Physician (Attending Surgeon) Vascular Surgery

Veterans Health Administration • Asheville, NC

1d

About The Position

The staff vascular surgeon provides comprehensive care to patients with disorders of the vascular system, including the abdominal aorta, upper and lower extremity vasculature, and extracranial cerebral circulation. Care includes consultations, nonoperative management, open surgical operations, and endovascular procedures. The surgeon evaluates patients in vascular surgery and postoperative clinics, provides inpatient care in the operating room, intensive care unit, and ward, and works with wound therapy nurses in inpatient and outpatient settings.

The role includes prompt review of consultations and transfer requests, interpretation of noninvasive laboratory studies, preparation of patients for operative management, and compliance with established standards and policies for surgical site marking, preoperative briefings, and Time-Out assessments. The surgeon keeps patients' families or designated surrogates informed, coordinates follow-up before discharge, attends morbidity and mortality conferences, and prepares required death summaries.

The position also includes completing medical records, keeping current with vascular literature and required continuing medical education, participating in performance improvement projects, and educating and supervising surgical residents in outpatient clinics, the Emergency Department, inpatient settings, and the operating room. Resident responsibilities include reviewing rotation duties and expectations, providing mid-rotation feedback, and conducting an exit interview and final evaluation.

This is an intermittent position with work on days, nights, weekends, and holidays according to facility needs. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package, including paid leave and federal holidays, retirement benefits, insurance programs, possible CME reimbursement, and malpractice liability protection with tail coverage. No Physician Employment Contract is required, and there is no significant restriction on moonlighting.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, except that non-citizens may be appointed when recruiting qualified citizens is not possible under VA policy.
• Doctor of Medicine or equivalent degree in allopathic or osteopathic medicine from an appropriately approved or accredited institution.
• Current, full, and unrestricted license to practice medicine or surgery in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia.
• Completion of qualifying residency training in an accredited core specialty program leading to board-certification eligibility, or another qualifying training and independent-practice pathway specified in the announcement.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• Meet the physical standards established for the position.
• Pass a pre-employment physical evaluation or examination.
• Participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Complete required background and security investigation and online onboarding; selected applicants are subject to pre-employment drug screening for testing-designated positions.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the Required Documents section.

Nice To Haves

• Board certified or board eligible as a vascular surgeon.
• Able to perform the typical range of open and endovascular vascular surgery.

Responsibilities

• Review and provide consultations promptly, including seeing nonemergent new outpatients within 30 days and responding promptly to inpatient consultations and urgent conditions.
• Evaluate and respond to patient transfer requests through direct communication with referring providers and transfer coordinators.
• Evaluate patients in the Vascular Surgery clinic and Vascular Surgery postoperative clinic.
• Work with wound therapy nurses in inpatient and outpatient settings.
• Promptly read and interpret studies generated in the Noninvasive Laboratory.
• Prepare patients for operative management and follow standards for operative-site marking, preoperative briefings, and Time-Out assessments.
• Keep patients' families or designated surrogates informed of patient condition and progress, including postoperative findings, the conduct of the operation, expected results, and areas of concern.
• Care for inpatients on the Vascular Surgery Service in the operating room, intensive care unit, and ward.
• Arrange follow-up appointments and dispositions for patients before discharge.
• Attend and present at morbidity and mortality conferences.
• Provide summaries of deaths using the required reporting format.
• Complete outpatient consultation reports, progress notes, daily intensive care unit inpatient notes, history and physical examinations, and operative reports.
• View alerts.
• Keep up with developments in vascular literature and maintain required CME activities.
• Participate in performance improvement projects.
• Participate in surgical resident education and supervision in outpatient clinics, the Emergency Department, inpatient settings, and the operating room.
• Review resident duties and expectations at the start of rotations, provide mid-rotation performance feedback, and conduct an exit interview and final evaluation.

Benefits

• Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, and regular salary increases.
• 50–55 days of paid time off per year, including 26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid federal holidays, and a possible five-day paid absence for CME.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting and federal 401(k) with up to 5% in contributions by VA.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.
• Possible $1,000 per year CME reimbursement for full-time employees with board certification.
• Free liability protection with tail coverage.
• No Physician Employment Contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree