Physician - Anesthesiology

This position is eligible for Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards.

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be authorized for highly qualified individual
Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Authorized Learn more.
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact VISN7EDRPFacilityCoordinators2@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 incumbent anesthesiologist physician is expected to work within the Columbia VA Health Care System to provide the most effective delivery of anesthetic care throughout the medical center in compliance with VA and VHA Directives and The Joint Commission accreditation standards. This physician will work under direction of Chief of Anesthesia in Surgical Service to provide all modalities of anesthesia care along with Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists to veteran patients undergoing surgical or medical procedures.

The staff Anesthesiologist has the following duties and responsibilities as a physician anesthesiologist including but not limited to:

• Assessment of, consultation for, and preparation of patients for anesthesia including pre-operative patient exam and assessment.
• Provision of insensibility to pain during surgical, therapeutic, and diagnostic procedures and the management of patients so affected. This will include management and support of life functions and vital organs for patients rendered unconscious or insensible to pain and emotional stress before, during and after surgical or certain medical procedures.
• Includes performance of standard techniques in general anesthesia, neuraxial anesthesia, minor and major nerve blocks and Monitored anesthesia care.
• Provides anesthesia-related direct patient care in all functional areas of the OR, PACU, ICU, ward, and clinic settings as needed. ·
• Monitoring and restoration of homeostasis during the perioperative period, as well as homeostasis in the critically ill, injured, or otherwise seriously ill patient.
• Diagnosis and treatment of painful syndromes.
• Clinical management of cardiac and pulmonary resuscitation (BLS/ACLS required).
• Evaluation of respiratory function and application of respiratory therapy modalities including interpretation of pulmonary function testing.
• Perform other aspects of Peri-operative medicine care according to published anesthesiology standards.
• Ability to perform and supervise invasive monitoring, central line and hemodynamic control and vasoactive medication infusion.
• Supervision, teaching, and evaluation of performance of both medical and paramedical personnel in anesthesia.
• Supervision of patients in post-anesthesia care unit and critically ill patients in special care units
• May be required to participate in conduct of research and collaboration in research efforts at the clinical and basic science level in order to proactively identify gaps in evidence and practice, then measure the impact of filling these gaps and linking evidence to practice. Relevant research findings and quality improvement results can then be systematically fed back to providers and patients, as appropriate.
• Administrative involvement in hospitals, medical schools, and outpatient facilities necessary for implementation of these responsibilities.
• On-call coverage is required.
• Participate in monitoring the quality, safety and appropriateness of patient care both at the Section and facility level. Miscellaneous activities of the Surgical Service inclusive, but not limited to special projects that help fulfill and/or enhance the mission of the Department of Veterans Affairs as assigned by the Chief of Anesthesia/Chief of Surgery.
• Attend Surgical and Anesthesia team meetings.
• Participate in, and attend, CME activities and VA continuing educational activities
• Acts in accordance with the Bylaws and Rules and Regulations of the Medical Staff

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:00am to 3:30pm, Subject to change based on the needs of the facility.

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: Completed and approved residency training program in anesthesiology.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: Eligible applicants must be physically and mentally able to perform efficiently the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation, without hazard to themselves or others. Depending on the essential duties of a specific position, usable vision, color vision, hearing or speech may be required. however, in most cases, a specific physical condition or impairment of a specific function may be compensated for by the satisfactory use of a prosthesis or mechanical aid..

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.