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 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.

Duties

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The Section Chief: Emergency Ambulance Service (EAS) is a physician leader responsible for the clinical and operational oversight of the VA-based ambulance and related out-of-hospital emergency medical services program, which is an integral component of the Emergency Medicine Service. This position provides medical direction and physician oversight for all aspects of ambulance-based care, including emergency response, interfacility transport, and other out-of-hospital clinical activities performed by EMS personnel operating under facility authority. The incumbent ensures that all ambulance service activities are recognized and managed as the practice of medicine, requiring direct or indirect physician oversight, continuous quality improvement, and integration with broader VA and community emergency care systems.

The Section Chief works collaboratively with Emergency Medicine leadership, external EMS agencies, hospital administration, nursing, and allied health staff to promote safe, patient centered, and efficient care across the continuum from initial contact through definitive in hospital care. Serves as an Emergency Medicine Physician in Emergency Medicine Service with responsibility for the delivery of emergency care at the Fayetteville VAMC ED. The incumbent will provide clinical and administrative support to the Emergency Department including the Fast Track, Telehealth, and other areas as assigned. The physician must be a board-certified/board eligible Emergency Medicine Physician. The incumbent reports to the Chief/Deputy Chief or designee of Emergency Medicine Service for all clinical, administrative, and quality performance matters. The incumbent will serve as the acting ED chief as needed.

This is just a sample of the duties that the incumbent will be expected to perform:

• Performs high-level, autonomous patient-centered care to all individuals presenting to the Emergency Department, ensuring rapid evaluation and management of undifferentiated acute conditions.
• Functions at the top of scope, practicing independently under established VA and facility policies while maintaining close collaboration with attending emergency physicians.
• Demonstrates advanced procedural competencies in emergency medicine, including but not limited to:
  i. Airway management (including endotracheal intubation and advanced airway adjuncts).
  ii. Vascular access (central and arterial lines, ultrasound guided IV placement).
  iii. Trauma and orthopedic procedures (reductions, splinting, and joint aspirations).
  iv. Point-of-care ultrasound (FAST exam, cardiac ultrasound, procedural guidance).
  v. Wound care (complex laceration repairs, abscess drainage).
• Serves as the Medical Director for the Ambulance Service Program or equivalent role as designated by the facility, providing direction for all clinical care delivered in the out-of-hospital environment by ambulance personnel in accordance with local and national Emergency Ambulance Services (EAS) protocols.
• Develops, approves, and periodically updates medical protocols, clinical practice guidelines, and standing orders for ambulance service staff, ensuring compliance with VA policy, National Emergency Medicine Office (NEMO, EAS, applicable regulations, and evidence-based practice.
• May serve on various other Fayetteville VAMC Committees at the discretion of the Chief of the Emergency Medicine Service.

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Available to highly qualified candidates

Relocation Incentive: Available to eligible candidates.

EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact the EDRP Coordinator, Cheryl Lahair, at [redacted] for questions/assistance.Learn more.

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: Full-time, 24/7 shift work. Shifts are subject to change to ensure efficient use of medical center resources and appropriate levels of care are maintained.

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.
• 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 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).
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 2-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the Agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the Agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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 allopathic 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 accrediting bodies for graduate medical education, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or American Osteopathic Association (AOA), in the list published for the year the residency, or fellowship if applicable, was completed; OR
  • (2) One year of post medical school training (internship, first year of residency, or transitional year residency) approved by ACGME or AOA followed by two years of post-training independent practice (performing under a full and unrestricted license) in the United States; OR
  • (3) Non-US residency training programs followed by a minimum of three years of verified independent practice in the United States (performing under a full and unrestricted license) performing duties related to the position they are applying for (United States fellowships would be creditable towards this requirement), 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.
  • Exceptions:
    
    • 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 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.
    • In rare and unusual circumstances, the Facility Director can submit a memo to the VISN Director through the VISN Chief Medical Officer, who may approve requests for reasonable exceptions to the residency training requirement for Physicians whose composite record of experience, accomplishments, performance, and qualifications warrant such action.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.

Additional Requirement: This ED Physician must be board certified (BC) or board eligible (BE) in Emergency Medicine (ABEM or AOBEM only). Board eligibility will not exceed 5 years from date of graduation from residency. The incumbent must maintain competencies as indicated in their delineation of privileges.

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

Physical Requirements: The physical requirements of this position include lifting, prolonged standing, frequent bending, stooping, walking, reaching and repetitive motion. The mental/sensory requirements include recall, reasoning, problem-solving, hearing, speaking clearly, writing, keyboarding, reading and logical thinking. The work environment requiring handling of multiple priorities, frequent, sometimes intense customer interactions, the ability to adapt to frequent changes in a potentially noisy environment to include outdoor duties. There may be the need to use personal protective equipment to prevent exposure to disease, illness, and hazardous materials.

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:

1. Schools of medicine accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for the year in which the degree was granted.
2. Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) for the year in which the degree was granted.
3. For foreign medical graduates not covered in (1) or (2) above, confirmation must be made that the medical school meets (or met) Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) eligibility requirement for year 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.