Physician (Chief of Radiology)

Summary

The VAMC Memphis is a very large facility serving over 69,000 Veterans. Lt. Col. Luke Weathers, Jr., VAMC provides extensive primary, secondary, and tertiary care in outpatient, inpatient, residential, and community settings. Lt. Col. Luke Weathers, Jr., VAMC is a multi-site medical system that includes a major medical facility in Memphis and nine Community Based Outpatient Clinics. Lt. Col. Luke Weathers, Jr., VAMC is an academic medical facility with teaching and research programs.

Learn more about this agency

Duties

Help

The Chief, Radiology position at the VA Memphis will encompass the breadth of clinical care, including inpatient consultation, outpatient clinic and management of the Service in addition to supervision of other LIP's, staff and trainees assigned to the Service. Specific areas to the Service include Diagnostic Radiology, Nuclear Medicine, and Radiation Oncology.

Duties may include but are not limited to:

• Ensures clinical care is delivered in accordance with hospital and VHA policy, meeting or exceeding community standards and VHA national benchmarks.
• Having primary responsibility for supervising other LIP's and staff in the Service, and for ensuring that staff are performing to the highest standards of clinical care excellence, time, efficiency, professional and ethical behavior.
• Ensures care of patients in both outpatient and inpatient settings are smooth, patient centric and safe. This includes, but is not limited to, collaboration and good communication with the Emergency Department, Subspecialty Services and/or Clinics admitting patients to the hospital and transitions to outpatient care.
• Supervises all operational aspects of the Service, including establishment of the highest clinical care standards, operations, and quality.
• Develops strong, collegial working relationships with other Service and Section Chiefs within the medical center (both clinical and administrative).
• Oversees the development and implementation of systems redesigns projects and quality improvements programs within the Service.
• Champions initiatives designed to improve overall quality using evidence-based medicine and peer review.
• Participates in clinical review process such as tort claims, peer reviews, management reviews and administrative activities, as directed by the Chief of Staff or designee.
• Participates as a Chief in the organization's continued accreditation readiness activities.
• Fosters a culture of transparency, communication, collegiality and patient centered interdisciplinary team work.
• Uses astute business acumen to optimally utilize resources and adapt to changes, exercising leadership and flexibility.
• Maintains current medical knowledge and technical skills and provides both leadership and documentation that all LIP's within the Service are competent with respect to current privileging within the Service. He/she is expected to maintain excellent diagnostic, judgmental, and therapeutic acumen in the care of Veterans receiving interventions.
• Responsible for all Service Chief responsibilities as stated in the most current Medical Staff By-Laws of VAMC Memphis.
• Maintain the clinical ability to perform full general clinical examinations on established or newly consulted patients in the clinics, on inpatient wards or in Emergency Department as needed in the discipline of the Chief.
• Promote the expansion of non-traditional care such as (but not limited to) CVT, VVC, electronic consultation (e-consult), group clinics, telephone clinics, secure messaging to improve access to care.
• Required to be eligible for a Faculty of appointment at UTHSC. VAMC Memphis is integrally involved in all teaching and research activities at the University. Teaching responsibilities may include resident mentorship during their inpatient rotations at the VA Memphis as well as outpatient clinic precepting, and other duties as assigned.
• Recommending appointment and clinical privileges for each member of the division and others requesting privileges within the division as well as assuring that individuals with privileges competently provide services.
• Monitoring and ensuring that RADIOLOGY Service compliance with agency regulations, medical staff bylaws, facility policy and other regulation.
• The Chief, Radiology is responsible to the Chief of Staff.
• Other duties as assigned.

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

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

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): May be eligible for highly qualified applicants.

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 8:00AM - 4:30PM

Requirements

Help

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.
• 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: Leadership at the Section Chief level or above, experience with an academic affiliate.

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

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019

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.

Help

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.

Review our benefits

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.