Summary The Amarillo VA Health Care System, Amarillo, Texas is seeking a full-time Physician (Medical Director-Emergency Medicine) to manage and direct the activities assigned, provided it is done in agreement with the objectives, policies, and standards of the hospital and within recognized ethical, moral, and legal guidelines. This position will have 0.5 FTE at minimum of clinical and 0.5 FTE administrative time. A Recruitment/Relocation Incentive may be authorized for a highly qualified candidate. Responsibilities The Medical Director of Emergency Department (ED) is granted privileges to provide, deliver and/or interpret are hereby granted the following core privileges: Evaluation, stabilization and movement to definitive care of acute medical, surgical, and trauma conditions that present to the ED. Assessment and initiation of treatment of ongoing or chronic conditions that present to the ED while facilitating delivery of the patient to the appropriate level of follow up care. Provide patient first focused care while practicing evidence based cost effective medicine. Ensure practice consistent with Joint Commission, CARF, VA policies and procedures, clinical practice emergency medicine guidelines, VISN standards, national statutes and regulations, medical record documentation, mandatory continuing education, and HIPPA policies Education of any students of medicine and residents within the teaching facility. ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES: Provide leadership, planning, organization, staffing, coordination, and evaluation for emergency department activities. Responsible for all medical administration, personnel, and activities in the emergency department. Has the responsibility for ensuring the ethical practice of emergency medicine within the department. Directly supervises and has responsibility for emergency physicians in clinical and assigned administrative duties. Acts as liaison with hospital administration and medical staff. Should be concerned with physician scheduling. Collaborates with nursing leadership and ED Leadership team to ensure that departmental performance meets or exceeds standards described in medical staff rules and regulations, the hospital bylaws, departmental policies, the JCAHO Manual of Accreditation, and in other appropriate local and national standards. Works with leadership team to ensure that the department meets or exceeds its defined objectives for improvement, growth, and expansion of services. Cooperates with hospital administration and nursing leadership to develop a team of personnel managers for the emergency department (clerical, nursing, and others), teaching them by precept and example to manage. Ensures departmental policies are known, understood, and implemented by the emergency physicians. Monitors correctness and appropriateness of the emergency department records; implements corrective intervention as required in association with medical records and quality assurance mechanisms. Participates in personnel, purchasing, and procedural changes in the emergency department, in cooperation with appropriate personnel and hospital managers. Requires participation and initiation of in-service continuing education of physicians, residents, and clerical personnel. Encourages the involvement of all physician staff to participate in EMS/paramedic training and education. The director shall ensure that the emergency department has effective communications with Patients and their families, Hospital administration, Nursing leadership and clerical supervisors, Hospital department heads, Laboratory and radiology department for follow-up and evaluation of tests initiated in the ED, County government in cooperation with hospital administration, Paramedic and EMS system, Residency programs, Law enforcement agencies, and Poison control Liaison with the medical staff should include, physician interface, promotion of emergency services provided, review of complaints and amicable resolution, encouraging use of new services in the ED, openness to suggestions from medical staff, and timeliness of medical staff response to consultation Recruitment-Orientation - Establishes an active process for identifying and recruiting emergency physicians, physician assistants, nurse clinicians, and nurse practitioners. Other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday (8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.) VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. Recruitment/Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized 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 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 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. 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. Licensure and Registration: 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: Those approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), b) OR Those approved by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA),OR 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. Physical Requirements: See outlined below. English Language Proficiency. Physicians appointed to direct patient-care positions must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. § 7402(d) and 7407(d). Preferred Experience: Board Certified in Emergency Medicine Career emergency medicine physician with proven clinical and administrative skills. Demonstrated knowledge and ability in the financial, managerial, and marketing aspects of emergency medicine. Meets ACEP requirements for annual continuing medical education. Demonstrated ability to speak effectively on administrative and clinical matters related to emergency medicine. Appropriately focuses to the audience, whether administrators, medical staff, EMS providers, or the public. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: The position requires light lifting and carrying (under 15 pounds), use of fingers, walking, standing, both legs required, specific visual requirement (be able to see computer), and hearing (aid permitted). 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.
