Physician (Staff Anesthesiologist)

Summary

The Puget Sound VA Healthcare System is currently seeking a qualified Staff Anesthesiologist to join our team at the Seattle VA Medical Center campus. The selected candidate will deliver veteran-centered, evidence-based anesthesia care across the VA Puget Sound Health Care System.

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Duties

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The Staff Anesthesiologist will participate in all the following:

• Act as a consultant in the management of problems in acute pain and perioperative care, or as a consultant regarding related diagnostic and therapeutic measures in hospital based patient care when requested by medical or surgical staff.
• Be ready during normal working hours to provide care for the immediate diagnosis and treatment of both emergent and non-emergent situations that may occur in the operating room, PACU or other locations within the hospital.
• Be able to be recalled to the hospital within 30 minutes when performing on-call duty after hours to provide necessary care for the diagnosis and treatment of emergencies that may arise.
• Participate in the Anesthesia Service Line staff meetings and review and report Anesthesia Morbidity and Mortality Indicators (AMMI).

In addition, the Staff Anesthesiologist will participate in the following:

• Assure that all anesthesia equipment they will utilize is in appropriate state of readiness and cleaned in accordance with hospital policy and CDC guidelines.
• Prepare drugs properly for use in anesthesia administration and comply with high alert and controlled medication handling policies.
• Conduct in-person, outpatient pre-operative evaluations, including virtual Telehealth evaluations and documenting the evaluations within the VAPSHCS electronic medical record.
• Write pre-operative anesthesia and post-operative anesthesia orders as needed.
• Re-evaluate patients prior to the induction of anesthesia. This may include re-evaluation of neurological, airway, pulmonary and cardiac status.
• Supervise post-operative care of patients in the PACU.
• Be available for anesthesia service requested by other departments.
• Attend in-service and continuing education programs. Assist in in-service educational programs regarding anesthesia care. Complete annual TMS training when assigned.
• Participate in QA/QI activities which will include: (1) Morbidity and Mortality reports submitted to Quality Management; (2) Analysis of data for trends/patters in the quality of anesthesia care; (3) Participate in ongoing evaluation of anesthesia care.
• Assist in resuscitative procedures such as cardiac arrest or respiratory problems as needed throughout VAPSHCS hospital in-patient facilities.
• Assist in the Medical Center's educational program of medical and paramedical personnel in the field of CPR and other problems which may occur and in which the anesthesia personnel are trained.
• Lead an anesthesia care team that may consist of nurse anesthetists, residents and medical trainees in delivering safe procedural care.
• Assist and participate in educational programs for trainees learning to provide anesthesia care.
• Ensure that anesthesia safety regulations and procedures and infection control policies and procedures are observed.
• As a member of the Acute Pain Service, maintain competencies in regional anesthesia techniques and perform perioperative nerve block procedures where warranted in surgical and hospital based acute pain settings.
• As a member of the Acute Pain Service, act as a pain consultant for inpatients on the acute pain service, and for outpatients in the transitional pain service who may have complex acute on chronic pain management needs in the perioperative period.

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Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): 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. Learn more.

EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact View email address on click.appcast.io, 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

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm

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 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).
• 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 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:

• An anesthesiologist with specialized expertise in regional anesthesia and the medical management of patients experiencing acute pain.
• Completion of a fellowship in Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine, which is now accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, is highly desirable.

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

Physical Requirements: Heavy lifting, 45 pounds and over; Moderate lifting, 15-44 pounts; Light lifting, under 15 pounds; Pushing; Reaching above shoulder; Use of fingers; Both hands required; Walking; Standing; Repeated bending; Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; Near vision correctable at 13' to 16' to Jaeger 1 to 4; Ability to see computer screen; Depth perception; Ability to distinguish basic colors; Ability to distinguish shades of colors; Hearing (aid may be permitted); Mental and emotional stability.

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.

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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