Physician- Primary Care

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

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: Previous Telehub/Telehealth experience

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements:
Moderate Lifting (15-44 pounds)
Light Lifting (under 15 pounds)
Moderate Carrying (15-44 pounds)
Light Carrying (under 15 pounds)
Reaching above shoulder
Use of fingers
Both hands required
Walking (2 hours)
Standing (2 hours)
Climbing, use of legs and arms
Both legs required
Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4
Far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and 20/40 in the other
Both eyes required
Depth perception
Ability to distinguish basic colors
Ability to distinguish shades of colors
Hearing (aid may be required)

Responsibilities:

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.

EDRP Authorized: Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply. Learn more
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact Demetrius.Roberts@va.gov, 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

The Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center is looking for a Primary Care Physician for the telehub site in Sugar Land, TX. The provider will serve the Veteran population with diseases consistent to those seen in the general population to include acute and chronic illness, women's health, gender specific health care, mental health, mental health, and preventive care, along with coordination of care delivery. A major focus is in preventative medicine.

Some of the duties and responsibilities are:

• Assess the needs and plan intervention for individuals/families;
• Facilitates the delivery of primary, acute and chronic health care;
• Assists individuals/families to achieve optimal levels of health through collaboration with medical and health care professionals;
• Exercises medical decision-making and provides a broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic services for a specific group of patients;
• Exhibits leadership in initiating changes in patient care programs based on current concepts and findings from research and/or studies;
• Involved in direct patient care, patient and family teaching, staff education and multidisciplinary consultations and collaborations;
• Participates in education of PA students, NP, Residents, Medical Students, interns;
• Supervise mid-level practitioners as assigned
• Consistently demonstrates expertise in diagnosing and treating seriously ill multi-symptomatic patients;
• Serves as a resource person for standards development in health care in the area of quality improvement concerns.

Work Schedule: To be discussed with the hiring manager

Salary : $1,000