Podiatrist - Primary Care, Site Medical Director

Veterans Health Administration • Auburn, WA

4d • Onsite

About The Position

This position is located at the VA Puget Sound Auburn Community Based Outpatient Clinic in Auburn, Washington, within the General Medicine Service. The incumbent provides management and leadership of interdisciplinary patient care services in a primary care setting. The work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Compressed or flexible scheduling is authorized; telework is not available, and the position is not virtual.

The position involves direct and indirect patient care, supervision of staff, population health and quality improvement, and shared leadership of clinical operations. The Site Medical Director works with the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) triad and partners with extended PACT services and other service lines to support care delivery. The role also contributes to strategic and operational planning, staffing and resource review, performance monitoring, governance, and emergency preparedness.

Applicants must hold a doctor of podiatric medicine degree from an approved school, have completed or be completing qualifying residency training, and hold or be eligible to hold a full and unrestricted podiatry license in a U.S. jurisdiction. The position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

Requirements

• Doctor of podiatric medicine degree, or equivalent, from a school of podiatric medicine approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
• Completed or currently completing residency training, or equivalent, approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in an accredited core specialty training program leading to board-certification eligibility.
• Currently hold, or be able to hold, a full and unrestricted license to practice podiatry in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.
• Applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing-designated position must submit to urinalysis for illegal drug use; refusing testing results in denial of employment.
• Meet applicable background and security investigation requirements.
• Complete required onboarding and application documentation.
• Comply with the seasonal influenza vaccination program requirement for VA Health Care Personnel.
• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must meet Selective Service registration requirements.
• Education used to qualify must be recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and from an accredited institution; foreign education requires a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency and transcript.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate, diagnose, and treat patients within the scope of the incumbent’s clinical privileges and applicable professional practice requirements.
• Provide direct and indirect patient contact or perform other tasks permitted by statute, professional custom, state law, and clinical privileges.
• Supervise staff, including handling administrative tasks, human resources issues, and performance evaluations.
• Participate in population health and quality improvement efforts related to Veterans’ care.
• Take part in continuing medical education and quality assurance activities.
• Follow Medical Staff By-Laws.
• Collaborate with the Patient Aligned Care Team triad, including shared leadership of clinical operations.
• Improve the clinical environment by collaborating with extended PACT services, including pharmacy, social work, nutrition, telemedicine, laboratory services, radiology services, and Primary Care Mental Health Integration.
• Work with non-General Medicine Service lines to facilitate care within the work unit as needed.
• Lead according to the foundational principles of a highly reliable organization.
• Participate in strategic and operational planning for the work unit.
• Ensure staff follow VHA, facility, and General Medicine Service policies and procedures.
• Review staffing and resource utilization; monitor clinical performance measures and Veteran satisfaction metrics; review staff satisfaction metrics; and contribute to work-unit governance.
• Support staff engagement in emergency planning, drills, and emergency communications.

Benefits

• 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 continuing medical education.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting.
• 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.

What This Job Offers

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