Section Chief, Nephrology

Summary This position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6), Fayetteville VA Medical Center (VAMC), and Medicine Service. The successful candidate will serve as the Section Chief for the Nephrology Section in the Medicine Service Line. Responsibilities The Nephrology Physician is accountable to the Chief, Medicine Service, for assuring the most effective delivery of care while meeting and exceeding compliance standards. The Nephrology Physician will provide expert consultation and treatment to patients in dialysis clinic and outpatient and inpatient settings. In this role, the incumbent will also provide feedback and patient education to the patients and their families and will demonstrate excellence in all facets of patient care and meets or exceeds compliance standards. He or she will perform the following functions: Evaluate, diagnose, consult, and order appropriate diagnostic studies and treatments for all nephrology patients assigned under their care. The incumbent will provide consultative evaluations for other services, including general medical wards, surgical wards, and the emergency department, and perform administrative functions and other tasks as assigned by the Chief of the Medicine Service. The incumbent is expected to provide patient care that is compassionate, appropriate, and effective for the promotion of health and treatment of critical illnesses. The ideal candidate should possess strong interpersonal and communication skills that enable them to establish and maintain professional relationships with patients, families, and other members of the health care team. The incumbent is expected to adhere to stated policies and provide timely documentation of clinical notes (e.g., Consult H&Ps, clinic notes, and procedure notes, etc.). In addition, the incumbent is expected to coordinate and communicate the treatment plan with inpatient and outpatient health care providers that have requested their consultative services. The ideal candidate will help to ensure that high quality patient care is delivered in a resourceful and efficient manner. Privileges include being able to assess, diagnose, and treat - with pharmacologic, non- pharmacologic, and procedure-based therapies - patients referred to the Nephrology Section including possible consultation for those patients presenting with critical illnesses requiring intensive care level procedures and interventions. Administrative Duties: The incumbent will ensure operations and compliance with Veterans Health Administration guidelines for Nephrology Section of Medical Service. The incumbent will provide leadership as the Section Chief of the Nephrology section. This will include, but not be limited to, managing the schedules of employees within the nephrology section; ensuring consistent, up to date, call schedule coverage and posting; the holding of at least monthly section meetings; allocation of resources to ensure adequate coverage/availability of clinical programs, testing, and consultation coverage; ongoing assessment of programs for adequacy and appropriateness of offerings; and direction and development of quality improvement (QI) processes and projects. Clinical Duties: The incumbent is expected to remain privileged and practicing in medical services. The exact privileges and procedures for a particular physician will be approved by the Professional Standards Board. All physicians must meet the following qualifications: Physicians are expected to provide patient care that is compassionate, appropriate, and effective for the promotion of health, prevention of illness, treatment of disease, and care at the end of life. Tasks also include indirect patient care: open encounters and open consult maintenance, CPRS documentation requirements, and monitoring of clinic management. May be assigned duty as a supervising or collaborating physician for an APP. Physicians are expected to provide clinical oversight and review. Supervising or collaborating responsibilities and performance will be noted in the physician's performance evaluation. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Available to highly qualified candidates Relocation Incentive: Available to eligible candidates. 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: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM Requirements Conditions of Employment U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. You may be required to serve a probationary period. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. 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: At least 2 years of dialysis 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: 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. Education 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: Schools of medicine accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for the year in which the degree was granted, or 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. 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. Additional Information This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.