Physician (regular Ft) Chief Of Diagnostic Services

Job Opportunity

Summary This is an open continuous announcement and will remain open until August 30, 2026. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be October 1, 2025, with subsequent cut-off dates on the 1st of each month. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled.

Responsibilities Services under diagnostics include imaging, pathology and laboratory medicine, audiology and speech pathology, physical therapy and occupational therapy. Provide direction and oversight for all clinical and administrative activities of the service with commitment to continuous improvement of patient outcomes and services delivered. Collaborate and coordinate with the service administrative officer for all administrative activities of the service. Integrate the service into the primary functions of the organization and integrate the service mission and goals into those of the medical center, network, and department of veterans affairs. Coordinate and integrate clinical functions shared by services, including all issues and concerns between services. Develop and implement service policies and procedures that guide and support the provision of the service. Identify and recommend the sufficient number of qualified and competent staff to provide clinical care and services. Provide continuing supervision/surveillance of the professional performance of all individuals who have delineated privileges or defined scopes of practice in the service. Develop and implement a performance improvement plan for continuous assessment and improvement of the quality of services provided. Identify or recommend space and other resources needed by the service to provide safe, efficient, and effective clinical care. Assess and recommend off-station sources for indicated patient care services not provided by the service or by the organization. Review monitors of service performance to ensure compliance with local, network, and central policies, procedures, and mandates. Responsible and accountable for the quantity and quality of patient care delivered by each employee under his/her supervision. Provide guidance and counseling for staff members directly supervised, and initiate disciplinary actions, when appropriate, in accordance with VHA rules and regulations. Assure adherence, by those under the supervision of the service chief, to the medical staff bylaws, rules, and regulations. Promulgate an on-call roster for those supervised positions that take call. Coordinate the leave schedules of supervised staff, optimally a year in advance, to ensure adequate clinical coverage for all supervised areas. Build collaborative working relationships among members of the service and with other services. Implement local, network, and central clinical policies and procedures including practice guidelines, and take a leadership role in improving important clinical functions, some of which are contained in local, network, or national performance measures. Hear and resolve informal complaints and grievances, develop individual performance improvement plans when indicated, and recommend personnel actions as appropriate for staff members supervised. Work closely with facility leadership as well as with education and other affiliates, to ensure proper house staff/student supervision and educational goals are met. Assure adequate and proper supervision of all residents, students, and trainees associated with the service. Collaborate, negotiate, and coordinate with other service chiefs and management officials concerning all aspects of patient care, research programs and educational programs. Assure that all survey and reporting functions assigned to the service are completed and submitted within specified time frames. Responsible for service compliance with all VA policies and mandates, as well as with external review organizations including the Joint Commission. Determine, with input from appropriate technical staff, the qualifications and competence of service personnel who are not licensed independent practitioners and who provide patient care services. Assure service compliance with all Human Resource policies and regulations. Provide direct patient care. Other duties as assigned.

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

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, 8:00 A.M. - 4:30 P.M.; however, subject to change based on the needs of the service/medical center.

Requirements 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.

You may be required to serve a probationary period.

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 examination.

Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).

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 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.

Proficiency in spoken and written English.

Preferred Experience:

Board Certified

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

Physical Requirements:

Lifting up to 35 pounds, intermittently; moderate carrying (15-35 pounds), intermittently; lifting over 35 pounds with assistive devices in accordance with the Safe Patient Handling Policy except in emergent situations requiring prompt patient care; pulling, intermittently; pushing, intermittently; reaching above the shoulders, intermittently, both hands required; walking, intermittently; standing, intermittently; kneeling, intermittently; and repeated bending.