Physician - Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist

Veterans Health Administration • Richmond, VA

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Central Virginia VA Health Care System in Richmond, Virginia, is seeking two Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologists to provide care to U.S. Veterans. The facility is a 349-bed, level 1a medical center offering a broad range of primary, secondary, and tertiary services and has an affiliation with Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, including shared anesthesiology residency positions and student nurse anesthetists.

The physician provides anesthetic and perioperative care for patients undergoing cardiac surgical procedures. Responsibilities include preoperative assessment and consultation, selecting and delivering appropriate anesthetic techniques, performing advanced procedures and monitoring, obtaining informed consent, and providing postoperative care. The role includes on-call coverage as requested by the Chief of Anesthesiology and airway management for critically ill patients throughout the hospital. The work schedule is variable.

The position offers a federal total rewards package that includes competitive salary, annual performance bonuses and regular salary increases; 50–55 days of paid time off annually, including annual and sick leave and federal holidays, with a possible five-day paid CME absence; a federal pension and 401(k) contributions of up to 5%; federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; possible CME reimbursement of $1,000 per year for eligible full-time board-certified physicians; and free liability protection with tail coverage. The position has no physician employment contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting. It is eligible for an $80,000-per-year retention incentive after 90 days of employment and a satisfactory performance review.

Requirements

• 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 training program leading to board-certification eligibility, or an accepted equivalent pathway described in the announcement.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• U.S. citizenship, except that non-citizens may be appointed when recruiting qualified citizens is not possible under VA policy.
• Fellowship training and expertise in cardiothoracic anesthesiology and transesophageal echocardiography, as described in the position summary.
• Proficiency in peripheral, arterial, and central venous access and anesthetic care for ASA class 1 through 6 patients.
• Meet the stated physical requirements, including visual acuity, hearing, clear speech, and manual dexterity; ability to perform prolonged walking and standing and other physical activities, and intermittently lift or carry up to 35 pounds with assistive devices as needed.
• Meet applicable pre-employment conditions, including drug screening for testing-designated positions, background/security investigation, onboarding and identification requirements, and seasonal influenza vaccination.

Nice To Haves

• Fellowship training in Cardiac Anesthesiology.

Responsibilities

• Assess patients and provide appropriate anesthetic care for Veterans undergoing cardiac surgical procedures.
• Perform procedures including arterial puncture, EKG interpretation, venipuncture, nasogastric tube insertion, TEE probe insertion and interpretation, intra-arterial and central venous line placement, Swan-Ganz catheter insertion, and bronchoscopy for placement of double-lumen endotracheal tubes; use other advanced monitoring strategies as appropriate.
• Explain the risks, benefits, and alternatives of anesthesia to patients or their representatives, answer questions, and obtain informed consent before anesthetic or invasive procedures.
• Evaluate patients before surgery, including health status, physical examination, laboratory values, and vital signs; determine optimization needs and communicate additional workup before surgery.
• Document appropriately in the patient's medical record, with notes timed, dated, and signed.
• Provide preoperative inpatient and outpatient consultations and operating room evaluations.
• Deliver perioperative anesthetic care using monitored anesthesia care (MAC), regional, and general anesthesia techniques for ASA class 1 through 6 patients.
• Provide postoperative care in the PACU, including ventilator management, hemodynamic support, and pain management.
• Provide on-call coverage as requested by the Chief of Anesthesiology.
• Provide appropriate airway management to critically ill patients throughout the hospital.

Benefits

• Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, and regular salary increases.
• 50–55 days of paid time off per year, including annual leave, sick leave, and paid federal holidays; possible five-day paid absence for CME.
• Traditional federal pension and federal 401(k) with up to 5% in contributions by VA.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many programs can be carried into retirement.
• Possible $1,000 per year CME reimbursement for eligible full-time board-certified physicians.
• Free liability protection with tail coverage.
• $80,000-per-year retention incentive after 90 days of employment and a satisfactory performance review.
• No physician employment contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting.

What This Job Offers

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