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Physician (Deputy Chief of Staff)

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
North Florida/ South Georgia VA Healthcare System
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The Deputy Chief of Staff (DCOS) reports to the Chief of Staff and serves as a key clinical resource for the Healthcare System Director and Chief of Staff. The DCOS's responsibilities include serving as the lead physician over Geriatrics and Extended Care, Pharmacy, Social Work, Diagnostic Imaging, Chaplain Services, and Cardiology.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
06/24/2025 to 07/02/2025
Salary
$275,000 to - $350,000 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 00
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Gainesville, FL
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
CBTC-12754240-25-DRD
Control number
839372100

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Duties

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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

As a member of the senior management team the Deputy Chief of Staff (DCOS) is a key advisor to the Chief of Staff (COS) and Director on clinical issues and assists in the administration and oversight of the assigned clinical programs. In the absence of the COS, the DCOS will serve as Acting COS including assisting transfer coordinators, and outside facilities when needed to effectively coordinate inpatient transfers and shared medical care. The DCOS supervises a wide variety of professional and administrative staff; serving on a broad spectrum of medical center committees and workgroups; providing hands-on clinical work; and providing oversight, and administration of all aspects of patient care.

This includes, but is not limited to the following along with other duties as assigned:

  • Provides direct patient care in the DCOS's area of medical specialty and overall clinical oversight for the facility.
  • Plans services with a patient-centered vision to enhance patient education and shared decision making.
  • Actively identifies and encourages implementation of best practices in customer service and breaks barriers to good service delivery.
  • Empowers staff to resolve problems and complaints independently at the lowest level.
  • Improves patient outcomes through continuous measurement and process improvement.
  • Ensures clinical services' ability to meet standards issued by various accrediting and regulatory groups and VA Central Office.
  • Works closely with universities and schools with academic affiliation partnerships/agreements.
  • Facilitates translation of research findings into improved patient outcomes.
  • Creates a climate where continuous learning and professional development are valued.
  • Collaborates with others to develop initiatives to ensure coordination of service, reduction of redundancies, enhancement of cost effectiveness, efficiency and overall productivity.
  • Encourages projects, pilots, and other experimental approaches, which may lead to the development of alternative revenue streams.
  • Demonstrates ICARE values.
  • Encourages an atmosphere of trust, psychological safety, and empowerment.
  • Actively participates on committees, task forces, and other groups to assist in policy changes.
  • Collaborates in formulating local Medical Center Policy, and resource planning.
  • Identifies long and short-range needs to formulate proposals for executive level consideration.
  • Develops a team that is technically competent and creative in efforts to build and maintain a patient-centered, cost-effective, integrated health care system.
  • Develops collaborative relationships to assure support and coordination between services.
  • Builds partnerships with the community to enhance goals of the James A Haley VA.
  • Responsible for assuring appropriate action in such matters as promotions, selections, rewards and recognition, and training.
  • Maintains good labor-management relations with the union to resolve personnel problems and proactively plan for changes to the work environment.
  • Utilize analytic tools such as DSS and other databases to provide data to management for strategic and operative planning and employ such data to create white papers that guide management decisions.
  • Coordinate institutional compliance with external accrediting organizations, e.g., JCAHO, CARF, etc.
  • Plan and execute clinical application development to meet patient care needs and in keeping with the operational strategic priorities.
  • Provide leadership and backup to the Chief of Staff in areas applicable to the medical staff.
  • Provide supervision to certain additional clinical services to be determined in conjunction with the Chief of Staff upon recruitment.
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 7:30am to 4:00pm(Note: Work schedules are determined and approved by the supervisor. The incumbent may be required to work various shifts on a permanent or temporary basis based on facility/patient care 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.
  • Education: 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.
  • License and Registration: 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.
  • English Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d).
  • Must be Board Certified in a clinical specialty.
Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: Must pass a pre-employment physical examination as required by VA Handbook 5019. This examination is administered by VA Occupational Health. This position requires moderate lifting up to 44 lbs., carrying objects up to 15 lbs., frequent reaching above shoulder, use of fingers, hands and legs, use of cranes and motor vehicles, walking & standing up to 8 hours, bending and climbing and able to hear whisper. This position requires visual acuity, keen hearing, clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. Potentially long periods of continued walking, standing, stooping, sitting, bending, pulling, and pushing. Transferring patients and objects may be required. May be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations or operative/invasive procedures. May occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. Must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations and able to shift priorities based on patient needs. Must complete annual Employee Health requirements, such as annual TB screening or testing, as a condition of employment. Must be physically, emotionally and mentally competent and able to perform efficiently the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation, without hazard to yourself or others.

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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