Physician (Director ICU Pulmonologist)

Summary The Section of Pulmonary, and Critical Care at the VA Medical Center, Salisbury NC (SVA HCS) is seeking a Physician with expertise in pulmonary and critical care medicine to function as the Director of Critical Care at the Salisbury VAMC and medical simulation. The Physician will lead a multidisciplinary team that includes pulmonary and critical care physicians, ICU Physician Assistants and Hospitalists. The SVA HCS is a complexity 1a facility with a level 3 ICU. Review additional information Responsibilities Specific Duties: Clinically and administratively directs and supervises the pulmonologist. Technically develops and directs Critical Care and Pulmonary programs for the inpatient veteran population. Responsible for ensuring that high quality care is provided consistently in the outpatient setting, on the inpatient unit and within the ICU. Responsible for developing, monitoring, and enforcing clinical practice standards, policies and procedures for pulmonologist and RTs. Attend Medical Center Committee meetings, which oversees the quality of care and reviews and approves Critical Care and Pulmonary section policies and procedures. Administers / participates in the Peer Review process including chart reviews. Strengthens and facilitates communication among pulmonary providers, and other Medicine Service supervisors. Responsible for working with the Administrative Officer in the development and implementation of call schedules and weekend coverage and ensuring adequate clinical provider coverage by developing work schedules / tours for pulmonary and RT staff. Provide leadership and oversight of provider coding practices for billing purposes. Establishes and manages a quality assurance/improvement plan for the Critical Care / Pulmonary / RT Section in coordination with Quality management. Ensures appropriate patient access to quality comprehensive inpatient and outpatient services and works directly with the emergency department leadership. Monitors all leaves of absences for professional staff members of the Critical Care and Pulmonary section including continuing education, vacation, sick, and emergent annual leave. Reviews/resolves patient complaints/grievances and directs modification of the system to diminish and eliminate further complaints/grievances with assistance of the ACOS/Medicine Service. Acts as a liaison for Medicine Service involving medical matters with outside organizations including local hospitals, clinics, and other appropriate organizations. Responsible for assisting the AO and ACOS with physician/mid-level and other clinical staff recruitment for the Medicine section. Helps ensure patient confidentiality and is an advocate for patient rights and responsibilities. Performs other health leadership, management, and clinical duties as required. Ensure that all pulmonologists are maintaining continuing medical education adequate to keep knowledge and skills current and to maintain licensure and board certifications. Utilizes “bed huddle “to interact with Nursing and other services concerning inpatient issues. Administrative duties include working directly with the Associate Chief of Staff for Medicine Service with the clinical and administrative supervision of and monitoring of professional standards for staff Pulmonologist. He/She Serves as clinical authority for professional, licensed, and certified pulmonology / respiratory staff. The incumbent must demonstrate skills in exercising a high degree of initiative, judgment, discretion, and decision-making to achieve organizational objectives. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be eligible for highly qualified 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-Friday 7:30a.m.-4:30p.m. 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: American Board of certification (eligible) with clinical privileges to practice Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: Candidates must successfully complete a pre-employment physical. Position requires standing for extended periods, use of fingers and both hands, ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously, ability to distinguish basic colors, emotional and mental stability. Hearing aid is permitted. Incumbents may experience exposure to blood and body fluids.. Exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 25 pounds of force frequently to move objects. This could include moving objects such as pieces of equipment and assistance in moving patients. 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 candidates credentials clearly demonstrate high professional attainment or expertise in the specialty area. Additional Information The Division of Pulmonary, and Critical Care at the VA Medical Center, Salisbury NC is seeking a Physician with training, interest, and expertise in critical care medicine (internal medicine) to function as the Director of Critical Care at the Salisbury VAMC and medical simulation. The Physician is to join a multidisciplinary team that includes pulmonary and critical care physicians, ICU Physician Assistants and Hospitalists in providing critical care services for both medical and surgical patients. The incumbent is expected to be involved in direct patient care and providing preceptorship for residents and medical students. The Physician functions independently providing leadership and medical oversight of all ICU operations with regular updates to the section chief of pulmonary and critical care medicine. Administrative duties include chairing the critical care committee, participating in the code blue committee, and providing daily oversight to ICU operations and physician assistant staff. When not providing ICU care, the incumbent will also perform other clinical duties including serving as an attending pulmonologist, performing inpatient and outpatient consultations, interpreting PFTs, teaching medical students, and supervising residents and fellows. A fully supported EBUS and electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy program is available on site. A candidate with Interest and proficiency in bronchoscopy is desirable and would join a robust team of advanced bronchoscopists as part of the thoracic oncology program. The incumbent will also lead the medical simulation program. Sleep medicine practice can be included in the position but is not required. Applicants should have leadership skills and motivation to provide oversight of administrative operations, clinical care, and teaching with responsibilities that include the supervision of fellows from Wake Forest University Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship Program. The Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine program ls highly focused on outcomes and strongly encourages research activity. There are opportunities for leadership in clinical trials. Candidates will have academic appointments with Wake Forest University commensurate on the level of experience and interest. The SVA HCS is a complexity 1a facility. The medicine specialty program has a clinical staff of over 100 specialists and consistently ranked in the top 10 by volume of encounters in the VHA. 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. 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.