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.

Duties

The Division of Cardiology offers a comprehensive spectrum of cardiology subspecialty services. Having the only Cardiac Catheterization laboratory in the Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 4, VAPHS ranks among the highest volume of VA Cardiac Catheterization labs nationwide, performing nearly 1400 diagnostic catheterizations and ~450 interventions (including complex percutaneous coronary interventions), yearly. VAPHS has an active Chronic Total Occlusion program, a Shock Team, a Cardiac Surgery Service, and are currently constructing a state-of-the art hybrid operating room for structural heart disease interventions. The Electrophysiology Section (EP), also the only EP provider in our VISN, provides full EP services (~500 devices and ~100 ablations annually). The Echocardiography Laboratory provides transthoracic, transesophageal, and stress echo services (~6700 studies per year), and we perform ~1800 nuclear stress tests annually. VAPHS has an active cardiology outpatient clinic, including ~5000 clinic encounters and 4000 E-consults yearly at the Pittsburgh site, and are expanding outreach clinics in counties outside of Pittsburgh. This year, in response to the pandemic, and we have significantly grown our Virtual/Telemedicine Clinic. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. Recruitment/Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Available to highly qualified applicants Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Position is eligible 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 VAPHS Cardiology Division is strongly committed to the academic mission and the mentoring of physician-scientists and next-generation scientific leaders and as such this position may be offered an academic position at the University of Pittsburgh through separate negotiations. The clinical program is additionally nourished by close interaction with the Heart and Vascular Institute at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), where some VA faculty also practice, and by UPMC cardiology fellows who rotate at the VA Hospital as part of their ACGME-accredited fellowship training, and is strongly committed to the academic mission and the mentoring of physician-scientists and next-generation scientific leaders. This is an exciting career opportunity to work in a dynamic academic Division in one of the VA Hospital System's largest referral centers for cardiovascular medicine. Major Duties include but are not limited to: Provide cardiology consultation to other health care providers, (nurse practitioners, medical students and residents rotating thru cardiology service and Cardiology Fellows). Provide clinical Cardiology services on an inpatient and/or outpatient basis, chart reviews; coordinate with other providers regarding patient care, document encounters in the electronic health record; perform patient history, outpatient encounters; consult notes; and process new and renewal prescriptions and other procedures/tasks as appropriate Provide patient education to assist deciding treatment/care options Provide oversite and training to fellows and residents Attend medical staff meetings, serve on service level and/or facility committees, assist in facility peer review program as needed Maintaining professional competency, courtesy and flexibility to provide the necessary services of this specialty to our Veteran Population Participate in the expanded use of clinical video telehealth (VVC and CVT)/electronic consultation (e-Consult) to improve access to cardiology care Work closely with all staff to ensure compliance with National, Network and local performance standards Work Schedule: Typical tour of duty is expected to by Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm; Weekend, evening and holiday calls may be expected.

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: Board certified or eligible in Cardiology 2 years of experience Unrestricted DEA license Prior VHA experience 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: Physical demands include repetitive body movements including the following: frequent reaching, standing, walking, and lifting of equipment and/or patients to provide patient care. This position requires extension of the hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction including above or below shoulder level, during the provision of patient care, including retrieval of needed equipment, supplies and to make contact with the patient. This position requires the maintenance of an upright position to perform duties associated with patient care. This position is typically non-sedentary, and frequently involves being in the standing position. This position requires moving about accomplish tasks, such as assisting with patient ambulation and moving one patient area to the next. This position requires the raising of objects from a lower position to a higher position or the movement of objects horizontally position to position. Lifting may be done to move a patient from one location to the next, i.e.- from the exam table to the chair, and in the movement of equipment or supplies. Note: Must have Basic Life Support (BLS) certification prior to assuming clinical duties. The BLS requirement is satisfied by successfully completing an American Heart Association (AHA) BLS Healthcare Provider Course or Military Training Network (MTN). BLS courses are normally offered within 1-5 days of entry on duty. No online certifications will be accepted.

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 Pittsburgh VA Medical Center 1010 Delafield Road Pittsburgh, PA 15215 US
• Name: William Simmons
• Phone: (717) 272-6621 X4024
• Email: [email protected]