Summary Education and length of practice are considered through a formal pay-setting process to determine the final compensable salary (Base Pay + Market Pay) Responsibilities The Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System (CAVHCS) in Montgomery is one of the largest and most historic VA medical facilities in the Southeast, with a rich legacy and a wide range of services. It's one of the VA's leading training sites, affiliated with 24 academic and professional institutions such as Morehouse School of Medicine, Alabama State University, Auburn University, and Tuskegee University. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be authorized for highly qualified candidate Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not 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 CLINICAL PRACTICE: 1. The pain physician provides evaluation and medical and treatment recommendation of chronic pain conditions on an outpatient basis. a. Development and implementation of a treatment plan to include opioid and non-opioid pain management, appropriate testing, and non-invasive pain modalities. b. Demonstrates expertise in diagnosing and treating complex chronic pain problems and Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), including management of buprenorphine. c. Performs suicide and opioid risk screenings and assessments. d. Initiates, modifies, or discontinues medication/opioid therapy and serve as a consultant for intensive medication therapy management services. e. Provides patient care via multiple modalities, including in person, video, and telephone visits on an individual or group basis, as well as electronic consults for referred patients for comprehensive pain management. 2. The provider should be comfortable with Primary care and may serve as a temporary backup for primary care for the GEC&R service line. 3. The pain physician may perform procedural diagnostic and therapeutic testing and intervention which may include electromyography, spasticity management, joint injection/aspiration, NCV, trigger point injections, botulinum toxin injections, interventional procedures, and spinal manipulation, and local anesthesia as outlined in the provider-specific clinical privileges. 4. Provides consultations and/or referrals for provision of appropriate orthotics, prosthetics, wheelchair, ambulatory devices, special beds, and other assistive devices as appropriate. 5. The Pain Physician provides administrative support through the following: a. Participates in and/or facilitates events such as weekly Tele-Pain/SCAN-ECHO conferences, and other educational/training events, as requested and/or required. b. The pain physician is a member of the CAVHCS Pain Management Committee and the Opioid Safety Committee. c. Coordinates with the Service Line Leader to ensure that equipment and supplies that are necessary for the efficient operation of the Pain Section are acquired and maintained per CAVHCS standards and protocols. Work Schedule: 8:00am - 4:30pm, Monday - Friday Subject to change based on the needs of the agency 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: Prefer at least 1 year of clinical experience in Pain Management after graduation from an ACGME-accredited program. Prefer at least 1 year of experience in a multidisciplinary pain clinic setting. Leadership experience (e.g. supervisory experience, section/division leadership) is strongly preferred. Additional Board Certification in Addiction Medicine or other related board certification(s), and/or experience with buprenorphine and other Medication Assisted Treatment modalities for opioid use disorder will be taken into consideration. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: Standing, walking, lifting light loads, assisting patients with positioning and transfers. Must be able to use a computer to input orders, review reports etc. Must be able to communicate directions and patient orders. Light lifting (under 15lbs), light carrying (under 15lbs), use of fingers, far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and 20/40 in the other, hearing (aid permitted), emotional stability, mental stability, working closely with others, working alone, and working with biohazardous materials. 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.
