Summary The Physician in Geriatrics and Extended Care (GEC) oversees all matters related to the Community Living Center. The Physician will function as the Community Living Center Medical Director and Hospice Palliative Care Medical Director. Responsibilities Beckley VA Medical Center is a Joint Commission accredited, complexity level II facility serving Veterans in 11 counties in southern West Virginia. The medical center opened its doors to Veterans on March 1, 1951, and today it is a 25-bed general medical/surgical and 5-bed intensive care facility with a 50-bed community living center. The community living center offers skilled nursing care, post-acute rehabilitation and restorative care, hospice, palliative care, and respite care for eligible Veterans. Provide direct patient care in nursing home setting which may include assessments, history and physicals, consultations, ordering diagnostic tests, therapeutic interventions, wound care, and initiating consults in accordance with VA policy. Provide supervision of mid-level practitioners and health profession trainees in a nursing home setting. Assist with administrative responsibilities within the Community Living Center including oversight of admissions screening process and discharge planning. Attend local, regional, and national meetings as related to Geriatrics and Extended Care and Hospice Palliative Care. Assist with development of a geriatric educational program for health professional trainees.Participate in site visits and review processes for GEC and Hospice Palliative Care. Actively participate and lead quality improvement projects. Provide leadership and strategic vision for GEC. Actively participate with interdisciplinary teams for patient care and management. Participate with rotating telephone call coverage for urgent CLC needs after regular business hours. Complete Hospice Palliative Care consults and participate with Palliative Care Coordination Team. Perform other duties as assigned by the Chief of GEC. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply. Pay: Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, regular salary increases Paid Time Off: 50-55 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year and possible 5 day paid absence for CME) Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory CME: Possible $1,000 per year reimbursement (must be full-time with board certification) Malpractice: Free liability protection with tail coverage provided Contract: No Physician Employment Contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting Work Schedule: Monday to Friday 8 am to 430pm, with some on call weekends. About the region: Beckley West Virginia is southern West Virginia's largest population center and a major shopping and entertainment area for thousands of the "Mountain State's rural residents. Tourism, technology and transportation thrive here amid 3 national parks. Beckley is an ideal place to live with affordable cost of living and a low crime rate, which WV has had the lowest for 50 years. The city offers dining options of authentic local food as well as a diverse variety of well-known franchise restaurants. Entertainment included the performing arts, fine arts, museums, festivals, live music as well as movie Galleria 14 movie theater, bowling, miniature golf and other fun activities. The region has some of the most beautiful parks, trails and lakes for outdoor recreation. General Area: Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center Raleigh County Memorial Airport YMCA of Southern West Virginia Entertainment: City of Beckley Sponsored Events Tamarack Arts: Beckley Concert Association Theatre West Virginia Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine Youth Museum Outdoors: Parks and Recreation Burning Rock West Virginia Off Road Park Winterplace Ski Resort Summit Bechtel Reserve Resort at Glade Springs Cabins at Pine Haven New River Gorge National Park & Preserve West Virginia State Parks Schools: Raleigh County School District West Virginia University Institute of Technology Valley College New River Community and Technical College Requirements Conditions of Employment U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. You may be required to serve a probationary period. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Qualifications To qualify for this position, you must meet the basic requirements as well as any additional requirements (if applicable) listed in the job announcement. Applicants pending the completion of training or license requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Currently employed physician(s) in VA who met the requirements for appointment under the previous qualification standard at the time of their initial appointment are deemed to have met the basic requirements of the occupation. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. Degree of doctor of medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in medicine or osteopathic medicine. The degree must have been obtained from one of the schools approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs for the year in which the course of study was completed. Current, full and unrestricted license to practice medicine or surgery in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia. Residency Training: Physicians must have completed residency training, approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in an accredited core specialty training program leading to eligibility for board certification. (NOTE: VA physicians involved in academic training programs may be required to be board certified for faculty status.) Approved residencies are: (1) Those approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), b) OR [(2) Those approved by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA),OR (3) Other residencies (non-US residency training programs followed by a minimum of five years of verified practice in the United States), which the local Medical Staff Executive Committee deems to have provided the applicant with appropriate professional training and believes has exposed the physician to an appropriate range of patient care experiences. Residents currently enrolled in ACGME/AOA accredited residency training programs and who would otherwise meet the basic requirements for appointment are eligible to be appointed as "Physician Resident Providers" (PRPs). PRPs must be fully licensed physicians (i.e., not a training license) and may only be appointed on an intermittent or fee-basis. PRPs are not considered independent practitioners and will not be privileged; rather, they are to have a "scope of practice" that allows them to perform certain restricted duties under supervision. Additionally, surgery residents in gap years may also be appointed as PRPs. Proficiency in spoken and written English. Preferred Experience: Board certified or Board Eligible A national/international reputation in his/her area of scholarship or research. Experience in leading teaching programs. - A continuous record of highly regarded medical publications since the last appointment or promotion. - Excellent interpersonal skills, mentoring skills and diplomacy as well as a good understanding of the Department of Veterans Affairs operations, rules and regulations. - Developed and implemented Medical Center policy affecting patient care, treatment and services. Served on hospital and academic committees. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. Physical Requirements: Lifting up to 35 pounds, intermittently; moderate carrying (15-35 pounds), intermittently; lifting over 35 pounds with assistive devices in accordance with the Safe Patient Handling Policy except in emergent situations requiring prompt patient care; pulling, intermittently; pushing, intermittently; reaching above the shoulders, intermittently, both hands required; walking, intermittently; standing, intermittently; kneeling, intermittently; and repeated bending. Education Degree of Doctor of Medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in allopathic medicine or osteopathic medicine. The degree must have been obtained from an institution whose accreditation was in place for the year in which the course of study was completed. Approved schools are: Schools of medicine accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for the year in which the degree was granted, or Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation of the American Osteopathic Association for the year in which the degree was granted. For foreign medical graduates not covered in (1) or (2) above, facility officials must verify with the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) that the applicant has met requirements for certification, and must obtain a copy of the ECFMG certificate, if claimed by the applicant. [If the applicant does not claim an ECFMG certificate, facility officials must still confirm that the medical school meets (or met) ECFMG eligibility requirements for the year the candidate graduated.] NOTE: The Under Secretary of Health or designee in the VHA Central Office may approve the appointment under authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405 of a physician graduate of a school of medicine not covered above if the candidate is to be assigned to a research, academic, or administrative position with no patient care responsibilities. The appointment will be made only in exceptional circumstances where the candidate's credentials clearly demonstrate high professional attainment or expertise in the specialty area. Additional Information This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.
