Physician

Summary

The Primary Care Physician serves as a practicing physician who is responsible for the overall management of patients enrolled for healthcare services provided by the Tennessee Valley Health Care System. Responsible for administrative tasks associated with clinic operations, provides leadership and direction to support staff assigned to their PACT (Patient Aligned Care Team).

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Duties

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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.

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

Functions/Scope of Assigned Duties:

• Fully implements the components and processes relative to the VHA Primary Care Medical Home (PCMH) healthcare system design.
• Coordinates care for a panel of outpatients as assigned by TVHS.
• Evaluates and treats acute and chronic health problems for scheduled and unscheduled patients in the clinic setting.
• Performs histories and physical exams.
• Provides appropriate documentation to minimally include history, physical exam findings, diagnosis, definitive care plan and disposition of the patient.
• Ensures that patient encounters are appropriately closed, including disposition that clearly indicates the next steps of care.
• Ensures that each patient is provided a list of current medications and an appointment list at close-out.
• Performs office procedures contained within their approved privileges.
• Prescribes medications as appropriate.
• Orders routine laboratory, radiological and diagnostic tests and provides initial interpretation of results.
• Communicates test results to patients.
• Responds to questions and other inquiries from patients including use of secure messaging.
• Initiates or expedites requests for consultations and special tests.
• Provides education to the patient and family as necessary.
• Orders immunizations and other preventive or screening services as necessary.
• Screens patients to determine the need for hospitalization.
• Performs Basic Life Support as necessary.
• Communicates clinical findings to other providers using the Computerized Patient Record System.
• Functions as the managing physician for nurse practitioners and/or physician assistants as assigned by TVHS.
• Functions as a preceptor for residents in the clinic setting as assigned by TVHS. Treats patients 18 years of age or greater.
• Consistently communicates and treats customers, Veterans, their representatives, visitors and all VA staff in a courteous, tactful and respectful manner.
• The Primary Care Physician (Float) will provide the customer with consistent information according to established policies and procedures and will handle conflicts and problems when dealing with customers constructively and appropriately.
• The Primary Care Physician (Float) will protect printed and electronic files containing sensitive data in accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974 and other applicable laws Federal Regulations, VA statures and policy and VHA policy. The Primary Care Physician (Float) protects data from unauthorized release, or from loss, alteration, or unauthorized deletion and follows applicable regulations and instructions regarding access to computerized files and release of access codes, etc.
• Uses data sets contained in the VHA Almanac, Compass, EQM, and High-Risk Registries to identify and more highly manage patients at high risk and /or that have recurring outcome values that are outside the norm.
• Electronically tracks various components of care to promote a higher level of care coordination.
• Maximizes the use of virtual care modalities such as Home Telemedicine, VA Video Connect, Telephone visits, Secure Messaging and e-Consults to enhance access to care.
• Complies with the Medical Center Bylaws and Rules and Regulations of the Medical Staff.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

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.
• 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 ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation/examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

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 allopathic 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 accrediting bodies for graduate medical education, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or American Osteopathic Association (AOA), in the list published for the year the residency, or fellowship if applicable, was completed; OR
  • (2) One year of post medical school training (internship, first year of residency, or transitional year residency) approved by ACGME or AOA followed by two years of post-training independent practice (performing under a full and unrestricted license) in the United States; OR
  • (3) Non-US residency training programs followed by a minimum of three years of verified independent practice in the United States (performing under a full and unrestricted license) performing duties related to the position they are applying for (United States fellowships would be creditable towards this requirement), 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.
  • Exceptions:
    
    
    • 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 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.
    • In rare and unusual circumstances, the Facility Director can submit a memo to the VISN Director through the VISN Chief Medical Officer, who may approve requests for reasonable exceptions to the residency training requirement for Physicians whose composite record of experience, accomplishments, performance, and qualifications warrant such action.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.

Preferred Experience: Two years of primary care experience, Board certified in Internal Medicine.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit

Physical Requirements: The work is largely office-based and in a sedentary setting. No manual labor is required above ordinary situations. The Primary Care Physician must be capable of using a computer given that all clinical charting is electronic.

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.
2. Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) for the year in which the degree was granted.
3. For foreign medical graduates not covered in (1) or (2) above, confirmation must be made that the medical school meets (or met) Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) eligibility requirement for year 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.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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