Summary This position is in Office of Community Care, VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System (ECHCS). This position provides support to the Community Care Program. This position is responsible for assisting with referrals for care in the community. Responsibilities Start, continue, or finish your career here | VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System(youtube.com) Physician assigned to the Office of Community Care will meet basic requirements and hold a degree satisfactory to the Chief, meet the physical standards as described by the Chief and will be licensed to practice without restrictions in a state or territory of the United States. All Physicians will meet the qualifications as stated below. Each Physician will establish and maintain professional relationships within the Office of Community Care and with other services and staff which result in improved referrals to the community. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Evaluation of VA Community Care consults for approval according to guidelines and processes. Duties include, but not limited to the following: 1. Responsible for requests for additional services from community providers as directed. 2. Demonstrate sound decision-making skills which bring credit to the profession and serve to enhance the distinctive and contributory role of physicians. 3. Utilizes problem solving methodologies to resolve problems that impact consult management or staff performance. 4. Ability to determine eligibility for Community Care services. 5. Provides guidance to all staff assigned to Office of Community Care. 6. Assists in the training of staff and other stake holders in the use of Community Care. 7. Facilitates ongoing communication between Community Care staff and leadership to evaluate data and review workload demands. 8. Supports a team-oriented environment among Community Care staff by building trust relationships. 9. Participates in and attends medical center committees as assigned. 10. Revises work schedule and assignments on short notice to meet frequent, abrupt, and unpredictable changes in prescribed workload and deadlines. 11. Demonstrates commitment to high quality customer service, including specific measures identified as performance goals by the Medical Center. 12. Identifies individual professional learning needs and participates in formal programs, workshops, seminars, conferences, as well as self- directed learning activities, completes facility wide mandatory education yearly. 13. Demonstrates working practices that include adherence to confidentiality, privacy, security, safety, and Infection Control standards. 14. Participates in training and education of both intradepartmental staff and clinical staff related to Community Care. Actively serves as a clinical liaison and content expert with VA and non-VA clinical staff. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. 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 8:00 am to 4:30 pm 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. 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). Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. You may be required to serve a probationary period. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 2-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: - your performance and conduct; - the needs and interests of the agency; - whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and - whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. 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: Current Board Certification in Outpatient Medicine, Emergency Medicine, or Medical /Surgical Specialties. Prior experience in Evidence-based clinical practice providing cost effective care while managing patient's clinical needs and expectations. Experience managing referrals to non-VA providers and ensuring continuity across healthcare systems.Strong communication in Interdisciplinary skills, with demonstrated experience working effectively alongside nurses, social workers community providers and administrative staff. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements:Light carrying less than 15 pounds, Use of fingers of at least one hand, Walking 1 hour or less (gait/mobility aid permitted),Standing 1 hour or less (gait/mobility aid permitted),Mostly sitting, Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4,Far vision correctable to 20/40,Hearing (aid permitted),Working with hands in water, Working closely with others, Protracted or irregular hours of work. 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.
