Summary

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) - a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VA 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.

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 or board eligible in Pain Management and completion of an ACGME-accredited pain fellowship strongly preferred - consideration open for primary residency (e.g. - Emergency Medicine - Internal Medicine - Family Medicine - Psychiatry - PM&R - Anesthesiology as primary residency all eligible)
• DEA license required
• Experience in clinical program development and oversight preferred
• Training in the Biopsychosocial Model for Pain Management preferred
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: Moderate lifting - 15-44 pounds
• straight pulling (4 hours)
• pushing (4 hours)
• reaching above shoulder
• use of fingers
• both hands required
• walking (2 hours);standing (7 hours)
• kneeling (1 hour)
• repeated bending (4 hours)
• both legs required
• near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4
• far-vision correctable in one eye to 20/50 and to 20/100 in the other
• ability to distinguish basic colors
• hearing (aid permitted)
• mental and emotional stability required.

Duties

• Contract Buy Out Program: This position may be eligible for the Physician / Provider Contract Buy Out Program (CBOP) - which authorizes VHA to buy out service contracts (Locum agreements - loan repayments - sign-on bonus contracts - Physician-owned practices) in exchange for employment at certain rural or highly rural facilities for a period of obligated service (minimum 4 years)
• For additional information and eligibility requirements - contact the VHA Contract Buy Out Program Manager at vacontractbuyoutprog@va.gov
• VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package
• VHA Physician Total Rewards
• Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Learn more
• EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
• Contact 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 incumbent is responsible for providing Pain Care to Veterans of Eastern Kansas VA
• The Physician may be asked to provide care in various settings to include outpatient clinics - inpatient units and/or in the Emergency Department as needed
• A presence at both Topeka and Leavenworth may be necessary
• Functions: Incumbent reports to the Chief of Specialty Medicine and will work with/lead a multidisciplinary team of staff within the Pain Clinic Section
• Works to treat patients with chronic pain with a focus on improving function and a whole-person approach
• - Serve as the leader of the multidisciplinary Pain Clinic team
• - Provide subject matter expertise regarding pain management at the facility level and serve as a liaison between the facility and the regional network level
• -Perform core and specialized interventional pain management procedures under imaging guidance
• Provides interventional pain management procedures - to potentially include but not limited to: cervical - thoracic - lumbar and sacral epidural steroid injections
• cervical - thoracic and lumbar facet/nerve block/median branch blocks
• intercostal/paravertebral nerve blocks
• sacroiliac joint injections
• radio frequency ablations
• lumbar/thoracic paravertebral sympathetic blocks
• trigger point injections and piriformis injections
• stellate ganglion blocks
• occipital nerve blocks
• botox injections
• trigeminal nerve blocks
• ilioinguinal or genitofemoral nerve blocks
• Ultrasound guided peripheral nerve blocks of head/neck and extremities
• - Coordinate pain care within Pain Management Team (PMT) and VA Health Care and with external providers (e.g. - interventional pain care - interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation program - care in the community)
• - Collaborate with and lead the multidisciplinary team which will include but is not limited to Interventional Anesthesia Pain Management Physicians - Pain Clinic Nurse Practitioners - Pain Psychologist - Substance Use Disorder/Addiction Psychiatrist - Pharmacists - Pain Physical Therapist - and Registered Nurses
• - Provides medication management for pain including prescribing of opioid analgesic medications when indicated (Clinical Pharmacist Practitioners (CPP) authorized to prescribe or Addiction Psychiatrist may support this function)
• - Provide oversight of training residents/students with participation in the education program
• - Other duties as assigned
• Work Schedule: 7:30am-4:00pm or 8:00am-4:30pm