Summary

The Urgent Care Physician (UCP) will be responsible for the overall medical care of patients that present to the Urgent Care Center at the Daniel Akaka VA Clinic. 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.

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
• Additional Requirement: Board certification/eligible in internal medicine - emergency medicine or family medicine Preferred Experience: Experience in urgent care or emergency department settings Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: Applicants must meet physical standards for the position
• A physical examination prior to placement is required
• This is a designated drug testing position
• After appointment - you will be subject to random testing for illegal drug use
• Requires lifting 15-44 pounds
• pushing (approx
• 2 hours)
• reaching above shoulder
• use of fingers and both hands
• walking and standing from 3-5 hours and kneeling
• Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously
• Must have depth perception and ability to distinguish basic colors and shades of colors
• Hearing aid is permitted.

Duties

• VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package
• VHA Physician Total Rewards
• Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Work Schedule: Monday to Saturday - 7:30am - 6:00pm (varies) 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 Urgent Care Physician (UCP) supports the health care delivery mission of the Department of Veterans Affairs
• Services will be provided Monday-Saturday between the hours of 8:00 am - 6:00 pm but are subject to change based on the needs of the facility
• The UCP will be required to participate in the back-up call schedule used during disaster events - surge events - and shift coverage emergencies
• On rare occasions - the UCP maybe called to cover night/ overnight coverage during disaster events
• 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 may be used to support research or those requested by the Medical Center Director/Chief of Staff
• 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 - have experience in urgent care or emergency department settings
• The UCP must be competent in higher acuity practice standards and be eligible for and maintain ACLS certification
• 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
• Please refer to VA Handbook 5005/113 - Part II - Appendix G2 for physician qualifications
• The essential duties of this position include - but may not be limited to: Evaluate and treat acute conditions and stabilize patients with emergent conditions
• These include but are not limited to myocardial infarction - chest pain - Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) - abdominal pain - altered mental status - acute vascular events - seizures - stroke - dyspnea - Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) - pulmonary embolism - pneumonia - COVID - acute pain syndromes - fever syndromes - Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) - musculoskeletal pain - fractures - minor trauma - lacerations - etc
• The UCP is responsible for assessing - physical exams - evaluation - management - and clinical impression of patients presenting to the clinic
• This includes competency in interpreting diagnostic tests - including but not exclusive to - lab results - electrocardiogram (EKG) - and imaging studies such as x-rays
• They should be familiar with computed tomography (CT) - magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) - and ultrasound regarding utilization - review - and management of the interpretation by a radiologist
• UCP must have competency in clinical judgment skills regarding the appropriateness of transferring patients to a community hospital for a higher level of care
• Act as the consultant for other physicians and mid-level providers in primary care for urgent/emergent questions/cases/acute conditions that may arise in primary care medicine
• The UCP is to ensure appropriate use of available resources and will be responsible for practicing current standards of care
• Quality of Care: UCP is to follow standards for clinical competence - professional conduct - and maintain these standards through Focused Professional Practice Evaluation (FPPE) - Ongoing Professional Practice Evaluations (OPPE) - compliance with credentialing and privileging - and comply with other quality improvement activities
• Provide quality clinical care and services while considering customer satisfaction - compliance with Joint Commission regulations and other relevant accrediting agencies as indicated and ensure efficiency of service delivery
• Achieve Performance Improvement/QM programs in their practice.