Physician - Gastroenterology

Veterans Health Administration • San Antonio, TX

5d

About The Position

The staff Gastroenterologist provides inpatient and outpatient care and is expected to remain privileged and practice in gastroenterology. Exact privileges and procedures are approved by the Professional Standards Board. The physician provides compassionate, appropriate, and effective care for health promotion, illness prevention, disease treatment, and end-of-life care. Inpatient and consult services may be required during off tours, including nights, weekends, and holidays, as organizational needs require.

The position also includes administrative and clinical-management duties: participating in staff meetings, hospital committees, and peer review; communicating effectively with staff and leadership; maintaining VA training, credentialing, and privileging requirements; participating in professional practice evaluations and clinical record reviews; managing time, leave, clinic cancellations, encounters, and consults; following patient-record and scheduling procedures; supporting staff productivity and performance measures; and contributing to patient-centered care, quality and safety oversight, utilization, and process improvement.

This is a full-time position with a Monday–Friday schedule of 0800–1630, including weekends and on-call responsibilities. Telework is ad hoc only. A recruitment or relocation incentive may be authorized for a highly qualified individual. The position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), subject to program eligibility and approval. EDRP reimbursement may be up to $200,000 over an eligibility period of one to five years.

The VA total rewards package includes competitive salary, annual performance bonus, regular salary increases, paid time off, federal retirement and insurance programs, possible CME reimbursement, and malpractice liability protection with tail coverage. There is no physician employment contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting.

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 residency training approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in an accredited core specialty training program leading to board-certification eligibility, or another qualifying training and practice pathway described in the announcement.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• U.S. citizenship, except that non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens under VA policy.
• Meet applicable VA qualification requirements; pending training or license requirements must be completed before hiring.
• Meet applicable pre-employment requirements, including drug screening, background/security investigation, onboarding, and physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is required for VA healthcare personnel.
• Males born after December 31, 1959, must be registered with Selective Service.
• Applicants may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Submit an EDRP application within four months of appointment to be considered for the program; former EDRP participants are ineligible to reapply.

Nice To Haves

• Board certified or board eligible in Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
• Recent experience providing inpatient and outpatient care to GI and hepatology patients in a complexity level 1a facility.
• Proficiency in general endoscopic procedures; EUS and ERCP are not required.
• Recent VA experience; preferred but not required.
• Recent exposure to an academic education environment.

Responsibilities

• Provide compassionate, appropriate, and effective patient care, including health promotion, illness prevention, disease treatment, and end-of-life care.
• Provide inpatient and consult services during off tours, including nights, weekends, and holidays, as needed by the organization.
• Maintain active privileges and practice in gastroenterology, within privileges approved by the Professional Standards Board.
• Participate in staff meetings, hospital committees, and peer review, and communicate relevant patient outcomes and issues to staff and leadership.
• Maintain VA training requirements and complete documentation and credentialing requirements for privileging and re-privileging.
• Participate in Focused Professional Practice Evaluations (FPPE), Ongoing Professional Practice Evaluations (OPPE), and clinical pertinence reviews.
• Adhere to employee health requirements and tour-of-duty requirements, and submit timely leave requests and clinic cancellation requests.
• Manage open encounters and consults, follow Computerized Patient Record System documentation requirements, and adhere to clinic scheduling and access procedures.
• Support staff productivity, oversee relevant performance measures, and contribute to Medical Home and Patient Centric Care initiatives.
• Participate in utilization, quality, and patient-safety oversight and process improvement/system redesign.
• Demonstrate and apply clinical knowledge, use scientific evidence to evaluate and improve care, and maintain effective professional relationships with patients, families, and healthcare team members.
• Potentially act as Section Chief when the Section Chief is on leave.

Benefits

• Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), with potential reimbursement of up to $200,000, subject to eligibility and approval.
• Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, and regular salary increases.
• 50–55 days of paid time off per year, including annual leave, sick leave, federal holidays, and possible paid CME absence.
• 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 programs may be carried into retirement.
• Possible $1,000 per year CME reimbursement for full-time, board-certified physicians.
• Free malpractice liability protection with tail coverage.
• Potential recruitment sign-on or relocation incentive for a highly qualified individual.
• 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