Anesthesiologist (Locum Contract)

We’re hiring board-certified or board-eligible anesthesiologists to care for Veterans at the Albany Stratton VA Medical Center. The case mix is broad: general and specialty surgery, off-site procedural anesthesia, and critical care support. Daytime OR hours are predictable and call is taken from home. You can work full-time, part-time, or per diem.

This is a hands-on clinical role, with about 99% of your time spent on direct patient care.

• Weekday OR coverage: Monday through Friday, 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM. The OR runs about 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
• Home call: weeknights from 5:00 PM to 7:00 AM, weekends from Saturday 7:00 AM to Monday 7:00 AM, and federal holidays in 24-hour blocks.
• Call response: answer by phone within 15 minutes and be on site within 60 minutes. Call-back hours are paid at the call rate.
• Flexible scheduling: call is shared among the anesthesia team. Per diem and part-time providers can pick the shifts that fit their availability.
• End of day: if your cases finish before 3:30 PM, you check with the service chief for any additional assignments. If they finish after 3:30 PM, you go home and take call from there.

Pre-operative care

• Review your next-day case assignments the afternoon before.
• Evaluate each patient the morning of the procedure and complete the Immediate Anesthesia Note in CPRS.
• Arrive in the OR by the scheduled start time.

Operative anesthesia

• Provide comprehensive anesthesia for general surgery, orthopedics and total joints, major vascular, thoracic, neurosurgery, plastics, ENT, urology, ophthalmology, dental, gynecology, hand, and podiatry.
• Document every case in the electronic Anesthesia Record Keeper (ARK).
• Complete post-op notes in CPRS.

Procedural and off-site anesthesia

• Provide anesthesia for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).
• Cover the cardiac cath lab, electrophysiology, GI endoscopy, and interventional radiology suites.

Critical care and consult services

• Support the surgical ICU, the short-stay unit, and the acute pain management service.
• Perform diagnostic transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) for medical and surgical patients.
• Provide emergency airway management throughout the hospital.
• See inpatient consults at the bedside and respond to e-consults.

Teaching and team

• Teach and supervise residents and other trainees according to VA supervision standards.
• Answer phone consults from VA residents and physicians while on duty or on call.
• Give patients discharge instructions and coordinate follow-up with the next care setting.

Quality and safety

• Take part in quality improvement activities and department staff meetings.
• Follow VA medication, infection control, and patient safety policies.
• Report patient safety events within 24 hours through the VA reporting system.
• Make sure test results are communicated to patients and providers according to VA policy.

• MD or DO from an accredited program.
• Board certified or board eligible through the American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA).
• A current, full, and unrestricted medical license in any U.S. state, territory, or DC. Candidates with any past license restriction, suspension, revocation, or surrender, or a denied license application, can’t be considered.
• Current BLS and ACLS certification.
• Fluent spoken and written English.
• A complete, verifiable education and training history, with any gaps explained.
• Ability to complete VA credentialing and privileging and a federal background check.
• Willingness to complete VA-required onboarding training and keep CME current.

• Experience at a VA, military, or other federal facility.
• Experience with CPRS or VistA.
• Experience in academic or teaching settings.
• Comfort with TEE and regional anesthesia.

• A hospital operating room, procedure suites, and inpatient units.
• Requires standing for long periods and working in a sterile surgical setting.
• Requires living or staying within about 60 minutes of the medical center while on call.

• You’ll care for Veterans who served our country.
• Daytime OR hours with call taken from home.
• Full-time, part-time, and per diem options.
• A varied case mix without a cardiac surgery load.
• Our team handles credentialing and onboarding.