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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 VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Learn more. EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact [email protected], 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 Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS) is seeking a full time Physician Section Chief of Gastroenterology. Duties included, but not limited to the following: Oversight of day-to day clinical operations in the Gastroenterology Section, including procedural areas Identifying and addressing barriers to high quality care delivery and patient safety. Communicating through the chain of command in a timely manner for issues that cannot be solved at the section level or have an impact beyond the section Program design, development, growth, and implementation Prepare, justify, and administer the Section business plan including assessment of staffing, equipment, and space needs; facilitate the recruitment, selection, appraisal, and recognition of employees; address performance problems to include monitoring probationary/trial period new hires Direct patient care within the Gastroenterology section, ensure appropriate coverage for patients, and provide specific guidelines for physician, physician assistant and nurse practitioner performance expectations. Assign clinical duties in a fair and appropriate manner Assure compliance with VHA standards as well as other accrediting bodies for the areas over which the incumbent will lead Assuring efficient use of resources within the section including but not limited to staffing, overtime, equipment, etc Evaluate and implement new technologies as related to Gastroenterology and oversee quality improvement initiatives for the Section Monitor staff and ensure all paperwork, education, and that training for providers is being met and oversee future recruitment Supervision of clinicians in the section including yearly performance evaluations, participating in developing and refining performance goals, evaluating and addressing conduct and performance challenges Regularly monitor data regarding access to gastroenterology care and gastroenterology care in the community costs. Review clinic utilization data, book-ability, and other trackable measures. Develop and implement plans to assure optimization of resources for veteran access to care. Identify strategies to leverage technology to improve access to care Provide comprehensive patient care in the form of invasive, non-invasive, consultative, and inpatient and outpatient Gastroenterologist patient care Provide services such as outpatient examinations, consultation services related to GI, management of patients with Hepatitis C with the current treatment regimen, and admission status to the facility Diagnose, treat, and manage patients with gastrointestinal diseases according to standard, usual, and acceptable methods, and technique Oversee the administration of conscious sedation, perform GI procedures such as EGD (gastroscopy), EGD with Peg, colonoscopies, paracentesis, liver biopsy, and other procedures as appropriate and in-line with your technical skills Provide patient care that is compassionate, appropriate, and effective for the promotion of health, prevention of illness, and treatment of disease Demonstrate 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 Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm - with rotating on call service 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. You may be required to serve a probationary period. 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). 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: Demonstrated leadership of a Gastroenterology department in a tertiary level academic setting. Administrative experience with program design, development, and implementation; effective resource management; proactive assessment of staffing and equipment needs Gastroenterology experience in both the inpatient and outpatient settings as well as endoscopy procedural expertise Experience supervising trainees Experience with program design, development and implementation Board Certification Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: Moderate lifting, 15-44 lbs Moderate carrying, 15-44 lbs Pushing (8 hrs) Reaching above shoulder Use of fingers Both hands required Walking (8 hrs) Standing (8 hrs) Repeated bending (2 hrs) Both legs required Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously 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 Both eyes required Depth perception Ability to distinguish basic colors Ability to distinguish shades of colors Hearing (aid may be permitted Mental stability Emotional stability Mask wearing Sitting up to 8 hrs Environmental Factors: Outside and inside Excessive noise, intermittent Working closely with others Working alone 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, 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.