Chief of Medicine

About the role

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 are ineligible to apply.

Responsibilities

• Assumes responsibility for the overall management of the Medicine Service. This includes the organization of the administrative day-to-day activities of the Medicine department.
• Provides leadership and accountability for all aspects of the service, assuring support of the mission and values of this health care system and VISN 7.
• Carries out the goals, objectives, and plans and policies established by the Health Care System Director.
• Ensures the service functions as an integrated care delivery system, providing a full continuum of patient-focused Medicine Services for Veterans.
• Keeps abreast of recent advances in respective specialty techniques and technological innovations as they become available.
• Maintains standards of clinical competence and conduct, complies with credentialing and privileging, clinical practice, and performance, and complies with other quality improvement activities.
• Provides quality clinical care and services regarding customer satisfaction, compliance with Joint Commission regulations and other relevant accrediting agencies as indicated, and ensures efficiency of service delivery.
• Maintains positive communication with stakeholders, including Veteran patients, employees, community groups, private health care providers, affiliated institutions, Veterans Service Organizations, VHA headquarters officials, and Congressional liaisons. Represents the executive body of the Leadership Board of the Health Care System on education and affiliation issues at community events.
• Advises and coordinates activities, resolves controversial issues related to program operations, influences top management decisions on educational program activities, maintains amicable and open relations, responds to specific inquiries, fosters an atmosphere of cooperation and open communication with entities having an interest in the activities of the VA. Requires skill in negotiating and persuasion and the ability to communicate diplomatically.

Requirements

The Chief of Medical Service provides administrative, programmatic, and clinical leadership for Medical Service to ensure achievement of the clinical, research, and education goals. The incumbent is a board-certified physician with advanced clinical experience as well as demonstrated administrative and leadership skills. As a leader in the department of Medicine, the Chief, Medicine Service is responsible for the overall operation of the Medicine Service, whose mission is to provide a continuum of quality care to our Veterans in the area Medicine.

Qualifications

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• 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 accrediting bodies for graduate medical education, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or American Osteopathic Association (AOA), in the list published for the year the residency, or fellowship if applicable, was completed;
• (2) One year of post medical school training (internship, first year of residency, or transitional year residency) approved by ACGME or AOA followed by two years of post-training independent practice (performing under a full and unrestricted license) in the United States;
• (3) Non-US residency training programs followed by a minimum of three years of verified independent practice in the United States (performing under a full and unrestricted license) performing duties related to the position they are applying for (United States fellowships would be creditable towards this requirement), 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.
• Exceptions: 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 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.
• In rare and unusual circumstances, the Facility Director can submit a memo to the VISN Director through the VISN Chief Medical Officer, who may approve requests for reasonable exceptions to the residency training requirement for Physicians whose composite record of experience, accomplishments, performance, and qualifications warrant such action.