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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.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
05/28/2025 to 09/30/2025
Salary
$123,077 to - $300,000 per year

Education and length of practice are considered through a formal pay-setting process to determine the final compensable salary (Base Pay + Market Pay)

Pay scale & grade
VM 15
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Tuscaloosa, AL
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—Ad-hoc and as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
15
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
CBTB-12742262-25-MES
Control number
837723100

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

All qualified candidates encouraged to apply. Open to U.S. Citizens but non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens.

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Duties

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VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards.

Recruitment/Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized
Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Authorized Learn more.
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact VISN7EDRPFacilityCoordinators2@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 CLC Staff Physician is responsible for the overall medical care delivered to inpatients at the Tuscaloosa VAMC facility. Medical care includes identifying the patients' medical problems, diagnosing and treating appropriately, determining the need for consultation from subspecialty care for specialized medical, surgical or psychiatric services and also determining the need for services that may require transferring patients to other VA or Non-VA healthcare facilities, community nursing homes or discharge when appropriate.

Duties include but are not limited to:

  • Providing clinician input and oversight for all patient treatment plans.
  • Being readily available to the other team members for collaboration when medical or other problems arise.
  • Being able to work effectively in an interdisciplinary team of VA providers.
  • Participating in monthly Medical Staff meetings as required.
  • Participating in regular GEC provider staff meetings as required.
  • Sharing with other GEC team members any medical care advances and practice standards.
  • Completing, signing and releasing notes promptly and accurately using the Computerized patient Record System (CPRS).
  • Entering all leave requests (except for unexpected sick leave) in VATAS and seeking approval from the supervisor or approving official prior to going on leave.
  • Forwarding CPRS clinical alerts to another provider and generally securing coverage for their CLC neighborhood(s) before going on leave.
  • Participating in quality management activities such as medical records reviews, Drug Utilization Evaluations, Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and Peer Reviews at the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center as required.
  • Responding to complaints by residents and/or their families to the Patient Advocate in a timely manner.
  • Anticipating potential problems and attempting to solve those problems before they lead to complaints.
  • Attending Interdisciplinary Treatment Team meetings weekly and collaborating with the team in ensuring each resident's care plan is individualized and accurate.
  • Identifying the patients' medical problems and maintaining an accurate problem list.
  • Determining the need for consultation from medical, surgical, and/or psychiatric subspecialties.
  • Determining the need for, and facilitating, admissions to or discharges from an acute care hospital in collaboration with other providers.
  • Ensuring proper hand off when transferring patients from one CLC neighborhood to another or from the CLC to other Tuscaloosa VA programs, by talking to receiving provider prior to transfer.
  • Ensuring that the transfer note is completed on the same day.
  • Ensuring proper hand-off of all transfers to outside facilities (VA or Non VA) by having personal contact with accepting provider (i.e. talking to the accepting provider and documenting such contact in the medical record).
  • Completing medication reconciliation per policy.
  • Ensuring that all admission H&P's and discharge summaries are fully detailed.
  • Ensuring that a comprehensive assessment (GEC Provider Reassessment note) is performed every 60 days for every resident admitted to the CLC neighborhood to which the Staff Physician is assigned as the Attending Physician.
  • Performing death pronouncements and ensuring the death certificate is complete and signed.
  • Responding to all medical emergencies that may occur in the CLC during normal business hours.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (subject to change based on agency needs)

Requirements

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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:
  1. Experience in Geriatrics
  2. Experience in providing medical care for patients with dementia or serious mental illness
  3. Long term care experience

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: Light lifting, under 15 pounds, light carrying, under 15 pounds, straight pulling (2 hours), pushing (2 hours), use of fingers, walking (1hour), standing (2 hours), kneeling (2 hours), repeated bending (2 hours), climbing, legs only (1 hour), far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other, ability to distinguish basic colors, hearing (aid may be permitted), able to use N-95 mask or PAPR. See VA Handbook and Directive 5019.

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:
  1. Schools of medicine accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for the year in which the degree was granted, or
  2. 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.
  3. 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.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your application, resume, C.V., and/or other supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

NOTE: A formal pay-setting process will be used to determine your salary. The salary may be at any point in the range listed for this vacancy.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

Veterans' Preference Note: Preference eligible candidates and other Veterans will be given preference when qualification of candidates are approximately equal for Title 38 positions in VHA. When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans' Preference.

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