicine accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for the year in which the degree was granted.

Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) for the year in which the degree was granted. 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.

Which agency is hiring for this position?

This position is with Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs.

What is the salary for this position?

The posted pay range is $250000 – $315000/yr.

What is the application deadline?

Applications close on 2026-10-26.

Who is eligible to apply?

This position is open under the 'Fed Internal Search' hiring path.