Physician (Pain Management) with Recruitment/Relocation Incentive/EDRP

About the Role

The West Texas VA Health Care System Ambulatory Care Service is seeking a Physician (Pain Management) responsible for delivering comprehensive, patient-centered pain medical care through biopsychosocial assessment, diagnosis, and longitudinal treatment aimed at improving function and quality of life.

Duties

The Pain Management Physician will coordinate care within the pain management team, serves as the Pain Clinic Lead, and participates in program development, interdisciplinary collaboration, and quality improvement initiatives. Duties include the following:

• Provides comprehensive biopsychosocial assessment and longitudinal treatment with the aim to improve function and quality of life while minimizing the impact of pain
• Conducts physical examinations and orders diagnostic tests with consultation (referrals) as part of the diagnostic evaluation and pain care planning
• Provides in-person and virtual care options
• Provides medication management for pain including prescribing of opioid analgesic medications, when indicated
• Assesses for and diagnoses opioid use disorder and prescribes medications for opioid use disorder, when indicated
• Coordinates pain care within the pain management team and VA health care and with external providers (e.g., interventional pain care, care in the community)
• Serves as the Pain Clinic Lead for the facility and reports to the Deputy Chief of Staff
• Participates in interdisciplinary meetings, committees, conferences, grand rounds, TJC activities, and any other relevant activities to assist the program, service, and facility
• Performs administrative components of pain care management, such as documentation of evaluations, progress notes reports, summaries, signatures, and consultation referrals for both in/outpatients following facility and service line guidelines
• Functions as a part of (or works closely with) the facility Pain Management, Opioid Safety, and Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PMOP) Triad and participates in related program development and process

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 allopathic 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 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; OR (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; OR (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
• Proficiency in spoken and written English

Preferred Experience

• Board Certified/Board Eligible in Pain Medicine
• 3+ years experience delivering both in-person and telehealth/virtual pain management care within a large health care system, preferably in a federal or VA setting
• Experience prescribing and managing opioid analgesic medications, including assessment, diagnosis, and pharmacological treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD)
• Experience coordinating interdisciplinary pain care across multiple providers and service lines, including interventional pain specialists and community care partners
• Experience serving in a leadership or supervisory role within a pain management clinic, including program development and quality improvement initiatives
• Completion of a residency/fellowship program

Schedule

Monday - Friday (8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.)

Pay and Benefits

• 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

A Recruitment/Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus) may be authorized for a highly qualified candidate. This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) - Student Loan Repayment. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact vhaedrpprogramsupport@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance.