Job opening: Physician- Palliative care/Hospice
Salary: $225 000 - 243 000 per year
Published at: Aug 02 2023
Employment Type: Full-time
This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.
Duties
The facility provides care to approximately 91,000 veterans in the midlands and upstate SC. CBOCs are located in Anderson, Greenville, Spartanburg, Florence, Orangeburg, Sumter, and Rock Hill, and provide primary care, mental health, and telemedicine services. Dorn VAMC is affiliated with the University of South Carolina (USC) School of Medicine and provides teaching services for students and residents. USC is the state's flagship research university with Schools of Medicine, Public Health, Nursing, Pharmacy, and an active Graduate School.
Columbia, SC is a wonderful place to live and work. A small-town atmosphere within a metropolitan city, known for its museums, restaurants, and the University of SC. Columbia offers four-season outdoor activity with several championship golf courses in the area and is a short drive from the mountains and the beach. Columbia is located near a 50,000 acre lake with boating and recreational opportunities and is also in close proximity to the premier Atlantic Ocean beaches and mountains.
VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards.
Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Authorized. Learn more.
EDRP Authorized: Contact Lena.Gowder, 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 is assigned to the Geriatrics and Extended Care Service, Columbia VA Healthcare System (CVAHCS). VA provides patient centered care, delivered by engaged, collaborative teams in an integrated environment that supports learning and continuous improvement. The Veteran's experience and health outcomes are improved with an emphasis on prevention through healing relationships in an optimal healing environment. The incumbent must have outstanding clinical and interpersonal skills as a member of the VA professional health care team and providing continuous veteran-centered care and services to family members.
The incumbent provides outpatient and inpatient consultation services to patients. Provide clinical support to the Palliative Care Team Member under the facility Hospice/Palliative Care Consultation Program. Perform evidence-based practices to enhance symptom management of palliative care patients. Facilitate clarification of patient and family goals of care. Consult with the Palliative Care Team and other Interdisciplinary care team to establish a written plan of care. Participate in interdisciplinary team meetings to review active cases. Implement strategic care plan to appropriately facilitate utilization and access to quality-of-life services. Monitor quality and service metrics across the continuum of care to ensure departmental goals are achieved. Provide education of staff. Complete appropriate documentation of patient care services in CPRS. Adhere to the practice of confidentiality regarding patients, families, and stakeholders. Complete appropriate mandatory training.
Administrative, direct patient care, teaching, and research are all integrated into the activities and decision processes of the staff the Palliative Care physician. The physician reports directly to the Chief of Chief of Geriatrics and Extended Care and works closely with all healthcare professionals throughout the facility and provides consultation to other services. Additional duties as assigned by the Chief of Geriatrics and Extended Care including patient care in the Community Living Center (other than hospice inpatient care).
The incumbent participates in quality-assurance programs and chart reviews. He/she complies with all quality performance measures and improvement programs. The physician will be subject to professional performance, including clinical and technical skills as well as Columbia VA Healthcare System's (CVAHCS) performance improvement monitoring activities (e.g. Ongoing Professional Practice Evaluations (OPPE), Focused Professional Practice Evaluations (FPPE), etc).
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (subject to change based on facility needs)
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:
(1) Those approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME),
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.
Preferred experience - Board certification in Hospice and Palliative Medicine and/or Fellowship training leading to certification eligibility in Hospice and Palliative Care.
Reference: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G-2 Physician Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office.
Physical Requirements: Moderate lifting, 15-44 pounds; straight pulling (4 hours); pushing (4 hours); reaching above shoulder; use of fingers; both hands required; walking (2 hours);standing (7 hours); kneeling (1 hour); repeated bending (4 hours); both legs required; near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4; far-vision correctable in one eye to 20/50 and to 20/100 in the other; ability to distinguish basic colors; hearing (aid permitted); mental and emotional stability required.
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, or
- Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation of the American Osteopathic Association for the year in which the degree was granted.
- For foreign medical graduates not covered in (1) or (2) above, facility officials must verify with the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) that the applicant has met requirements for certification, and must obtain a copy of the ECFMG certificate, if claimed by the applicant. [If the applicant does not claim an ECFMG certificate, facility officials must still confirm that the medical school meets (or met) ECFMG eligibility requirements for the year the candidate 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.
Contacts
- Address Columbia VA Health Care System
6439 Garners Ferry Road
Columbia, SC 29209
US
- Name: Vivian Thomas
- Phone: 803-719-1539
- Email: [email protected]
Map