Physician - Primary Care

Summary

Serves as a Primary Care Physician, providing clinical primary care services to eligible Veterans for Western Colorado Health Care System (WCHCS), located in Grand Junction, Colorado.

Duties

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DUTIES:

• Functions as the Physician Team leader of their Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT), Ambulatory Care Services, Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) setting at WCHCS. May perform additional duties (temporary or permanent) as a float provider (face-to-face, VA Video Connect (WC) or via telehealth) as those duties are assigned.
• Responsible for providing medical care in an outpatient setting following PACT principles. Will routinely provide medical care using Face-to-Face(F2F), VVC, and/or Telephone appointments. When performing duties as a float provider (F2F or telehealth) for remote patients, will provide care to outreach clinics as needed. Float provider duties (temporary or permanent) may require travel to the supported CBOC(s) periodically to cover a provider vacancy.
• Assures that Veterans receive compassionate, efficient, and safe patient care in their respective care line.
• Assures that clinical care provided meets all timelines and required documentation as required by VA. Providers must review alerts daily and have no more than 200 alerts at any given time. They must complete open encounters" within 48 hours, encounter their notes within 72 hours. Encounter errors must be completed within 7 days.
• Participates in multi-disciplinary team meetings to achieve a patient centered, holistic approach for clinical care and needs of the Veteran. This includes daily and weekly huddles with your PACT.
• Leads by example. Attend either by skype or in person all Primary care statewide meetings and whenever possible, participates in the clinical and teaching activities at WCHCS Ambulatory Care meetings.
• Comply with all directives and policies related to space management to achieve optimal resource utilization (space, professional and administrative) to maximize clinic utilization within the PACT model.
• Improves quality of care by achieving:
• Excellence in meeting national and VISN 19 patient safety goals.
• Participate in PACT huddles and manage your PACT patients with diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and mental health disorders (HEDIS) with the goal to reduce your PACT metrics and obtain excellence of HEDIS metrics.
• Excellence in ORYX (Joint Commission} measures
• Will meet 6 core competencies for professional performance and conduct:
• Patient Care
• Medical Knowledge (evidence-based medicine)
• Practice-Based Learning and Improvement
• Interpersonal and Communication Skills
• Systems-Based Practice
• Professionalism: Practice the principles of the WCHCS VA's Civility in the Workplace policy. This includes but is not limited to:
• Promote civility, through your actions, among employees and the Veterans we serve and actively participate in an environment where people from all walks of life embrace and practice respect, courtesy and consideration.
• Through your actions, maintain a workplace that is effective and productive.
• Support civil interactions with peers, colleagues & staff that create the best possible environment for providing excellent care to Veterans.
• Practice courteous and positive communication without belittling, being rude, and showing hostile behavior.
• Complaints from staffing or clinic personal about provider professionalism will be taken seriously and steps to ensure workplace safety will be taken.
  
  

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

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Eligible

EDRP Authorized: 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. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact- VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@va.gov 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



Work Schedule: 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Monday to Friday

Requirements

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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:

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  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.
  
  

Preferred Experience: 3 years experience within the last 3 years, in Women's Health, Geriatrics, Internal medicine, or Primary Care.



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



Physical Requirements: The incumbent must be able to perform all activities of the position without restriction. This position involves considerable standing, walking, stooping, bending, reaching, lifting and turning. It requires repositioning patients and assisting with transferring patients to wheelchairs/stretchers. Mechanical devices when available are required to be used for heavy or difficult to lift patients. The work may involve pushing or lifting weight in excess of 50 pounds and going up and down flights of stairs. The position requires visual and auditory acuity at a level to provide safe and effective nursing care. The positions requires the nurse to work for periods of time with arms above shoulder level or with the neck in a fully flexed or extended position and the ability to physically control or protect him/herself from physically abusive patients.

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.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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