OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise - "To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate care to Veterans? 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: Preferred Experience: Reference: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G-2 Physician Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. Physical Requirements: Moderate Lifting (15-25 lbs); Moderate Carrying (15-25 lbs); Straight Pulling {up to 2-3 hours); Pushing (up to 2-3 hours); Reaching above shoulder; Walking (up to 1-2 hours); Kneeling (up to 1 -2 hours); Repeated bending (up to 1 to 2 hours); Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; Near vision correctable; Far vision correctable; Depth perception; Ability to distinguish basic colors; Hearing (aid permitted). Rigid deadlines and need for high degree of accuracy periodically becomes stressful. ["The VA St. Louis Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being, and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments, and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being. The Cardiologist will be responsible for, but not limited to the following duties: Generalized duties of a staff cardiologist involves a focus on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of many different heart and blood vessel conditions, including but not limited to coronary artery disease, heart arrhythmia, high blood pressure, peripheral arterial disease, and heart failure. Attend on Cardiology Inpatient Service and outpatient clinics; interpret EKGs, Holter monitors, Stress EKGs, and perform other procedures as appropriate and attend medical staff meetings; performance of chart reviews; coordinate with other providers regarding patient care issues; ensure complete documentation in the electronic health record; perform history and physicals within 24 hours of request; perform outpatient encounters; document consult notes; and process new and renewal prescriptions. Confer with cardiac surgeons when major surgery is deemed necessary. Duties specific to the cardiologist in this position will include interpretation of transthoracic echocardiography and stress echocardiography, performance and interpretation of transesophageal echocardiography, interpretation of electrocardiograms and stress electrocardiograms, to staff outpatient cardiology clinics, to provide cardiology consult services as scheduled on both an inpatient and outpatient basis. Perform cardioversions on both an inpatient and outpatient basis. Administrate moderate sedation for procedures such as transesophageal echo and/or cardioversion. Participate in the expanded use of clinical video telehealth (VVC and CVT)/electronic consultation (e-Consult), as well as in person clinics in VISN 15 Eastern Orbit facilities to improve access to cardiology care. Share call with other Cardiologists. Call is for 1-2 weeks at a time, with coverage of inpatient consults during that week and weekend along with cardiology fellows. Expertise in establishing and running cardiac computer tomography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging programs is desirable. Timely documentation is necessary in all areas in accordance with departmental policy. Maintaining professional competency, courtesy, and flexibility to provide the necessary services of this specialty to our Veteran population. May also be asked to serve on committees, participate in quality assurance programs, assist facility in meeting established performance measures in the areas of Cardiology and such other duties as assigned by the Chief of Medicine. All administrative work should be completed in a timely fashion. The Cardiologist will participate in inpatient and outpatient quality care, teaching, and research related to cardiovascular diseases. Candidate will apply national and VA guidelines to patient screening, surveillance, and management of cardiovascular diseases. Position requires candidate to work as an attending physician, responsible for supervising and teaching physician assistant students, medical students and residents rotating on cardiology services; and for supervising and teaching Cardiology Fellows. All physicians will always work within their privileges, unless necessitated by an emergency. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. 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 Work Schedule: M-F 7:00AM - 3:30PM. NOTE: May be expected to work rotating weekends and holidays."]
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.
