Rheumatologist (Washington)

The Rheumatology Physician will provide Rheumatology subspecialty care at the Washington DC VA Medical Center and the Community Based Outpatient Clinics.

The Rheumatology Physician has clinical duties for the Rheumatology consultation services for inpatients and outpatients, integrated primary and subspecialty care. The inpatient Rheumatology consult service provides recommendations for the diagnosis and management of rheumatic entities throughout the entire medical center including the Community Living Center. Outpatient Rheumatology consultations include guidance in diagnosis and treatment for a variety of rheumatic illnesses, and collaborates with primary care, geriatric and orthopedic services to comanage patients. Outpatient Rheumatology service sites include the Washington DC VA Medical Center and Community Based Outpatient Clinics.

• Engages in teaching and mentoring medical students, interns, residents and Rheumatology Fellows through supervised clinical work, lectures and formal didactic presentations.
• Researches to support the basic science, epidemiology, VA, national and international clinical trials and projects in the Rheumatology Section, and to mentor trainees on how to develop clinical research and seek new research funding opportunities.
• Establishes inter-personal and intra-departmental relationships to enhance optimal patient care.
• Provides clinical guidance in person, via Telehealth or via Secure Messaging.
• Ensures accurate documentation of medical assessments and observations.
• Maintains current training requirements for Medical Center Credentialing.
• Maintains familiarity and compliance with hospital infection prevention policies, ensuring anti-septic methods in performing all clinic procedures.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00AM EST - 4:30PM EST

VA Benefits

Paid Time Off:

• 26 Days paid annual (vacation/personal) leave
• 13 Days paid sick leave each year with no limit on accumulation
• 11 Federal holidays with pay annually
• 5 Days paid absence to attend approved CME courses

Insurance:

• Health Insurance : VA employees have an outstanding number of health insurance plans from which to choose (premiums are partially paid by VA) Lifetime Healthcare Insurance options available
• Dental & Vision : Our insurance options also include exceptional vision and dental plans (premiums are partially paid by VA)
• VA employees have the option to use Flexible Spending Accounts , which allow you to use tax-free dollars to pay for medical, dental, and vision care expenses that are not reimbursed by your health insurance plan
• Term life insurance , family, and additional coverage options are available with the cost shared by the Federal Government
• Long-term care insurance is available as an option

Federal Retirement Plan:

• VA employees are covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). FERS is a three-tiered retirement plan composed of 1) Social Security benefits, 2) FERS-RAE basic benefits (pension), and 3) Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) which is a 401K-type plan
• How is the pension funded? VA employees automatically contribute 4.4% of their salary each pay period and the VA contributes 12.2% of the employee’s salary each pay period for a total annual contribution percentage equal to 16.6% of the employee’s salary
• Similar to the 401(k) savings plans widely available in the private sector, the TSP allows employees to tax defer a portion of their income each year, subject to the requirements of the Internal Revenue Service. For calendar year 2025, employees under the age of 50 may contribute up to $23,500, while those over age 50 are eligible to make catch-up contributions that allow them to defer up to $31,000.
• The Federal Government also provides an automatic basic contribution (1% of salary) and up to 4% of salary in matching contributions , depending on the amount of the employee contribution
• For retired military personnel, these benefits are in addition to full monthly retirement pay or pension
• In addition to FERS, VA provides health care insurance coverage for retired personnel
• Disability Retirement
• Employees are vested in a federal pension after only 5 years service