Career Center

Summary

The Cincinnati VA Medical Center (CVAMC) advocates for a Whole Health System & Age Friendly model of care for our patients. This is an approach to empower and equip patients and their support systems to focus on what matters most; personal well-being to live their lives to the fullest. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing quality health care which aligns with what matters to the older adult & their family caregivers.

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: Experience as a Medical Director at a Nursing Home - Skilled Nursing Facility - and/or Community Living Center (CLC) Board certified/board eligible in geriatric medicine and/or palliative care Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: Per VA Directive and Handbook 5019 - a physical examination will be conducted based on the physical requirements of the position
• A physical examination prior to placement is required
• Long periods of standing or walking in the operating room setting and outpatient clinic will be encountered
• The mental/sensory requirements include recall - reasoning - problem-solving - hearing - speaking clearly - writing legibly - reading - and logical thinking
• The environment's pace can vary from steady to a sometimes-fast pace requiring handling of multiple priorities - frequent - sometimes intense customer - intense customer interactions - and the ability to adapt to frequent changes in a sometimes-noisy environment.

Duties

• Duties include but are not limited to: This position is for a full-time Community Living Center (CLC) Medical Director - Internal Medicine Physician/Family Practice Physician/Geriatrician/Palliative care
• This position is responsible for direct care to Veterans in the CLC and responsible for clinical and operational oversight of the CLC
• The CLC is a nursing home clinical setting that provides long term care - short term rehabilitation - short term skilled nursing - respite and hospice services
• The 64-bed CVAMC CLC provides comprehensive - interdisciplinary inpatient services for Veterans
• Assist with the organization and coordination of services provided by inter-professional health care professionals as they relate to patient care
• Provide direct patient/resident care including comprehensive management of the physical - psychological - emotional - social - and spiritual needs of the Veteran (admission H&P - all day-to-day aspects of patient care - inter-professional team meetings - discharge summary - care coordination - participation in care planning and any family conferences)
• The CLC Medical Director is an integral member of the CLC team and will work with an interdisciplinary team of professionals from medicine - nursing - social work - psychology - chaplaincy and other providers to meet the needs of Veterans and families served by these programs
• Collaborate with the Admissions Coordinator to ensure safe and appropriate CLC admissions - maximize the utilization of CLC beds - and maintain transparency in the admission process
• Support and direct the teaching mission at the CLC in coordination with the Medical Facility and any outside teaching organizations
• Provides direct patient care in the Cincinnati VAMC Community Living Center as well as the inpatient and outpatient geriatrics and palliative program as applicable based on board eligibility
• Assists with staff meetings for area of responsibilities
• Minutes from these meetings will be reviewed by Section Chief and will ultimately roll up to the Service Chief Meeting / Rehab Extended Care Line ICC and are reported out quarterly
• Communicates both to staff and to leadership
• Communications will include situational awareness - issue briefs - and weekly huddle with Section Chief
• Incumbent may be asked to attend additional meetings with Chief of Medical Service or Deputy Chief of Medical Service as needed based on delegated duties
• The incumbent may be asked to serve as Acting Section Chief of Geriatrics and Extended Care when the Section Chief is on leave
• The incumbent leads by example following ICARE principles of Integrity - Commitment - Advocacy - Respect - and Excellence and instills values of High-Reliability Organizations
• Ensures staff consistently document patient safety events (e.g
• JPSR)
• Assists with resolution of all CLC related safety issues as delegated
• Complies with all quality performance measures and improvement programs
• The physician will be subject to professional performance - including clinical and technical skills - as well as routine CVAMC performance improvement monitoring activities (e.g
• Ongoing Professional Evaluations (OPPE) - Focused Professional Practice Evaluations (FPPE) - etc.)
• Participates in Medical Staff committees and task forces as assigned
• Perform other duties assigned by the Chief of Geriatrics and Extended Care - Chief of Medicine - Chief of Staff and REC ICC
• Exercises full professional responsibilities for their findings - interpretations - decisions - recommendations and reports in accordance with the clinical privileges this institution provided to them
• This position is supervised by the Section Chief Geriatrics and Palliative Care
• VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package
• VHA Physician Total Rewards
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday
• 7:30 am - 4:00am or 8:00 am- 4:30 pm - with on call responsibilities Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus)/ Relocation Incentive: May be available for well qualified candidates
• Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): May be available to well-qualified - current federal employees
• 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