Physician (Lead Hospitalist)

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Albuquerque (NM); On-site; USD 270,000 - 285,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Federal pension

CME reimbursement

Tail coverage

Job summary

The New Mexico VA Healthcare System is seeking a Lead Hospitalist Physician (Assistant Hospital Medicine Section Chief) to oversee hospital medicine duties within an academic environment. The primary role is to serve as acting Section Chief when the chief is unavailable and to lead the hospitalist team across daily operations.

Responsibilities include running daily huddles, coordinating schedules for multiple services, and acting as liaison with medicine department leadership.

Qualifications

• MD/DO degree from LCME- or COCA-accredited school.
• Full, unrestricted license from any US state or territory.
• Board certification in hospital medicine or eligible (full-time requirement).

Responsibilities

• Act as acting section chief when the section chief is unavailable.
• Run daily section huddles and attend weekly section chief meetings.
• Create and adjust schedules for four academic services and multiple teams.
• Coordinate with medicine department leadership and residency requirements.
• Support mentorship and professional development within the section.

Skills

Leadership

Hospital medicine

Team management

Mentorship

Education

MD or DO

Job description

• Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

The New Mexico VA Healthcare System is seeking a Lead Hospitalist Physician (Assistant Hospital Medicine Section Chief) to join a dynamic internal medicine hospitalist team within an academic environment. The primary responsibility of the Assistant Section Chief is to serve as the acting Section Chief during periods when the Section Chief is unavailable or unable to fulfill their duties.

Key Responsibilities

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 Lead Hospitalist responsibilities include but are not limited to: Primary responsibility of the assistant section chief is to act as the acting section chief while the section chief is unavailable or unable to perform their functions Assisting and/or standing in for the section chief in the following duties: Running daily section huddles, attending daily section chief huddle, and reporting section status.

Attending the weekly section chief meeting, conducting the weekly section business/educational meeting, and being the conduit to and from the hospitalist team and the medicine department leadership. Creating and adjusting the schedule (four academic services, 2 non-teach team, triage attending, and a backup provider 52 weeks per year, and adjust to emergencies as needed) including managing leave and CLC cross coverage schedule.

Responding to and managing issues as they arise including but not limited to staffing needs, census problems, various systems issues including using paper orders when CPRS is down, and being available for guidance to the staff when complex concerns occur. Stand in for the section chief with regular UNM division meetings and requirements such as annual faculty self-assessments and promotion nominations.

Responding to PUMA inquiries, coding inquiries, JSPRs, and PATS-R cases as they arise. Assist during meetings and on projects to keep continuity and hospitalist presence on dozens of matters. Stand in for the section chief with UNM internal medicine residency matters including monitoring for adherence to ACGME rules and regulations. Creating and maintaining a collaborative, supportive, and positive work environment. Organizing Spring and Fall section/division retreats.

Assist in development of more mentorship roles within the section to encourage more consistent and supportive professional and development of the team. Develop projects and passions of their own that lead to improvements in workplace functions such as educational developments, administrative improvements, patient care improvement projects. Work Schedule: Days and hours to be determined in consultation with the hiring manager.

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 $270000 – $285000/yr.

What is the application deadline?

Applications close on 2026-11-13.

Who is eligible to apply?

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