Physician - Gastroenterologist (Section Chief)

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 ineligible to apply.

Responsibilities

• Oversees administrative and programmatic resources as well as professional and administrative activities within the gastroenterology section including selection, orientation, and continuing education of staff in collaboration with other physician leaders.
• Aids in the coordination of program development to strengthen clinical and operational issues in the gastroenterology service.
• Maintains compliance with agency regulations, medical staff bylaws, facility policies, Joint Commission (JC) standards, and other regulations.
• Participates in hospital and medical staff activities such as accreditation requirements, quality assessment, quality improvement projects, committee assignments, lean activities, HEDIS, SAIL measures, etc.
• Provides direct outpatient clinical care for outpatients with GI problems and GI consultation to VA PIHCS clinical staff within outpatient clinics at the ACC and CBOCs through face to face visits in the clinics including CBOC travel, as well as virtual visits through telehealth or telephone, and e-consults as required.
• The Gastroenterology Chief functions as a staff gastroenterologist for their clinical duties to include examining patients suffering from GI and liver disorders, such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, elevated LFT's, hepatitis, and/or cirrhosis.
• Provides leadership, guidance, teaching and consultation on staff education and development to VA PIHCS gastroenterology clinical staff and may also include teaching to UH JABSOM resident trainees and UH JABSOM medical students and other students rotating on the gastroenterology service.
• Serves as liaison to UH JABSOM Gastroenterology service for coordinating teaching activities.
• Meets the needs of customers while supporting VA missions. Consistently communicates and treats customers (veterans, their representatives, visitors, and all VA staff) in a courteous, tactful, and respectful manner. Provides the customer with consistent information according to established policies and procedures.
• Protects printed and electronic files containing sensitive data in accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974 and other applicable laws, Federal regulations, VA statutes and policy, and VHA policy.

Requirements

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.

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.
• 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.