Physician - Primary Care (Sign on Bonus and Education Debt Repayment)

Summary

This position is eligible for a Recruitment/Relocation Incentive along with the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) and the Physician Contract Buy Out Program (CBOP). See benefits section below for more information. The 2-page Resume restriction does not apply to this occupational series. For more information refer to Required Documents below.

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 completion of training or license requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Currently employed physicians 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); (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 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
• 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
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard please visit
• Physical Requirements: Eligible applicants must be physically and mentally able to perform efficiently the essential functions of the position - with or without reasonable accommodation - without hazard to themselves or others
• Depending on the essential duties of a specific position usable vision, color vision, hearing or speech may be required
• In most cases a specific physical condition or impairment of a specific function may be compensated for by the satisfactory use of a prosthesis or mechanical aid

Duties

• The Tomah VA Medical Center is located in an attractive rural community of approximately 9,000 with a family-oriented Midwest atmosphere
• While Tomah offers the benefits of small community living, big city life isn't far away. La Crosse and Madison, WI are an hour or so away and Milwaukee, WI and Minneapolis, MN are a three-hour drive
• The area offers high quality public and parochial schools, a local community hospital, and a multitude of recreational activities year-round
• Recruiting for two experienced qualified Board Certified/Board Eligible physicians for the Primary Care Clinic at the Tomah Medical Center
• The primary care clinic hours of operation at the Tomah Medical Center are from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Federal holidays are excluded from normal clinic hours of operation
• The Chief of Primary Care will provide the work assignments for this physician and will provide professional direction
• The medical center utilizes a computerized medical record system
• Physician must be familiar with personal computers, have adequate keyboard skills to perform all data entry (progress notes and physician orders, history and physicals, discharge summaries) and be able to navigate through Windows-based computer programs
• Training on the computerized medical record system will be provided by the medical center
• VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package, VHA Physician Total Rewards
• Recruitment/Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Available Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Learn more
• 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 year vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% contribution by VA. Insurance: federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement). Licensure: one 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.
• Specific duties and responsibilities: The physician will follow and meet all medical center policies, rules and regulations
• The physician is required to be certified in Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) to maintain certification during work at the medical center
• Serves as backup Medical Officer of the Day (MOD) on a rotating basis and functions as a full team member of the interdisciplinary team serving patients at the VA
• Provide history, physical examination, diagnosis and initiation of medical treatment
• Initiate and facilitate treatment and transfer in emergency situations
• Follow-up office visits for existing medical problems and appropriate diagnostic test and medication adjustments
• Referral of patients as needed to appropriate specialists, health care facilities, and coordination of home health services
• Document assessments and plan of care for each patient in accordance with policies and procedures
• Act as a consultant in clinical practice and may serve as a managing/supervising physician for physician assistants
• Communicate and collaborate effectively with other providers and disciplines to ensure continuity of patient care
• Collaborate and act as a patient advocate
• Maintain knowledge of new and current clinical methods
• Abide by all Medical Center policies and procedures
• Work schedule: Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.