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 Staff physician for the Geriatrics & Extended Care Service Line of the VA Puget Sound Healthcare System in the Department of Veterans Affairs. The incumbent's function will be, as appropriate, in the Outpatient Geriatric Patient Aligned Care Team (GeriPACT), on the Community Living Center (CLC), on the Palliative/Hospice Consultative team and as a teaching faculty member in all settings. Duties include but not limited to: Patient Care: Participate in direct patient-centered care to include scheduled visits and unscheduled/urgent visits as well as group visits, and phone visits Provide group visits (shared medical appointment) options for patients in collaboration with other team members Return patient and family phone calls as appropriate Respond to triaged secure messaging assigned by the MSA or RN Review labs and diagnostics in a timely fashion and communicates lab/imaging/test results to Veteran via telephone, face-to-face, secure messaging, or correspondence letter within 14 days. Depending on findings, follow up may be assigned to other team members as appropriate based on the sensitivity of the result. Develop the treatment plan for all Veterans on the panel Prescribe and renews medications consistent with the treatment plan Consult with specialty services when indicated and adhere to service line agreements Work with RN care manager to coordinate post-hospitalization transitions Provide patient education to assist Veteran with disease management and improve self-management skills Order diagnostic tests to evaluate the patient utilizing practice guidelines Provide appropriate health screening and preventive care according to guidelines Utilize Health Coaching and Motivational Interviewing to partner with patients and assist with behavior change and guidance toward his or her goals. Complete clinical reminders for positive PTSD, depression, alcohol and other provider required reminders Complete final medication reconciliation with a copy provided to patient at every encounter Coordinate with team to complete a handover packet for patients in need of hospitalization/ER and communicates provider to provider in these situations Refer Veterans to other team members as appropriate Refer Veterans to self-management programs and resources Act as an advocate for patients to ensure their needs are met Indirect Care: Identify whether high-risk no-show patient needs contacting and if they will need another appointment Refer Veterans to extended team members including mental health, Home Telehealth (HT), OEF/OIF, HBPC, hospice/palliative care, long-term care, pharmacy, and social work when necessary Manage view alerts Work closely and collaborates with all team members Complete any appropriate paperwork for the Veteran that requires provider evaluation and/or signature Coordinate information exchanges for co-managed patient care Review non-VA records Teamwork: Identifies high-risk patients and assures RN care manager connection Provide leadership to team members with an emphasis on teamwork and communication to improve patient care Participate in team meetings Participate in team-based care that is patient-centered and not provider-centered Utilize team members to the top of their licensure to manage the panel Assists the team in pre-packaging for appointments to improve efficiency of provider visits Document clearly and concisely in CPRS to communicate the plan of care with the team Collaborate with the team to reach goals related to access, continuity, and coordinated care measures VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized 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. Education and length of practice are considered through a formal pay-setting process to determine the final compensable salary (Base Pay + Market Pay). 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, 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. 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. Additional Requirement: Incumbent must be board-certified by the American Board of Internal or Family Medicine; board-certified or board-eligible in Geriatric Medicine. Must meet all regulatory requirements for Physician per VA Handbook 5005 Part II Appendix G2. Preferred Experience: 5-7 years of Geriatrics Experience Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: ???????Heavy lifting, 45 pounds and over; Straight pulling (6 hours); Pushing (2 hours); Reaching above shoulder; Use of fingers; Both hands required; Walking (6 hours); Standing (2 hours); Repeated bending (6 hours); Ability to distinguish basic colors; Hearing (aid may be permitted); Visual acuity 20/30 corrected. ???????Environmental Factors: Working with hands in water; Working closely with others. 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.
