This position is eligible for the 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. 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 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 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), b) OR [(2) Those approved by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA),OR (3) Other residencies (non-US residency training programs followed by a minimum of five years of verified practice in the United States), 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. 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 or fee-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. Proficiency in spoken and written English. Additional Requirement: Board certification in Physical, Medicine & Rehabilitation Board certification in Pain Medicine Preferred Experience: Completion of an accredited Pain fellowship. Experience in the evaluation and management of complex Pain conditions, including advanced interventional pain management procedures and ideally neuromodulation, as well as related VHA Opioid Pain Management Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: This position requires visual acuity, keen hearing, clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. This position requires potentially long periods of continued walking, standing, stooping, sitting, bending, pulling, and pushing. Transferring patients and objects may be required. The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations or operative/invasive procedures. The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on patient needs. Must complete annual Employee Health requirements, such as annual TB screening or testing, as a condition of employment. ["VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. Work Schedule: Monday to Friday; 7:30am to 4:00pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Learn more. EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact V21CCOEEDRP@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 This position reports directly to the Assistant Chief of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) at the VA Northern California Healthcare System. The Pain Section Chief, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service (PM&R), is responsible for the administrative supervision, management, and direction of the PM&R Pain programs, including the Interventional Pain and Chronic Pain programs. The principal duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Administration: Leadership responsibilities: Organizing Pain section staff meetings, communication both down to staff, across to other Section Chiefs, and up to PM&R Leadership, as well as crafting congressional responses, heads up and issue briefs, when requested to do so by VHA PM&R Leadership. HR Management: Recruitment; updates on Functional Statements and Position Descriptions; physician salary management and pay panel documentation; and Focused and Ongoing Professional Practice Evaluation (FPPE) and Ongoing Professional Practice Evaluation (OPPE) on privileged staff. Staff Management: Retention to include performance appraisal (mid-year and yearend) OPPE (twice a year on each provider); rewards and recognition; promotions; disciplinary actions and grievances; training requirements (including Talent Management System capability); employee health requirements and Protected and Administrative Peer Reviews. Time and Leave Management: Tour of Duty assignment and documentation, including VISTA/VATAS approvals of leave, timecard certification, and approvals of clinic cancellations. Business Planning: Systems redesign; manage service DSS mapping (workload); staffing needs; capacity and demand analysis resource needs (i.e., equipment, IT, supplies, space, etc.) followed by oversight of preparation of the annual Service Business Plan to be presented to Senior Leadership. Clinical Management (direct and indirect patient care): Open encounter and consult management, provider productivity, CPRS documentation requirements, oversight of clinic scheduling and access, ensuring staff productivity, oversight of relevant performance measures, and development of the new focus on the IDES Program and Department of Defense Collaboration, Utilization, Quality, and Patient Safety oversight through process improvement (system redesign). Other duties as assigned by the Chief of PM&R. Clinical Duties: Patient Care: Practitioners are expected to provide patient care that is compassionate, appropriate, and effective for the promotion of health, prevention of illness, treatment of disease, and care at the end of life. Medical/Clinical Knowledge: Practitioners are expected to demonstrate knowledge of established and evolving biomedical, clinical and social sciences, and the application of their knowledge to patient care and the education of others. Clinical Judgment: To ensure practice-based learning and improvement, practitioners are expected to be able to use scientific evidence and methods to investigate, evaluate, and improve patient care. Interpersonal and Communication Skills: Practitioners are expected to demonstrate skills that enable them to establish and maintain professional relationships with patients, families, and other members of the health care team. Professionalism: Practitioners are expected to demonstrate behaviors that reflect a commitment to continuous professional development, ethical practice, understanding, and sensitivity to diversity, as well as a responsible attitude toward their patients and their profession. Systems-Based Practice: Practitioners are expected to demonstrate both an understanding of the contexts and systems in which health care is provided, and the ability to apply this knowledge to improve optimizing health care."]
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.
