This position is in the Vascular Surgery Service, Albany Stratton VA Medical Center, Albany, New York and supports the Network 2 Mission to care for our Veterans with compassion and excellence. The successful candidate for this important leadership position is responsible for overseeing a group of Vascular surgeons who provide a broad range of interventions to Veterans with complex disease and comorbidities, within a patient centric model. 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 Eligible/Certified in Vascular Surgery. 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 physician should be physically and mentally capable to perform the duties of the position including examinations, formulate the diagnosis and treatment plan and educate residents. Physical activities include sitting, standing (up to 4 hours) walking (up to 2 hours), heavy lifting (45 pounds or over), reaching above the shoulder, and repeated bending. The incumbent should be emotionally and mentally stable; and capable to perform the duties of the position. ["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. 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. Learn more. 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 Specific Duties and Responsibilities of the Section Chief Vascular Surgery: The Vascular Surgery Chief is charged with delivering the best possible care to our Veterans. This care must be delivered in accordance with hospital policy, meeting or exceeding community standards and VHA national benchmarks. S/he supervises all operational aspects of the Section Vascular Surgery, including establishment of the highest clinical care standards, operations, and quality. Develops strong, collegial working relationships with other leaders within the medical center (both clinical and administrative), and with other section heads within the Department of Surgery and other service Chiefs/section heads. The Vascular Surgery Chief will champion initiatives designed to improve overall quality using evidence-based medicine and peer review. The Vascular Surgery Chief will have primary responsibility for supervising other Vascular surgeons in the Section, and to ensure that they are performing to the highest standards of clinical care excellence, time efficiency, professional and ethical behavior. He/she is expected to actively participate in clinical review process such as tort claims, peer reviews, management reviews and administrative activities, as directed by the Chief of Surgery and/or Chief of Staff. S/he will be actively involved as a leader in the organization's continued accreditation readiness activities. The Vascular Surgery Chief ensures that on-call physician coverage to meet patient care responsibilities is in place 24/7 and is expected to organize and/or oversee on-call schedules. The Vascular Surgery Chief is expected to maintain current medical knowledge and technical skills and provides both leadership and documentation that all Vascular surgeons within the section are competent with respect to current privileging within the Section of Vascular Surgery. He/she is expected to maintain excellent diagnostic, judgmental, and therapeutic acumen in the care of veterans receiving vascular interventions. Overseeing and organizing medical education for residents and medical students is an integral part of the work of the Vascular Surgery Chief. S/he is responsible for overseeing the execution of a high-quality curriculum for trainees that meet the requirements as set forth by the Medical Residency Program Director, in collaboration with the Chiefs of Surgery, Primary Care, and Medicine. S/he will be responsible for patient care and trainee supervision, education and evaluation in that setting. The Vascular Surgery Chief exercises corporate citizenship and leads by example within the Section of Vascular Surgery to set a high standard of responsiveness, collegial professional interaction, and the core tenets of mutual respect in all professional encounters. The Vascular Surgery Chief will ensure that s/he and the members of the Section comply with all VA clinical, administrative, and quality requirements as set forth by the medical center bylaws and by the Vascular Surgery Chief and/or Chief of Staff. The Vascular Surgery Chief is required to develop a clinically meaningful quality improvement program that addresses the prompt evaluation of all Veterans requiring clinical evaluation or hospital admission or operative care. Works closely with the Chief of Surgery and other administrative leaders to address operating suite utilization and can quantify demonstrable process improvement in at least one prospective quality improvement initiative annually. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm"]
The Veterans Health Administration is America’s largest integrated health care system, providing care at 1,298 health care facilities, including 171 medical centers and 1,113 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics), serving 9 million enrolled Veterans each year.
