Physician (Primary Care)

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

• Manage scheduled and unscheduled patients in the outpatient clinic setting, using in-person, video, or designated telework locations, and occasionally from phone visits.
• Work as a member of an expanded healthcare team (PACT) to oversee and coordinate medical care for a population of Veterans in a group practice setting.
• Provide direct patient care full time, including routine scheduled visits and urgent visits.
• Prescribe medications within defined scope of practice.
• Order diagnostic studies such as laboratory tests, x-rays, electrocardiograms.
• Review needs and order health promotion and disease prevention measures.
• Initiate and respond to consultations, special tests, and studies.
• Provide education and counseling of patients and families in preventive care, medical conditions, and use of prescribed treatments and drugs.
• Participate in team communication with the PACT MSA, LPN, and RN, including daily Team Huddles and completion of clinical reminders as medically appropriate.
• Ensure timely documentation (notes and encounter forms) in all areas in accordance with facility policy.
• Work within their privileges, unless necessitated by an emergency.
• Perform additional duties as assigned, including chart reviews, congressional/suspense items, VA Tort Claims, and other tasks under the primary care umbrella such as Employee Health, Traveling Veteran care, urgent care, and others.
• Supervise or collaborate with primary care mid-level providers, providing clinical oversight and participating in peer review of other primary care providers through periodic chart reviews.
• Supervise, educate, and evaluate internal medicine residents and medical students in the outpatient primary care setting.
• Provide surrogate coverage for absent primary care providers when needed, including reviewing CPRS view alerts, paper correspondence, and other aspects of patient care.
• Attend primary care staff meetings, departmental, and medical staff meetings.

Qualifications

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• 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.
• Completed residency training in an accredited core specialty training program leading to eligibility for board certification.
• 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.
• Doctor of Medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in allopathic medicine or osteopathic medicine, obtained from an institution whose accreditation was in place for the year in which the course of study was completed.