Physician - Chief of Imaging Service

Summary

The Wilkes-Barre, PA VA Medical Center is recruiting for one Chief of Imaging Service who leads and optimizes all imaging operations, ensures regulatory compliance, oversees staff performance, drives process improvement, manages budgets and strategic planning, maintains clinical involvement, and ensures high-quality, accredited care across all imaging modalities.

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Duties

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This position is authorized to provide the right candidate with a sign-on bonus as a percentage of your of annual salary per year for up to four years of service, and provide PCS reimbursement (moving costs)! In addition, salary can go above the maximum amount shown if candidate meets annual performance metrics (Max salary by law cannot exceed $400,000 per year).

The Chief of Imaging Service plans, directs and optimizes a comprehensive, clinical, and administrative program to deliver high quality, cost-effective, and timely patient care. This leadership role provides expert technical counsel to meet all regulatory, legal and clinical requirements while maximizing resource utilization. The position requires broad clinical and administrative expertise to seamlessly coordinate Veteran care in collaboration with Medical Center leadership, Clinical Service Chiefs, and internal and external VA and non-VA entities within and outside the HSA/Region.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Responsible for planning, developing, and directing the General Radiology, Interventional Radiology, CT, Ultrasound, MRI, PET/CT, Mammography and Nuclear Medicine operations of Imaging Service
• Maintain frontline clinical engagement by actively participating in case interpretations
• Responsible for implementing VHA Handbooks, rules, directives, policies and regulations governing a broad range of administrative aspects of the medical center
• To affect the policies, have the skills in management theory, cost-benefit analysis, and statistical analysis
• Participates as a member, lead or champion of process improvement teams, leadership committees such as Credentialing and Privileging Committee, Clinical Executive Council , Peer Review Committee, etc.
• Tasked with providing active leadership and decision making for the organization, is responsible for strategic planning, the budget process, and performance improvement initiatives
• Develops and administers a formal, systematic performance plan for reviewing, appraising and continuously improving each phase of clinical/clinical support/administrative activity across all imaging modalities
• Responsible for assuring that services provided by this medical center meet the standards set by accrediting agencies which govern the quality of care for this medical center, to include, but not limited to Joint Commission, the OIG, American College of Radiology , etc.
• Demonstrate knowledge and skills in interpersonal relations, especially the ability to appropriately and courteously relate to internal and external customers
• Responsible for identifying training needs for subordinate employees, for ensuring the competency of staff for their selected positions
• Responsible for personnel actions involving key subordinates and is responsible for effective labor/employee relations by coordinating with Human Resources
• Ensure that services delivered are consistent with customer service needs and standards
• In addition to administrative and clinical leadership, maintains hands-on clinical presence through daily case interpretation and performance of procedures

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

Recruitment Incentive (sign-on bonus): Authorized (eligible for a percentage of salary per year for up to four years of service)

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Authorized (VHA will reimburse your moving costs)

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 to Friday, 8am to 430pm eastern time. Position includes shared call coverage.

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 identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation/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:

• Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• 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 one of the schools approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs for the year in which the course of study was completed.
• Licensure: 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:
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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.
• Language: Proficiency in spoken and written English.

Preferred Experience:

• Board Certification in Radiology-Diagnostic
• Senior administrative/management roles: Previous experience as a manager or director in an Imaging department is highly preferred
• Leadership and team building: A proven track record of leading and managing diverse teams is essential
• Budget and financial management: Experience in managing budgets and financial plans for the department is a key requirement
• Operational management: Experience with the day-to-day operations of an Imaging department, including workflow efficiency and staff supervision
• Advanced imaging technologies: Familiarity with and experience using advanced imaging technologies is often required

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

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services.

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.