Summary 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. Responsibilities The Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center serves as the primary health care provider for more than 151,000 Veterans in southeast Texas. The incumbent will serve as a staff radiologist within the Radiology Program at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center (MEDVAMC).Houston exudes a cosmopolitan and down-home vibe together that lets the residents of the country's fourth-largest city and third-largest county (Harris) know that there's no place quite like Houston. The city attracts visitors and transplants with a wonderful mix of world class arts, booming business, pro sports and award-winning cuisine. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be approved for highly qualified candidates Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Learn more. EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance 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 Duties include, but not limited to: Review exam requests for appropriateness. Prescribe exam protocols and modify as needed for specific clinical indications in CT/MRI/Ultrasound/Xray /Fluoroscopy. Provide oversight of technical image quality with feedback to technologists. Provide clinical oversight of medication administration, including contrast and other medications relevant to the Imaging Service. Participate in various aspects of quality assurance such as peer review, protocol review, appropriateness criteria and performance improvement. Interpret imaging exams (CT, MRI, ultrasound, X-ray, Fluoroscopy) including relevant exam comparison and correlation with clinical information in CPRS. Generate reports that contain pertinent findings and measurements, a description of normal and abnormal structures, discussion of differential diagnoses, recommendations and impression. Support patient care services with reports timely to the care being delivered with the method of communication appropriate to the level of clinical importance or acuity. Consult with providers on various aspects of imaging such as exam selection, review of results and other support functions. Interact with patients to obtain relevant clinical history and physical exam findings within the scope of radiology practice, provide education to patients and support. Obtain informed consent, issue disclosures when appropriate, document in CPRS, enter orders in CPRS, and other aspects of physician practice. Participate in the coordination of patient care: Contact clinical providers as relevant to assure effective patient care, discuss evaluation, management, follow-up and other aspects of coordinated, patient-centered care. Make timely and definitive notification of time-sensitive results and/or results that have major clinical significance. Participate in assigned tumor boards as per Departmental requirements. Participate in on-call duties as per Departmental requirements. Consults with Ordering Providers. Responsible for providing services in an efficient, high-quality, cost effective manner within budget allocation. Works directly with Radiology Leadership to assist in ensuring adequate and appropriate staffing and scheduling of complex procedures. Participates in training and support of technical staff. Works with the Radiology Leadership and other staff as appropriate, supports operations issues/problems resolution in a logical, step-wise fashion. Participates in a forum in which staff identifies, communicate, and resolve issues related to Radiology Service, Medical Center ancillary and support operations, and VISN-wide mandates. Works with the Radiology Leadership and other disciplines as necessary to support, contribute to and implement policies, procedures, performance goals, strategic plans and initiatives. Seeks and enhances opportunities to promote and strengthen the Medical Center's and VISN goals. Responsible for implementing the goal of improving care for patients within the Medical Center and VISN. Work Schedule: Schedules vary; to be discussed with hiring manager. On-call duties per service line requirements. 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). You may be required to serve a probationary period. Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. 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/Board Eligible in Diagnostic Radiology. Completion of an ACGME accredited residency program in diagnostic radiology. Fellowship training in Body Imaging/Abdominal Imaging/Muskuloskeletal/Thoracic. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: Light lifting, under 15 pounds Light carrying, under 15 pounds Reaching above shoulders Use of fingers Walking, up to 1 hour Standing, up to 2 hours Repeated bending, up to 1 hour Both legs required Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4 Both eyes required Depth perception Ability to distinguish basic colors Ability to distinguish shades of colors Hearing (aid may be permitted) Environmental Requirements: Working closely with others Working alone Protracted or irregular hours of work Occasional odors Maybe required to wear a mask 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 is an open continuous announcement. Qualified applicants will be considered and referred as vacancies become available. This position is remote work eligible and is currently on an extension from the return to office mandates. Remote positions are reviewed bi-annually and do not imply permanent remote work status and may be required to comply with the return to office mandates in the future. Tele-Radiology positions were granted a 180-day mid-term extension from the return to office mandates for clinical staff. Although this position is currently remote, it is subject to change based on the needs of the organization. In which case office space would be assigned at a local VA Facility/CBOC or Federal Agency. 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.
