The Desert Pacific Healthcare Network is hiring for the Pathology and Laboratory Service Chief position at the Long Beach VA Healthcare System. The incumbent is responsible for the administrative, clinical, and programmatic leadership of the Pathology and Laboratory Service to ensure achievement of the clinical, research, and educational goals and applicable performance measures. This vacancy is open to CURRENT Department of Veterans Affairs employees ONLY.

Duties

The Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service Chief is responsible for providing the overall clinical, administrative, and programmatic leadership for the Long Beach VA Pathology and Laboratory Service to ensure achievement of the clinical, research, and educational goals and applicable performance measures. This responsibility includes administration, management, maintaining accreditation and medical directorship for CLIA licensure and leadership of the entire Path and Lab Service at the facility. The service chief will report to the VISN22 Chief, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, who is responsible for the overall clinical and administrative function of the pathologist physician staff. The major duties of this position include but are not limited to: Serves as the VA medical facility CLIA Laboratory Director, fulfilling all responsibilities of the VA medical facility CLIA Laboratory Director. Oversees all laboratory testing performed at VA medical facility laboratories and serves as a consultant for specialty laboratories and ensures all testing is compliant with federal regulations. Directs and coordinates the patient care, administration, education and research functions of the VA medical facility PLM. Responsible for all quality measures regarding patient services. Provides consultation and guidance to VA health care providers regarding matters pertaining to pathology and laboratory medicine and the medical significance of laboratory findings. As the CLIA Medical Director (or delegates a voting member) participates on the VA medical facility Clinical Executive Board or analogous medical staff committee and all other appropriate committees. Participates in applicable cross-organizational performance-improvement activities, developing and communicating to the VA medical facility COS objectives and coordinating efforts to integrate patient care and support services. Directs and coordinates the functions of the VA medical facility PLM and outreach functions based upon the mission, special needs and size of the VA medical facility. Ensures that VA medical facility laboratories performing patient care testing meet requirements for hospital accreditation. Ensures that, if the VA medical facility PLM has a blood bank or transfusion service, it maintains current Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (AABB) accreditation. Acts as a consultant for the VA medical facility whenever a community care provider is contracted to perform laboratory testing for VA patients. The VA medical facility Chief, PLM must ensure that documentation is obtained to verify that the contracted laboratory is appropriately CLIA certified and, if it is a non-waived laboratory, accreditation is documented. Ensures OPPE of VA medical facility pathology physicians and all technical and quality aspects of anatomic pathology are met. Ensures FPPEs are performed as appropriate. Oversees all PLM-related quality reviews (e.g., OPPE, FPPE, the PLM QM Program, anatomic pathology internal quality review). Reviews and approves VA medical facility CLIA Laboratory Director appointments at VA medical facility specialty laboratories when the appointee is not a pathology physician. Oversees the VA medical facility Administrative Laboratory Chief, for VA medical facilities that have this position. Establishes and implements criteria for rescreening cytopathology specimens for high-risk patients. In conjunction with the VA medical facility COS, ensuring that there is an ongoing mechanism for monitoring and evaluating the usefulness and appropriateness of specialized testing requests to outside reference laboratories and ensuring that the testing is appropriate for patient care. Equitably assigns pathology workload to pathology staff and establishes and maintains pathologist daily schedule to include on-call services. Participates in multi-disciplinary conferences (i.e. Tumor Board, Chest Conference, GI Conference etc.). 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 Work Schedule: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm, Monday - Friday

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. Additional Requirements: Board certified in Anatomic and/or Clinical Pathology. Eligible for an academic appointment as a university faculty. 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: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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 Long Beach VA Medical Center 5901 East Seventh Street Long Beach, CA 90822 US
• Name: Keri Shoemaker
• Phone: (562) 826-8000 X16994
• Email: [email protected]