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 VA Tuscaloosa Health Care System is recruiting for a Staff Physician in Geriatrics & Extended Care (GEC) service. The physician is responsible for the overall medical care delivered to inpatients including identifying the patients' medical problems, diagnosing and treating appropriately, determining the need for consultation from subspecialty care for specialized medical, surgical or psychiatric services, and determining the need for services that may require transferring patients to other VA or Non VA healthcare facilities, community nursing homes or discharge when appropriate. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorizedfor highly qualified candidates. Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): 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. Learn more. EDRP Authorized: Contact [email protected], 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 The physician provides professional patient care in the Community Living Center (CLC) approximately 97.5% of the time and administrative duties 2.5% of the time, to include formalized collaboration. Duties include, but are not limited to: Collaborating with the entire GEC team of providers and non-providers. Providing clinician input and oversight for all patient treatment plans. Effectively work in an interdisciplinary team of VA providers. Completing, signing and releasing notes promptly and accurately using the Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS). Responding to complaints by residents and/or their families to the Patient Advocate in a timely manner. Identifying the patients' medical problems and maintaining an accurate problem list. Determining the need for consultation from medical, surgical, and/or psychiatric subspecialties. Ensuring proper hand off when transferring patients from one CLC neighborhood to another or from the CLC to other Tuscaloosa VA programs, by talking to receiving provider prior to transfer. Ensuring proper hand-off of all transfers to outside facilities (VA or Non-VA) by having personal contact with accepting provider. Completing medication reconciliation on all admissions and discharges. Ensuring all admission H&P's and discharge summaries are fully detailed. Performing either an admission H&P within 72 hours of admission OR a comprehensive assessment within 30 days of admission (if the APN performed the H&P) for all new CLC residents. Ensuring a comprehensive assessment is performed every 60 days for every resident admitted to the CLC neighborhood to which the Staff Physician is assigned as the Attending Physician. Performing death pronouncements and ensuring the death certificate is complete and signed. Responding to all medical emergencies that may occur in the CLC during normal business hours. Assessing all fall victims who sustain injuries immediately upon being notified and ordering labs, imaging studies, or consults as appropriate. Notifying the resident's next of kin or surrogate medical decision maker, immediately, of any change in the physical or mental condition of a resident along with the action taken. Ensuring all residents have a Life-Sustaining Treatment Decision note done, when possible. Avoiding Polypharmacy when possible. Informing the Associate Chief of Staff, GEC of any patient abuse (physical or mental) by anyone, being either a staff or a family member. Consistent and positive interpersonal skills with other VA providers and staff, patients and their families and visitors. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. 4:30 p.m. Telework: Ad-hoc only.

Requirements

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), 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: At least two years of primary care or hospitalist experience and/or at least one year of long term care experience. Board certification in Geriatrics or Hospice/Palliative Care. Previous experience caring for patients with dementia or serious mental illness. 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: Light lifting, under 15 lbs, Light carrying, under 15lbs, Reaching above shoulder, Use of fingers, Both hands required, Walking (1 hrs), Standing (4 hrs), both legs required, Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously, Near vision correctable at 13' to 16' to jaeger 1 to 4; Far vison correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other; Both eyes required, Depth perception, Ability to distinguish basic colors, Ability to distinguish shades of colors, Hearing (aid permitted). The population of male and female Veterans served ranges from the adult, age 18, to the elderly adult, age 65 and over. Atlanta VAMC is a major interdisciplinary teaching facility service medical, surgical, and neurological inpatients and outpatients. There is a large outpatient psychiatric population, with visits to the Emergency Department and admission for medical co-morbidities. This position requires visual acuity, keen hearing, clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. This position may require potentially extended 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 wear protective clothing in isolation situation. 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 situation, able to shift priorities based on patients needs.

Education

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.]

Contacts

• Address Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center 3701 Loop Road East Tuscaloosa, AL 35404 US
• Name: Erin Bradley
• Phone: 314-906-2642
• Email: [email protected]