Summary The Medical Service Mission is to lead satisfied staff dedicated in providing high-quality, patient-centered care at the South Texas Veterans Health Care System (STVHCS), a tertiary training and research Veteran's Hospital. This Renal Physician position supports this mission through direct patient care, administrative dependability, and support of the Section's clinical, educational and research activities and directives. Responsibilities This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT & will remain open until February 13, 2026 or until positions are filled. Eligible applications received will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur. The duties for the Nephrology Physician include, but are not limited to the following: Clinical Duties: The Staff Renal Physician is expected to remain privileged and practicing in their specialty field(s). The specific privileges and procedures for a provider are approved by the Professional Standards Board. All physicians must meet the following qualifications: Patient Care: Demonstration of patient care that is compassionate, appropriate, and effective for the promotion of health, prevention of illness, treatment of disease, and care at the end of life. Medical/Clinical Knowledge: Demonstration of knowledge of established and evolving biomedical, clinical and social sciences, and the skillful application of their knowledge to patient care and the education of others. Clinical Judgment: Demonstration of the use of practice-based learning and improvement including the application of scientific evidence and methods to evaluate and improve patient care. Interpersonal & Communication Skills: Demonstration of interpersonal and communication skills that enable the establishment and maintenance of professional relationships with patients, families, and other members of the health care team. Professionalism: Demonstration of behaviors that reflect a commitment to continuous professional development, ethical practice, and understanding and sensitivity to diversity, and a responsible attitude toward their patients, their profession Systems-Based Practice: Demonstration of an understanding of the @contexts and systems in which health care is provided, and the ability to apply this knowledge to improve and optimize health care delivery. Administrative Duties: Leadership responsibilities: Participation in staff meetings and peer review process (expected) and hospital committees commensurate with appointment and interests. Assumption and service of clinical directorships and other administrative responsibilities as assigned by the section chief. Demonstration of effective communication to staff and up to leadership, including heads up (for acute patient poor outcomes) and issue briefs as needed. Service as Acting Section Chief when the Section Chief is on leave as requested. Clinical Management including indirect patient care: Management and resolution of open encounters & consults Adherence to CPRS documentation rules and requirements, including copy/paste expectations and supervision of trainees in the same Adherence to clinic procedures and directives to facilitate patient scheduling & access to specialty services Awareness and achievement of staff clinical productivity expectations Oversight of relevant performance measures Completion of Peer Reviews, Medical Advisory Opinions, Compensation and Pension reviews and other case reviews as assigned by the section chief. Participation in VA initiatives and projects including: the Medical Home and Patient Centric Care, System Redesign and process improvement, Utilization, Quality, and Patient Safety oversight including safety event reporting as indicated. Supervision of residents is a major duty of this position. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. Recruitment 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 Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm or 8:00am - 4:30pm 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. Education: 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. License: 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 in Nephrology or dual board certified in Nephrology and Internal Medicine. Experience working in the VA or any federal system. Ability to function in a multidisciplinary team. Ability to provide high quality evidence-based direct patient care. Demonstrated interest and/or experience in teaching and/or clinical research. Demonstrated interest and/or experience in kidney transplantation. Demonstrated interest and/or experience in dialysis medical directorship. Administrative experience Completion of nephrology fellowship training in an ACGME accredited training program. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: This position may require potentially long periods of continued Light lifting under 15 pounds, Light carrying under 15 pounds, Use of fingers, Walking for 4 hours, Standing for 4 hours, Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4, Far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other, Ability to distinguish basic colors, Ability to distinguish shades of colors. 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.
