Job Board/Career Center for In-Home, Care Facilities, & Other Healthcare Providers

Summary

The Physician (Pain Management) provides care for Veterans within the Chronic Pain Service situated within the Neurology Clinical Care Center at the Baltimore VA Medical Center. Services will be offered through a combination of in-person visits and virtual/telehealth appointments - in the outpatient and inpatient setting - within an interprofessional specialty care team that utilizes the Biopsychosocial Model of Pain Care and the VA Stepped Care Model of Pain Management.

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 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: Those approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) OR
• Those approved by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) -OR
• 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
• Preferred Experience: Board Certified/Board Eligible in Pain Medicine
• Fellowship in Pain Medicine/Management
• Experience in interventional pain management
• Specialties encouraged to apply: PM&R - Internal Medicine - Neurology - Anesthesiology
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: Must pass a pre-employment physical examination as required by VA Handbook 5019
• This examination is administered by VA Occupational Health
• This position requires light lifting under 15 pounds - light carrying under 15 pounds
• intermittently pulling - pushing - use of both hands - walking - standing - kneeling - and repeated bending.

Duties

• 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 Major Duties Clinical: Perform comprehensive medical and functional evaluations for Veterans referred to the Pain Clinic - including history - physical examination - and review of diagnostic studies
• Establish accurate pain diagnoses and comorbidities (e.g. - substance use disorders - mental health issues) and - in collaboration with the interdisciplinary team - develop individualized - integrated treatment plans that emphasize functional restoration and self-management
• Perform interventional pain care - including fluoroscopy and ultrasound-guided invasive procedures (e.g. - epidural steroid injections - medial branch blocks - radiofrequency ablations - joint injections - spinal cord stimulator trials - intrathecal baclofen trials - intrathecal pump refills)
• Provide inpatient Chronic Pain consultative services for Veterans admitted to the hospital
• Provide medication management for chronic pain conditions - focusing on polypharmacy reduction - opioid risk stratification - and utilizing non-opioid analgesics and adjuvant medications
• Manage opioid medications and perform opioid medication adjustments including tapers as indicated and in compliance with current VA/DOD Long-term Opioid Therapy Clinical Practice Guidelines - and local VA policies
• Orders - performs - reviews - and analyzes appropriate laboratory tests - imaging - and other diagnostic studies necessary to optimize the pain care plan
• Follows up with Veterans regarding results per VHA standards to discuss care plans - changes to therapy - and additional monitoring or testing requirements
• Provide clinical collaboration with nurse practitioners - physician assistants - and other members of the interdisciplinary team
• Complete all required electronic health record documentation in accordance with VHA standards - including timely - accurate entries for pain management activities - therapeutic changes - recommendations - procedures - and patient check-out (such as diagnostic and procedure codes)
• Ensures compliance with national and local performance measures - including prompt health screenings and completion of clinical reminders for patients
• Perform other clinical duties as indicated and assigned
• Administrative: Participate in program development activities - including data collection/management - policy development/adherence - and documentation - as indicated by section and service leadership
• Participate in multidisciplinary team meetings - as well as pain committee and other pain meetings (e.g. - data-based risk reviews) - as indicated by section and service leadership
• Participate in intra- and interdepartmental committees - task forces - and projects - as requested by section and service leadership
• Academic/Teaching/Training: Provide didactics/lectures to medical staff within the area of pain management - specifically pain-focused interventions Work Schedule: Monday-Friday - 8:00am-4:30pm