Physician-Anesthesiologist

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 Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS), a flagship Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care provider, is one of the largest and busiest VA medical centers in the country. Its two hospitals, located in Little Rock and North Little Rock, anchor a broad spectrum of inpatient and outpatient health care services, ranging from disease prevention through primary care, to complex surgical procedures, to extended rehabilitative care. This System serves as a teaching facility for more than 1,500 students and residents enrolled in approximately 65 educational affiliates; its principal affiliate is the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. The System is reaching out to Veterans through its Community-Based Outpatient Clinics in Conway, El Dorado, Hot Springs, Mena, Mountain Home, Pine Bluff, Russellville and Searcy; its Home-Based Primary Care Center in Hot Springs; and the Veterans Day Treatment Center for homeless veterans in downtown Little Rock. Throughout more than 80 years of rich history, CAVHS has been widely recognized for excellence in education and research, and - first and foremost - for a tradition of quality and caring for more than 65,000 Arkansas Veterans annually.

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

Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): May be authorized for highly qualified applicants.

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

EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact Mary Lassiter ([redacted]), 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

General Areas of Responsibility: The staff Anesthesiologist performs a variety of services including pre-operative patient examination and assessment, intra-operative care of inpatient and ambulatory patients for scheduled, urgent and emergency procedures, utilizing MAC, regional and general anesthesia techniques on ASA class 1 through 5 patients. The staff Anesthesiologist also provides post-operative care including ventilator management within recovery area and in some cases, the ICU. The staff Anesthesiologist provides anesthesia-related direct patient care in all functional areas of the OR, ICU, ward, and other clinic settings as needed and may provide critical care related direct care as a part of a multidisciplinary critical care team. The staff Anesthesiologist may also be involved in program planning for establishing objectives, policies, and standards essential to delivery of quality anesthetic care.

Routine Professional Duties: The Staff Anesthesiologist:

• Assessment, consultattion and preparation of patients for anesthesia including the pre-operative examination, post operative assessment, intraoperative anesthetic plan and all documentation thereof.
• Provision of insensilibity to pain during surgical, therapeutic and diagnostic procedures and mangement of patients
• Monitoring and restoration of homeostasis during perioperative period to include homeostasis in critically or seriously ill, and injured
• Diagnosis and treatment of painful syndromes.
• Clinical management of emergency situations including providing airway management, administration of emergency fluids and medications and using appropriate resuscitation procedures
• Supervision, teaching, and evaluation of performance of medical and paramedical personnel in the delivery of anesthesia, respiratory, critical care and cardiopulmonary resuscitation
• Conducting research and collaborating in research efforts at clinical and basic sciences level.
• Administrative involvement in hospitals,medical schools and outpatient facilities as necessary for the development and implementation of a cost effective, efficient, quality care agenda. This may include assisting with development of policies, procedures,protocols and AD HOC committee participation.
• Perform on-call coverage

Work Schedule: 6:30 am to 3:00 pm Monday - Friday (On call 3:00 pm - 6:30 am on weekdays and 7:00 am-7:00 am on weekends and holidays).

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 evaluation.
• 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.

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.

Preferred Experience:

1. Board certified/board eligible
2. Experience working with Trainees (Anesthesia residents and Student Nurse Anesthetists).
3. Experience working in a collaborative team model of anesthesia care.
4. Demonstrates the ability to perform the clinical and technical aspects of anesthesia care and has in-depth knowledge of anesthesia methods and techniques.

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

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.

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.

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.

Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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