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 This is an Open Continuous Announcement and may be extended beyond the current closing date until the position is filled. Eligible applications will be referred at regular intervals, as additional vacancies occur and/or on an as-needed basis during the duration of the announcement. Once a selection is made and offer is accepted the announcement may close pending no additional vacancies. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. Recruitment/Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be approved for highly qualified candidate Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment):Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@va.gov for questions/assistance Learn more. EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact Lashala K. Goodman at Lashala.Goodman@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 The Central Arkansas Veteran Healthcare System, John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital, is recruiting a Full-Time, Physician-Gastroenterology Hepatologist within the Specialty Care Department. Major Duties include, but are not limited to the following: Provide direct patient care for the patients with acute/chronic liver disease including inpatient and outpatient care. Diagnose and manage the full spectrum of chronic liver diseases including Hepatitis C, Hepatitis B, Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease, Alcohol-associated liver disease, and autoimmune liver disease. Manage inpatient and outpatient liver consults and provide guidance to the other providers including mid-level practitioners. Share inpatient Gastroenterology and Hepatology consult service in rotation with other attendings. Provide care for patients with GI disorders, which includes performance of endoscopy in GI lab, with remaining clinical time. Coordinate and conduct comprehensive pre-and post-liver transplant evaluations, including timely access to transplant services, medical management and longitudinal care in partnership with VA transplant centers and our university affiliate, University of Arkansas of Medical Sciences. Manage post-liver transplant clinic to provide long-term care with medical optimization and address complications. Actively participate in the weekly tumor board meetings and collaborate with radiology, surgery, pharmacy, psychology, and social work teams as needed. Clinically supervise and teach fellows and residents in liver clinic, endoscopy unit and inpatient consult service. Provide on-call coverage of emergency consultations of the Gastroenterology and Hepatology service during the weekdays, weekends and holidays in rotation with other attendings. Research opportunities are available based on the allocation of time on work map. Participate in section/service meetings, quality assurance programs, and Complete chart reviews, administrative work assignments, trainings, and all medical record documentation within guidelines and appropriate deadlines Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00 am-4:30 pm; Rotating weekends: On Call weekdays, weekends and holidays in rotation will be shared with other attendings. Occasional travel may be required for staffing in Community Based Outpatient Clinics. No overnight travel. 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 identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation 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 allopathic 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 accrediting bodies for graduate medical education, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or American Osteopathic Association (AOA), in the list published for the year the residency, or fellowship if applicable, was completed; OR (2) One year of post medical school training (internship, first year of residency, or transitional year residency) approved by ACGME or AOA followed by two years of post-training independent practice (performing under a full and unrestricted license) in the United States; OR (3) Non-US residency training programs followed by a minimum of three years of verified independent practice in the United States (performing under a full and unrestricted license) performing duties related to the position they are applying for (United States fellowships would be creditable towards this requirement), 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. Exceptions: 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 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. In rare and unusual circumstances, the Facility Director can submit a memo to the VISN Director through the VISN Chief Medical Officer, who may approve requests for reasonable exceptions to the residency training requirement for Physicians whose composite record of experience, accomplishments, performance, and qualifications warrant such action. Proficiency in spoken and written English. Preferred Experience: Board Certified and/or eligible in Gastroenterology and Transplant Hepatology. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: Moderate lifting, 15-44 pounds Moderate carrying, 15-44 pounds Pushing 8 hours Reaching above shoulder Use of fingers Both hands required Walking 8 hours Standing 8 hours Repeated bending 2 hours Both legs required Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4 Far vison correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other Both eyes required Depth perception Ability to distinguish shades of colors Ability distinguish basic colors Hearing (aid may be permitted) Mental Stability Emotional Stability Mask Wearing Sitting up to 8 hours Environmental Factors Outside and inside Excessive noise, intermittent Working alone Working closely with others Protracted or irregular hours of work Working in direct patient care Use of computer 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. Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) for the year in which the degree was granted. For foreign medical graduates not covered in (1) or (2) above, confirmation must be made that the medical school meets (or met) Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) eligibility requirement for year 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.
