Physician-Anesthesiologist

Summary

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 (1 to 5 years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.

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Duties

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The Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center serves as the primary health care provider for more than 151,000 Veterans in southeast Texas. Houston exudes a cosmopolitan and down-home vibe together that lets the residents of the country's fourth-largest city and third-largest county (Harris) know that there's no place quite like Houston. The city attracts visitors and transplants with a wonderful mix of world class arts, booming business, pro sports and award-winning cuisine.

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards.

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be authorized for highly qualified applicants.

EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact Demetrius Roberts, (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

General Areas of Responsibility: Performs pre-anesthetic evaluations, collaborates with the interdisciplinary team to prepare the anesthesia plan, delivers of all forms of anesthesia, and provides intra- and post-operative care to patients. As part of "Code Blue" Team, provides emergency airway and resuscitation management throughout the facility and establishes effective working relationships with all levels of staff throughout the MEDVAMC.

Routine Professional Duties: The Staff Anesthesiologist:

- Translates the principles of anesthesia practice into appropriate patient care.

- Performs the pre-anesthetic patient history and physical, including the collection of preoperative consults and data, performs a patient evaluation and examination from which an appropriate anesthetic plan is formulated.

- Communicates the anesthetic risks, benefits, and options to the patient. This is done in the perioperative setting or when stationed the Anesthesia Preoperative Clinic.

- Prepares the patient, operating room and/or procedural area for the administration of anesthesia.

- Administers inhalation, regional, intravenous, local, and topical anesthetics and continuously evaluates the patient's physical status and response to anesthesia.

- Performs post-anesthetic management of patients in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) in order to optimize the recovery from anesthesia and minimize pain. The PACU is medically directed by ACL.

- Ensures timely and accurate anesthetic record charting and anesthesia service documentation.

- Provides patient care that is abreast of changing concepts and advancements in the profession while working effectively in an interdisciplinary environment for improvement of services for patient care.

- Practices with colleagues and peers utilizing a collaborative team concept of anesthesia care while demonstrating effective communication skills and professional behaviors that promote cooperation and interdisciplinary teamwork. This includes guiding and training anesthesia residents, doctoral-level nurse anesthesia students and Medical Students from the Baylor College of Medicine and SRNAs from UT-Houston.

- Demonstrates skill in conducting and managing anesthesia for a broad range of surgical procedures and the ability to adapt and modify anesthesia techniques in order to optimize patient care.

- Demonstrates the ability to perform the clinical and technical aspects of anesthesia care and has in-depth knowledge of anesthesia methods and techniques.

- Provides consultations and assistance for acute and chronic pain problems, difficult invasive line placement, and airway or ventilation concerns.

- Effectively blends technology, skills, and competency for the advancement of anesthesia techniques, pharmacology, and equipment.

- Applies new developments and theories to recognize and solve various complex anesthesia situations.

- Demonstrates the ability to share expertise within or beyond the facility through leadership or as an active participant in interdisciplinary groups (e.g. committees, taskforces, projects, formal teaching, publications or other professional activities).

- Participates in the development of the anesthesia patient care audit processes which involves the in-depth review and analysis of anesthesia records.

Emergency

Work Schedule: 7:00am-3:30pm, Monday-Friday

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-placement evaluation.
• 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.
• Staff Must be able to take Call on weekdays, weekends and holidays and work late shift duty hours.

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:

1. Board certified/board eligible

2.Experience working with Trainees (Anesthesia residents and Student Nurse Anesthetists).

3. Experience working in a collaborative team model of anesthesia care.

4. Demonstrates the ability to perform the clinical and technical aspects of anesthesia care and has in-depth knowledge of anesthesia methods and techniques.5. Demonstrates the ability to share expertise within or beyond the facility through leadership or as an active participate in interdisciplinary groups (e.g., committees, task forces, projects, formal teaching, publications, or other professional activities).

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

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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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.