Deputy Chief of Medicine Service

This position is eligible for the 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.

The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCMENT. All qualified applicants will be referred to the hiring manager on a weekly basis.

The Deputy Chief of Medicine Service provides administrative, programmatic, and clinical leadership under the Chief of Medicine Service to ensure achievement of the clinical, research, and education goals. The incumbent reports to the Chief of Medicine and acts as Chief of Medicine when required; also serves as a key clinical resource for the Chief of Medicine and the Chief of Staff.

The responsibilities include hands on clinical work, oversight, and administration of all aspects of the service. Time will be designated as 50% towards clinical duties and 50% towards administrative duties as described below.

Customer Service

• Establishes a customer-oriented culture and promotes hiring of persons who fit the culture.
• Actively identifies and encourages the implementation of best practices in customer service.
• Breaks barriers that impede good service delivery.

Quality Improvement

• Directs the continuous measurement and improvement of the quality of care provided by the service.
• Plans, coordinate and ensures high quality care through utilization of multiple quality measurement tools.
• Improves patient outcomes through the implementation if strategies such as clinical practice guidelines and critical pathways, health risk assessments, provider profiling, use of electronic medical record and clinical reminders, and case management.

Research and Education

• Encourages and supports education missions. Facilitates translation of committee, task force, and other workgroup findings into improved patient outcomes.
• Encourages continuing education for all personnel in the service and ensures compliance with performance standards.
• Creates a climate where continuous learning and self-development are valued.

Budget and Fiscal Management

• Responsible for the financial management of the service, including budget planning and management.
• Develops the annual strategic and budget plan for the service consistent with guidance and goals from the Director's Office and/r Fiscal Service.
• Develops and implements tracking methods to monitor the service's fiscal activities.

Organizational Stewardship

• Demonstrates commitment to the Medical Center's goals.
• Encourages an atmosphere of trust and empowerment leading by example.
• Provides a clear vision of the future and leads the service through necessary changes.

Team Building

• Develops an interdisciplinary team of innovative, highly motivated individuals who are continuously striving for excellence in patient care and customer service.
• Breaks down barriers in the workplace in favor of high-performance work systems.
• Builds partnerships with the community to enhance Medical Center goals.

Human Resource Management

• Responsible for assuring appropriate actions in such matters as promotions, selections, rewards and recognition, training and problem resolution as these actions relate to the service.
• Responsible for development and implementation of competencies, providing opportunities for continuing education, peer review, career development and professional enrichment for service employees.
• Works with Human Resources and the Union to maintain good labor-management relations and to resolve problems.

The Deputy Chief of Medicine Service reports directly to the Chief of Medicine. This position directly supervises the dermatology, endocrinology, infectious disease, neurology, transplant coordination, and respiratory therapy Section Chiefs. Acts as the Acting Section Chief in the absence of a Section Chief and will take on all other duties assigned by the Chief of Medicine.

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

EDRP Authorized: Contact Cheryl Lahair at cheryl.lahair@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more.

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: Full-time, variable schedule.

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 Requirement: Board certified.

Preferred Experience: 1 to 3 years of leadership experience.

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

Physical Requirements: The incumbent must be able to perform all activities of the position without restriction. This position may involve standing, walking, stooping, bending, reaching, lifting, and turning. The work may involve going up and down flights of stairs.

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.