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. Program 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. 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/Board Eligible in Thoracic Surgery. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: VA Handbook 5019/1, Part II, Pre-Placement Physical Examination and Evaluation. ["VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. Work Schedule: Full-time, 7:00am - 3:30pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be eligible for highly qualified candidate. Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): May be eligible. Learn more.EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@va.gov, 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 Thoracic Surgery Department staff surgeon reports to the Chief, Thoracic Surgery Department, and Surgical Service. Routinely performs outpatient and inpatient examinations, determines diagnoses, and initiates treatments based on the standard of care. Serves as a consultant to other medical center staff and trainees. Will train/supervise medical/podiatry students, medical/podiatry residents, and midlevel providers. Major duties include but are not limited to: Board Certified/Board Eligible, full-time thoracic surgeon is responsible for initial evaluation and overall workups, history & physicals, and admission of thoracic surgery patients as needed. Operating room (experience in wide variety of general thoracic surgeries), in-patient rounds, clinic sessions and interpretation and overseeing of thoracic surgical procedures. Able to perform a wide variety of open thoracic surgical procedures as well as video assisted procedures. Procedures may also be performed in the ICU, SDU, ED or inpatient wards. Supervise residents from the Phoenix Integrated Surgical Residency Program as well as medical students from University of Arizona and Podiatry students and residents who rotate through the Thoracic Service. Required to participate in all surgical quality/performance improvement initiatives as appropriate, including whatever databases are required for the PVAHCS or VISN 22. Responsible for providing patients with education concerning their disease state and expected treatment regimen. Pays particular attention to informing veterans to the risks as well as benefits of upcoming surgical procedures. Responsible for appropriate pre-operative risk assessment either primarily or in conjunction with house staff/midlevel assessments. Strongly enforces a policy of disclosure. If there is a complication in the course of the patient's care, discussion of the event and the patient's options both legal and medical must be discussed clearly and documented in the chart. Requires daily notes on each patient's chart. The notes are entered electronically and The Department of Veterans' Affairs endorses an electrical or paperless medical record system. Notes may be entered by the house staff/mid-levels but will require Thoracic Surgery attending oversight. May participate on committees and will also be required to have an active license in one state of the United States. Expected that thoracic surgeons will keep up his/her CME requirements in order to maintain their license and specialized certification. Responsible for understanding the Medical Bylaws of this facility. Will work effectively with patients and coworkers and will treat other health care professionals and patients' family with respect and dignity."]
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.