Physician- Section Chief Primary Care Service

Veterans Health Administration • Chesapeake County, VA

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Section Chief is a physician leadership role responsible for primary care delivery within a defined section and for supervising staff. Working with the Associate Chief and Chief of Primary Care, the Section Chief plans, organizes, develops, implements, controls, and refines patient management and clinical support within the clinic. The role provides clinical services, technical counsel, and leadership guidance to section staff, and supports primary care delivered through the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) model.

The Section Chief maintains records of meetings, including conclusions, data recommendations, responsible persons, actions taken, and evaluations of effectiveness when appropriate. The role develops policies and procedures supporting effective management, ethics, safety, communication, and quality within the section and between Primary Care and other services. The Section Chief reviews service privilege templates at least annually and recommends modifications to the Chief or Associate Chief as needed.

The position provides a full range of clinical services, including assessment, diagnosis, treatment, diagnostic assessment, and medication evaluation and management, using appropriate techniques to deliver quality care in the physician’s subspecialty. The physician provides therapeutic interventions in assigned Hampton VA Medical Center units or programs within their clinical privileges and collaborates with multidisciplinary team members in meetings and treatment-planning conferences to coordinate comprehensive patient care.

The position follows a Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–4:30 PM work schedule. It is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), subject to individual eligibility and program approval, with a possible award of up to $200,000 over one to five years. A recruitment or relocation incentive may be authorized for highly qualified applicants. The VA offers a federal total rewards package that includes paid time off, retirement, insurance, and other benefits.

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 in an accredited core specialty training program leading to eligibility for board certification, subject to the stated VA-recognized training pathways.
• 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.
• Pass a pre-employment physical examination.
• Meet the stated physical requirements, including lifting, carrying, reaching, use of fingers and both hands, walking, standing, kneeling, vision, depth perception, color discrimination, hearing, emotional and mental stability, and working closely with others or alone.
• Meet applicable pre-employment conditions, including background/security investigation, drug screening for testing-designated positions, and seasonal influenza vaccination requirements.

Nice To Haves

• Two years of primary care experience.
• Previous supervisory experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee all aspects of primary care delivery within the defined section, including supervision of staff.
• Plan, organize, develop, implement, control, and refine comprehensive patient management and clinical support within the clinic.
• Provide services, technical counsel, and leadership guidance to section staff to meet patients’ care and treatment needs.
• Support primary care delivery through the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) model.
• Maintain meeting records documenting conclusions, data recommendations, responsible persons, actions taken, and evaluations of effectiveness as appropriate.
• Develop policies and procedures for effective management, ethics, safety, communication, and quality within the section and between Primary Care and other services.
• Review service privilege templates at least annually and recommend modifications to the Chief or Associate Chief as needed.
• Assess, diagnose, and treat patients using appropriate techniques to provide quality care in the physician’s subspecialty.
• Provide therapeutic interventions, diagnostic assessment, and medication evaluation and management in assigned units or programs within clinical privileges.
• Participate in team meetings and treatment-planning conferences and collaborate with multidisciplinary team members to coordinate comprehensive patient care.

Benefits

• Education Debt Reduction Program eligibility, with a possible award of up to $200,000 for an approved period of one to five years, subject to eligibility and program review.
• Potential recruitment or relocation incentive for highly qualified applicants.
• 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 potentially five days of paid CME absence.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting and 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, board-certified physicians.
• Free liability protection with tail coverage.

What This Job Offers

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