The Central Arkansas VA Medical Center (CAVHS), Little Rock, Arkansas,(AR) seeks an experienced Staff Optometrist to join the expanding clinical practice in North Little Rock. The candidate may be needed to staff clinics at the Hot Springs and Conway campuses. CAVHS provides a full range of eye care from full scope primary care to sub-specialty surgical care. The department has a close affiliation with multiple Colleges and Universities and may participate in their externship teaching program.

Duties

The Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS), a flagship Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care provider, is one of the largest and busiest VA medical centers in the country. Its two hospitals, located in Little Rock and North Little Rock, anchor a broad spectrum of inpatient and outpatient health care services, ranging from disease prevention through primary care, to complex surgical procedures, to extended rehabilitative care. This System serves as a teaching facility for more than 1,500 students and residents enrolled in approximately 65 educational affiliates; its principal affiliate is the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. The System is reaching out to Veterans through its Community-Based Outpatient Clinics in Conway, El Dorado, Hot Springs, Mena, Mountain Home, Pine Bluff, Russellville and Searcy; its Home-Based Primary Care Center in Hot Springs; and the Veterans Day Treatment Center for homeless veterans in downtown Little Rock. Throughout more than 80 years of rich history, CAVHS has been widely recognized for excellence in education and research, and - first and foremost - for a tradition of quality and caring for more than 65,000 Arkansas Veterans annually. 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 The Central Arkansas VA Medical Center (CAVHS) in Little Rock, Arkansas (AR) seeks an experienced Staff Optometrist to join the expanding clinical practice in North Little Rock, AR. The candidate may be needed to staff clinic at the Hot Springs, Conway or Little Rock campuses. CAVHS provides a full range of cutting-edge eye care from full scope primary care to sub-specialty ophthalmologic surgical care for Veterans. The Optometry Section has a close affiliation with multiple optometric schools (Southern College of Optometry, Illinois College of Optometry, University of Houston, and Midwestern University) and the candidate may be called to participate in their externship teaching program. Duties of the position include, but are not limited to : -Report to the Section Chief, Optometry Section or designee. -Incumbent duties will include diagnosing, treating, and managing patients with Ophthalmologic Diseases per standard, usual and acceptable or customary methods and techniques in the outpatient setting. -Applicants must have sufficient clinical experience to function independently in an ambulatory care setting. The incumbent will use Ophthalmic testing instruments and equipment in the performance of direct patient care to provide General Optometry services for scheduled appointments, walk-ins, and add-in patients. -Perform clinical duties and/or procedures within the approved scope of practice. -Supervise and teach Optometric students who are rotating in the North Little Rock Optometry clinic. -Ophthalmology, sub-specialists, other physicians, and fellow staff Optometrists are available for consultation; in addition to participate in coordination of care with other specialties within Central Arkansas VA Medical Center (CAVHS). -The candidate shall be expected to cooperate with and participate in Optometric duties or functions related to quality of care, peer review, improvement and with other performance improvement activities at the direction of the Section Chief of Optometry, Surgery Service, and the Chief of Staff. -The incumbent may also be involved in program planning, objectives, policies, and standards essential to delivery of quality Optometric care. -Responsible for providing appropriate education for the patient and/or family members regarding the patient's illness and management. Work Schedule: 7:00 am to 3:30 pm, Monday - Friday

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, you must meet the basic requirement as well as any additional requirements (if applicable) listed in the job announcement Applicants pending the completion of training or license requirements may be rendered and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Currently, employed physicians in VA met the requirements for appointment under the previous qualification standard at the time of the initial appointment are deemed to have met the basic requirement 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. Preferred experience: ACOE accredited residency training Experience teaching and supervising Optometry student Clinical Experience to function independently in an ambulatory care setting Additional Requirement: Board Certified in Optometry 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 Functional requirements: -Heavy lifting 45 pounds and over -Heavy carrying 45 pounds and over -Pushing 8 hours -Standing 8 hours -Repeated bending over 2 hours -Both legs required -Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4 -Far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and in 20/40 in the other -Mental stability -Emotional stability Environmental Factors: -Excessive noise intermittent -Working closely with others -Working alone -Protracted or irregular hours of work

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:

1. Schools of medicine accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for the year in which the degree was granted, or
2. 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.
3. 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 John L McClellan Memorial Veterans' Hospital 4300 West Seventh Street Little Rock, AR 72205 US
• Name: Tracey Mitchell
• Phone: 504-289-5570
• Email: [email protected]