Physician (Attending Surgeon) Vascular Surgery

Veterans Health Administration • Asheville, NC

4d

About The Position

The staff vascular surgeon provides comprehensive care for patients with disorders of the vascular system, including conditions affecting the abdominal aorta, upper and lower extremity vasculature, and extracranial cerebral circulation. Care includes consultations, nonoperative management, open surgical operations, and endovascular procedures.

The position includes evaluating and treating outpatients and inpatients, responding promptly to consultations and patient transfer requests, interpreting noninvasive laboratory studies, and working with wound therapy nurses. The surgeon prepares patients for operative management, follows established standards and safety policies, cares for patients in the operating room, intensive care unit, and ward, and communicates with patients’ families or designated surrogates about condition, progress, operative findings, expected results, and concerns. The surgeon also arranges follow-up before discharge, participates in morbidity and mortality conferences, and provides required summaries of deaths.

Additional duties include maintaining medical records, keeping current with vascular literature and required continuing medical education, participating in performance improvement projects, and educating and supervising residents in clinics, the Emergency Department, inpatient settings, and the operating room. The surgeon reviews resident duties and expectations, provides mid-rotation feedback, and conducts exit interviews and final evaluations.

The VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package, including competitive salary, annual performance bonus, regular salary increases, paid time off, federal retirement and insurance programs, and possible CME reimbursement. The role has a stated work schedule of 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. No physician employment contract or significant restriction on moonlighting is specified.

Requirements

• United States citizenship, subject to the stated VA policy exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• Doctor of Medicine or equivalent degree in allopathic or osteopathic medicine from an approved 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 training program leading to board-certification eligibility, or an applicable alternative pathway specified in the announcement.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• Pass a pre-employment physical evaluation or examination.
• Meet applicable background and security investigation requirements and complete the online onboarding process.
• Comply with pre-employment drug testing if tentatively selected for a testing-designated position; refusal results in denial of employment.
• Register with Selective Service if applicable to males born after December 31, 1959.
• Participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Ability to physically perform the spectrum of open and endovascular operations in a typical vascular surgery practice, including standing, bending, reaching, and wearing lead shielding and eye protection.

Nice To Haves

• Board certified or board-eligible Vascular Surgeon.
• Ability to perform the typical range of open and endovascular vascular surgery.

Responsibilities

• Provide consultations promptly, including seeing new nonemergency outpatients within 30 days and responding promptly to inpatient consultations and urgent conditions.
• Evaluate and respond promptly to patient transfer requests through direct communication with referring providers and transfer coordinators.
• Evaluate outpatients in the Vascular Surgery clinic and postoperative clinic.
• Work with wound therapy nurses in inpatient and outpatient settings.
• Read and interpret studies generated in the Noninvasive Laboratory promptly.
• Prepare patients for operative management and follow standards and policies for operative-site marking, preoperative briefings, and Time-Out assessments.
• Keep patients’ families or designated surrogates informed about the patient’s condition and progress, including postoperative findings, the conduct of the operation, expected results, and areas of concern.
• Care for Vascular Surgery inpatients in the operating room, intensive care unit, and ward.
• Arrange follow-up appointments for patients before discharge.
• Attend and present at morbidity and mortality conferences and provide summaries of deaths using the required reporting format.
• Complete outpatient consultation reports and progress notes, daily inpatient and intensive care unit progress 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 resident education and supervision in outpatient clinics, the Emergency Department, inpatient settings, and the operating room.
• Review resident duties and expectations at the beginning of rotations, provide mid-rotation performance feedback, and conduct exit interviews and final evaluations.

Benefits

• Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, and regular salary increases.
• 50–55 days of paid time off per year: 26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid federal holidays, and possible 5-day paid absence for CME.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting and a federal 401(k) with up to 5% in VA contributions.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.
• Possible $1,000 annual CME reimbursement for full-time employees with board certification.
• Free liability protection with tail coverage.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree