Summary

The VA Long Beach Healthcare System (VALBHS) is seeking an accomplished and mission-driven physician leader to serve as Chief of the Imaging Health Care Group (HCG). This is an exceptional opportunity to lead one of the largest clinical departments in the system, overseeing Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Nuclear Medicine, and Radiation Oncology services across inpatient, outpatient, and emergency care settings.

Duties

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The Chief, Imaging HCG, is responsible for the overall management, planning, organization, and direction of all programs within the Imaging HCG, including fiscal oversight, patient care delivery, quality improvement, and research activities. The Chief serves as a key leader across the VALBHS enterprise and is engaged in strategic, operational, and tactical planning at both the facility and department levels. As Chief, you will shape the strategic direction of a high-volume, subspecialty-rich department while directly advancing the health and well-being of the Veterans our system is privileged to serve. This role is ideal for a physician with a passion for both clinical excellence and organizational leadership.

Major duties include, but are not limited to:

Clinical Responsibilities

• Provides direct patient care in their specialty area approximately 20-30% of the time, such as advising on appropriate imaging modality selection for staging, treatment response, and surveillance; approving, designing, and performing image-guided diagnostic or therapeutic treatment plans; and participating in multidisciplinary tumor boards (e.g., lung, liver, genitourinary, breast, neuro-oncologic, general).
• Ensures accuracy, completeness, and compliance of all departmental clinical documentation and reporting standards, including appropriate use of CPT codes and diagnoses.

Administrative & Leadership

• Provides overall administrative direction for the Imaging HCG, carrying out duties in a timely, resourceful, and efficient manner while demonstrating strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills across all levels of the organization.
• Supervises department personnel, evaluates prospective new hires, and oversees compliance with all applicable regulations and VA policies.
• Addresses patient concerns, credentialing and peer review matters, and inquiries from Congress, the White House, VA Central Office, and national investigative bodies in coordination with facility leadership.
• Participates as a member and/or leader of Imaging and VALBHS-wide committees responsible for peer review, accreditation, and quality improvement initiatives, as assigned by the Office of the Chief of Staff.
• Fosters a culture of safety, mutual respect, and open communication in which all team members feel empowered to identify problems and contribute solutions without fear of retaliation.
• Champions a department-wide commitment to veteran-centered care, inspiring staff to uphold the highest standards of service to those who have served.

Education & Training

• Functions as a Radiology Educator for medical and other health care trainees, including students, resident physicians, and fellows, supporting the academic mission of the department.

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

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

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

EDRP Authorized: Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) Authorized: This position is eligible for EDRP, a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of your start date. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000), and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. Contact [redacted] for questions/assistance. Former EDRP participants are ineligible to apply for the incentive.

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 a 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: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm

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.

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:

• Board Certification in the specialty/subspecialty listed in the announcement.

Preferred Experience:

• Supervisory experience
• Radiology background
• The ideal candidate will have a record of clinical and administrative experience in an Imaging Service, along with proven managerial skills in a complex healthcare institution

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

Physical Requirements: Physical demands include repetitive body movements, such as frequent reaching, standing, walking, and lifting equipment and/or patients to provide patient care. This position requires extension of the hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction, including above or below shoulder level, during the provision of patient care, including the retrieval of needed equipment and supplies, and contact with the patient. This position requires maintaining an upright posture to perform patient care duties and is typically non-sedentary, frequently involving standing. Position also requires moving about to accomplish tasks, such as assisting with patient ambulation and transferring patients between areas. This position requires raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects from one horizontal position to another. Lifting may be used to move a patient from one location to another (e.g., from the exam table to the chair) and to move equipment or supplies.

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.

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.