Summary

The DPM is responsible for diagnosing and treatment of foot, ankle, and lower leg problems. Setting fractures, prescribing physical therapy or drugs, or performing surgery on feet, ankles, or legs; Treatment of Achilles tendinitis, ganglia of the feet, diabetic neuropathy, foot ulcers, gout, rheumatoid arthritis; stress fractures, or bacterial, viral, and fungal infections.

Duties

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Duties include but are not limited to:

• Apply a wide range of professional theories, assessment methods and techniques to care for ill patients and those with Podiatric medical and surgical problems.
• Develop coherent treatment strategies.
• Incorporate new clinical procedures.
• Provide professional advice and consultation in care areas related to treatment of podiatric conditions.
• Effectively train, supervise, and manage students and residents in the clinical and surgical environments.
• Actively participate in weekly academics (provide lectures, workshops, and other academic support for the residents/student training programs) and complete evaluations for resident/student rotations in a timely manner
• Interpersonal relationships, including conflict resolution and the ability to work collaboratively with other physicians and providers from a wide array of clinical services, specialties and departments.
• Work effectively with individuals or groups.
• Diagnose and treat medical and surgical disorders using the most appropriate techniques in providing quality care.
• Responsible for initial evaluation and overall workup, history and physicals, and admission of podiatric patients as needed. Clinical duties include but are not limited to Operating Room (experience in wide variety of standard podiatric surgical procedures and operations), in-patient rounds, Emergency Room and Outpatient Clinics. The staff podiatrist must be able to perform a wide variety of podiatric surgical procedures, to include rearfoot/ankle.
• Participate in all surgical quality/performance improvement initiatives as appropriate.
• Participate in podiatry day/night call rotation and perform emergency podiatric surgical procedures.
• Responsible for providing patients with education concerning their disease state and treatment regimen. The staff podiatrist will assess Veterans' risks and benefits associated with surgical procedures and will provide appropriate informed consent, so Veterans fully understand the important risks and benefits of surgical intervention.
• Complete all electronic, clinical, daily charting and documentation required by the Medical Center in a timely manner as appropriate, including outcomes reporting as appropriate.
• Enforces a policy of full disclosure. If there is a complication in the course of a patient's care, the staff podiatrist will present and discuss the event in the appropriate venue (M&M, external reviews...), as required by VA and local policies.
• Work effectively with patients and co-workers and will treat other health care professionals and patients' families with respect and dignity.
• Report administratively and clinically to the Chief of Podiatry.

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

Recruitment/Relocation/PCS and EDRP incentives: Not Authorized

Pay: Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, regular salary increases

Paid Time Off: 50-55 days of annual paid time offer 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

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 to 4:30 pm

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• All qualified candidates encouraged to apply. Open to U.S. Citizens but non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens.
• 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/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

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met,

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:

• Demonstrated complex rearfoot/ankle experience required (to include Charcot reconstruction, ankle fractures, rearfoot fractures, limb salvage...).
• Research background preferred (National-level poster/manuscript submission/presentation, publication in peer-reviewed journals...)
• Demonstrated complex wound care experience

Reference: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G-2 Physician Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office.

Physical Requirements: Heavy lifting (45 pounds and over), Moderate lifting (15-44 pounds), Light lifting (under 15 pounds), Reaching above shoulder, Use of fingers, Both hands required, Walking (1-4 hours), Repeated bending (1-2 hours), Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously, Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4, Ability to distinguish basic colors, Ability to distinguish shades of colors, Mental and emotional stability

Environmental Factors: Outside and inside, Constant noise, Dust, Working closely with others, Working alone

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, or
2. Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation of the American Osteopathic Association for the year in which the degree was granted.
3. For foreign medical graduates not covered in (1) or (2) above, facility officials must verify with the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) that the applicant has met requirements for certification, and must obtain a copy of the ECFMG certificate, if claimed by the applicant. [If the applicant does not claim an ECFMG certificate, facility officials must still confirm that the medical school meets (or met) ECFMG eligibility requirements for the year the candidate 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. a7 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.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

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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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.