Urgent Care Physician

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Recruitment/Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized

Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized

Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Authorized Learn more .

EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact VISN7EDRPFacilityCoordinators2@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 UCP must be a physician board certified or board eligible in Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, or Internal Medicine. They must have completed a qualifying residency, and preferably, a fellowship related to emergency medicine, intensivist, and/or acute care medicine. The UCP must be competent in higher acuity practice standards like the requirements of an Emergency Room physician. They will also be required to directly participate in any pandemic related patient care regardless of their age, medical conditions, or other known personal risk factors. Physician acknowledges they will be working in all clinics affiliated with the Urgent Care Center (UCC).

The Urgent Care Physician (UCP) will be responsible for the overall medical care of patients to the Urgent Care Center at the Carl Vinson VA Medical Center (CVVAMC) and any other affiliated clinics staffed by the Urgent Care or designated under the Urgent Care umbrella. The UCP is to ensure the quality and timeliness of the services provided, customer satisfaction, as well as compliance with the standards of accrediting bodies such as the Joint Commission and the Inspector General's Combined Assessment Program. The UCP is to ensure appropriate use of available resources and will be responsible for practicing current standards of care.

The UCP will collaborate with other Medical Services as appropriate.

The UCP may assist with completing projects related to their area of specialty, expertise, and interests, relevant to VA directives and policies. Projects will likely be related to their scope of practice but may occasionally be directed toward research/projects within the scope of the Acute Medicine department or those requested by the Chief of Staff (COS).

The UCP ensures to support the health care delivery mission of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Services provided are subject to scrutiny by congressional interests, service organizations, the public, and the media.

Work Schedule: Shifts are variable and generally based on a 12-hour, 10-hr, and 8-hr shift model, currently providing 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM (subject to change based on agency needs)

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 (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.
• 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
• 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.
  
  

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

Physical Requirements: Light lifting, under 15 pounds, light carrying, under 15 pounds, straight pulling (2 hours), pushing (2 hours), use of fingers, walking (1hour), standing (2 hours), kneeling (2 hours), repeated bending (2 hours), climbing, legs only (1 hour), far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other, ability to distinguish basic colors, hearing (aid may be permitted), able to use N-95 mask or PAPR. See VA Handbook and Directive 5019.

Education

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:

• Schools of medicine accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for the year in which the degree was granted, or
• Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation of the American Osteopathic Association for the year in which the degree was granted.
• For foreign medical graduates not covered in (1) or (2) above, facility officials must verify with the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) that the applicant has met requirements for certification, and must obtain a copy of the ECFMG certificate, if claimed by the applicant. [If the applicant does not claim an ECFMG certificate, facility officials must still confirm that the medical school meets (or met) ECFMG eligibility requirements for the year the candidate 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 .

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