Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. Opened to all US Citizens

Primary Care Physicians perform a wide variety of tasks and are expected to have a wide degree of creativity and latitude. The provider will work for Primary Care Service within the Salisbury VA Healthcare System (VAHCS). Primary Care Physicians are required to be familiar with the concepts, tools, and technology within the field of Family Practice. It is required each Physician holds a Medical Degree (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathy(DO) from an approved college or university and have completed an ACGME accredited residency in Family Medicine or Internal Medicine. Each provider must meet the physical standards and meet credentialing and privileging criteria outlined in VHA

SCOPE OF ASSIGNED DUTIES:
In addition to compliance with national and local regulatory policy, and accreditation requirements governing this health care system, this position encompasses the following responsibilities in partnership with his/her Administrative Officer and the support of the section chiefs and supervisors. The incumbent ensures appropriate time mapping and resources to ensure they are empowered to meet expected proficiencies in administration, clinical practice, education, and research.

Administrative Duties:
a. Obligations/Responsibilities: Providers must attend staff meeting, communicate with PACT team staff and administrative personnel to help facilitate quality care and access to a panel of Veterans and to help in preparation of issue briefs related to adverse patient outcomes, congressional inquiries or any other non-judicial investigation/summary.
b. Clinical Management including indirect patient care: Open encounter and open consult maintenance, CPRS documentation requirements, monitoring of clinic management. Maintains involvement in matters concerning clinic productivity, relevant performance, Quality and Patient Safety oversight, as well as process improvements (system redesigns).

Clinical Duties: the incumbent is expected to remain privileged and practicing in their specialty field. The exact privileges and procedures for a particular provider will be approved by the Professional Standards Board. All physicians must meet the following qualifications:
a. Patient Care: Practitioners are expected to provide patient care that is compassionate, appropriate, and effective for the promotion of health, prevention of illness, treatment of disease, and care at the end of life.
b. Medical/Clinical Knowledge: Practitioners are expected to demonstrate knowledge of established evolving biomedical, clinical and social sciences and the application of that knowledge to patient care and the education of others.
c. Clinical Judgement: To ensure practice-based learning and improvement, practitioners are expected to be able to use scientific evidence and methods to investigate, evaluate, and improve patient care.
d. Interpersonal and Communication Skills: Practitioners are expected to demonstrate interpersonal and communication skills that enable them to establish and maintain professional relationships with patients, families, and other members of the healthcare team.
e. Professionalism: Practitioners are expected to demonstrate behaviors that reflect commitment to continuous professional development, ethical practice, and understanding and sensitivity to diversity, and a responsible attitude toward patients and the profession.
f. Systems-Based Practice: Practitioners are expected to demonstrate an understanding of the contexts and systems in which healthcare is provided, and an ability to apply this knowledge to improve optimizing health.

Education

• Practitioners are expected to show effectiveness in teaching, monitor and coordinate educations activities, and comply with necessary trainee supervision requirements.

• If the incumbent is involved in research, he/she will show an ability to identify and define significant Research and Development problems, to plan and execute a precise research program, and to generate effective reports and results worthy of publication.

Conditions of employment

NOTE: Prior to accepting a final employment offer, all selected applicants will be required to sign a Memorandum of Understanding regarding deployment responsibilities

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). 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-employment physical examination and maintain CDT physical readiness.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Must be able to meet physical demands which include strenuous physical activity to include carrying persons and equipment, walking long distances over difficult terrain, running, climbing, working long hours in austere or arduous conditions, long periods of standing, and bending and stooping.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

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.
• English Language Proficiency. In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English.
• 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), b) OR [(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 believes 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; 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.

• All Specialties
  • Experience in disaster medicine and/or completed advanced training (i.e. fellowship) in disaster or wilderness medicine. This may include experience in medical deployments. Additionally, training and/or experience in critical care medicine is favored.
  • Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS)
  • Certifications from American Heart Association (AHA) or Military Training Network (MTN) are highly preferred: Basic Life Support (BLS) and/or Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS). (AHA certification preferred.) BLS/ACLS certification is recommended, but not required, for candidates who are board certified in Emergency Medicine (VHA Directive 1177, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, January 4, 2021). The selected employee will be required to receive these certifications prior to assuming clinical responsibilities and ensure current certifications after employment is maintained.
• Emergency Department
  • Board certified in Emergency Medicine.
  • Board certified in Family or Internal Medicine.
  • At least 5 years of recent experience in an Emergency Department.
• Hospitalist
  • Board certified in Internal Medicine.
  • 5 or more years of clinical experience since completion of residency training.
  • Experience and/or training in critical care medicine.
• Primary Care
  • 3 or more years of experience in a Primary Care Setting.
  • Prior experience in the hospital, emergency or trauma setting.
  • Board Certified/Board Eligible in Internal Medicine or Family Practice.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your application, resume, C.V., and/or other supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

NOTE: A formal pay-setting process will be used to determine your salary. The salary may be at any point in the range listed for this vacancy.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans' Preference Note: Preference eligible candidates and other Veterans will be given preference when qualification of candidates are approximately equal for Title 38 positions in VHA. When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans' Preference.

To apply for this position, you must submit a C.V. and/or resume. Other documents may be requested later in the process if needed.

Special Note for Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume Document. This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted 'Resume' document upload field.

Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field.

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