Physician-Section Chief Hospice & Palliative Care
What you'd do
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.
Major duties
Clinical Responsibilities: Incumbent spends 70% of time with clinical responsibilities. Provide medical oversight, leadership and supervision of a 15-bed Community Living Center(CLC) Hospice Palliative Care Unit. This includes supervision over the medical/provider staff who work in multi-disciplinary teams to coordinate, facilitate and provide patient care and services. Provide administrative (supervisor and section) and clinical oversight of all Hospice Palliative Care (HPC) programs. Provide supervision, as appropriate, of fellows, residents and students conducting direct clinical care. Deliver in-service training for medical center staff, residents, and medical students. Be responsible for timely completion of all clinical charting and documentation required by the Medical Center as appropriate and outcome data as appropriate. Perform transitional care as a consultant providing face-to-face consultation to patients under the care of the medical center's inpatient and emergency department services as appropriate. Educate Veterans, staff, and family about Palliative Care, Hospice, and end-of-life issues. Consult with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues. Remain involved in program evaluation. Maintain full clinical privilege as a member of the Medical Staff. Abide by Medical Staff By-Laws. Administrative Responsibilities: Incumbent spends 30% of time managing the HPC Services. This includes but is not limited to supervising a variety of positions including administrative positions, physicians, and nurse practitioners. Provides leadership guidance and consultation to staff. Has direct administrative supervision of the Hospice Palliative Care (HPC) physicians and nurse practitioners. Serves as a consultant to other medical center staff and trainees. Represents HPC on decision-making committees at the Rehabilitation and Geriatric and Extended Care Integrated Clinical Communities(REC ICC). Ensures the implementation and maintenance of standards for medical providers and forecast requirements necessary to maintain and increase efficiency and effectiveness of clinical care. Participates in establishing policies, procedures, and guidelines for the delivery of services. Communicates provider responsibilities and medical care policies, procedures and guidelines to all providers in HPC. Provides education and mentoring to other interdisciplinary teams, patients, families, and referring physicians. Assists the ACOS of Geriatric and Extended Care on the coordination of HPC services response in the event of critical occurrences of violence at the facility, disasters, and/or mass casualty occurrences. 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 through Friday, 08:00am - 04:30pm EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact [email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards.
What you need to qualify
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. Board Certification Preferred Experience At least 5 years of experience in the practice of Hospice and Palliative Care. 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 objects up to 15 pounds may be required. The physician may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to wear protective clothing in isolation situations or operative/invasive procedures. The physician may occasionally be exposed in person or virtually (telephonic or electronic messaging) to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. The physician must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, and able to shift priorities based on Veteran needs.
Before you apply
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