Physician - Primary Care (PACT SCI)

Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs; Columbia (SC); On-site; USD 210,000 - 275,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP

Sign-on Bonus

Competitive salary and benefits

Job summary

The Veterans Health Administration within the Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking qualified physicians to provide primary care and SCI/D specialty services in a VA facility. This position participates in the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) with loan repayment eligibility and a competitive benefits package.

Primary duties include care within the PACT framework and coordination with SCI/D services at the spoke/facility level.

Qualifications

• Must meet basic requirements including U.S. citizenship, medical degree, and a current full and unrestricted medical license.
• Completion of residency in an approved core specialty with board eligibility or certification.
• Experience or eligibility for VA academic training programs with scope of practice supervised.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.

Responsibilities

• Provide primary care for veterans within the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) model (~60% of clinical time).
• Deliver specialized SCI/D care and coordinate with SCI/D Center and national program offices.
• Collaborate with informatics and clinical teams to modernize documentation and care delivery.
• Participate in performance improvement activities and ensure safe transitions for Veterans with SCI.

Job description

Summary

This position is eligible for Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) - 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.

Qualifications

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
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: Eligible applicants must be physically and mentally able to perform efficiently the essential functions of the position - with or without reasonable accommodation - without hazard to themselves or others
• Depending on the essential duties of a specific position - usable vision - color vision - hearing or speech may be required
• however - in most cases - a specific physical condition or impairment of a specific function may be compensated for by the satisfactory use of a prosthesis or mechanical aid.

Duties

• VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package
• VHA Physician Total Rewards
• Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): May be authorized to a highly qualified candidate
• Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Authorized Learn more
• EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
• Contact [e-mail] - 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 The Spinal Cord Injury Department (SCI/D) primary care provider has advanced training and knowledge
• The primary care provider is a dedicated primary care clinician with training in SCI/D medicine to provide primary care and consultative services throughout the facility for eligible Veterans with SCI
• Major Duties and Responsibilities include - but are not limited to: Provide primary care for veterans within the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) model (~60% of clinical time) - focusing on chronic disease management - wellness - disease prevention - and coordination with the PACT (e.g. - nurses - social workers - clerks) 12
• Provide specialized SCI care (~40% of clinical time) focusing on spinal cord injury/disorder needs Utilizing the SCI/D Registry - to enable effective and efficient identification of - communication with - and intervention for Veterans with SCI
• Collaborating with the SCI/D Center MIO Coordinator and Chief - SCI/D Center with guidance from the SCI/D National Program Office - to modernize the SCI/D Registry and Outcomes program as it pertains to identifying - tracking - and coordinating care for Veterans with SCI who choose to receive care at the SCI/D Spoke facility
• Utilizing the SCI/D Registry and all other tools - to enable effective and efficient identification of - communication with - and intervention for individual Veterans with SCI
• Ensuring appropriate evaluation of - and access for - qualifying Veterans with SCI to VA resources and services
• Participating in team performance improvement and sustainment activities to optimize team efficiency and care delivery to Veterans with SCI
• Managing communications and facilitating safe transitions of Veterans with SCI between the SCI/D Spoke PACT - the SCI/D Center and other health care settings
• Providing health education and health coaching on wellness - disease prevention - chronic care management - and self-management skills to Veterans with SCI - commensurate with the documented expertise or professional training of the SCI/D Spoke PACT member
• Engaging Veterans with SCI in identifying and understanding their goals - using health care resources in a proactive manner - encouraging Veterans to engage in preventive care and early identification of complications from SCI/D
• Communicating with all team members - including the Veteran - in a respectful - effective - efficient - and bidirectional manner to convey significant - clinically relevant information
• Collaborating with informatics technology staff (for example - modernizing documentation procedures - clinic names/stop codes - and encounter information) to develop and implement systematized - electronically supported - standardized tools to support SCI/D Spoke PACT care delivery processes (for example - pre-visit reminder calls - post-hospitalization follow-up calls - recall scheduling procedures - new patient orientation - and SCI/D Registry and primary care protocols for chronic disease management)
• Collaborating with the SCI/D Center and the SCI/D National Program Office to identify Veterans and refer those Veterans to the SCI/D Center that require specialty care - annual evaluations - surgery - and other interventions that require complex - SCI/D interdisciplinary care
• Reaching out to Veterans that have known SCI who have not been seen or were lost to follow-up in the SCI/D System of Care
• Being available during scheduled clinic hours and throughout the week for unscheduled visits of Veterans with SCI
• Receiving initial training at the designated SCI/D Center and ongoing SCI/D hub and Spokes annual training
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 8:00am to 4:30pm
• Subject to change based on the needs of the facility