Summary

The Cincinnati VA Medical Center (VAMC) is searching for a full-time Staff Cardiologist to fulfill the current staffing needs of our facility. The Cincinnati VAMC is an active teaching hospital that is affiliated with and in walking distance of the University of Cincinnati. The Cardiologist will primarily serve in both the inpatient and outpatient setting.

The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Duties

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The Staff Physician -Cardiology's primary role is to provide clinical care in Cardiology and to oversee the educations of Residents, Fellows, and Medical Students within his/her practice area.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Serves as acting chief of the section (if appropriate), as needed.
• Provides guidance and support to the physician assistants and nurse practitioners assigned to Medical Service in their respective areas of expertise.
• Provides guidance and supervision for the medical students and residents (interns, residents, and/or fellows) assigned to General Medicine House Service/subspecialty services and clinics according to facility standards when assigned to do so by the Chief, Medical Service.
• Participates in and attends medical center committees as assigned by the Section Chief and or Chief Medical Service and in his/her absence when requested.
• Participates in various facility programs designed to enhance and improve the delivery of patient care services, such as Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) teams, as assigned by Section Chief and or Chief of Medical Service.
• Provides quality patient-centered patient care to both inpatients and outpatients for adults age 18-65 and older adults age 65+ as assigned by Chief, Medical Service.
• Demonstrate sound decision-making skills, both clinical and administrative, which bring credit to the profession and serve to enhance the distinctive and contributory role of physicians.
• Serves as staff attending for sub-specialty consult service as assigned.
• Exhibits leadership in initiating changes in patient care programs based on current concepts and finding from research and studies. Keeps informed of developments in the management and treatment of diseases and illness through continuing medical education, both formal and informal.
• Consistently demonstrates expertise in diagnosing and treating seriously ill, multi-symptomatic patients when clinical assignments so dictate.
• Completes all medical record documentation, encounters and trainee supervision attestations in the electronic medical record within prescribed timeframes.
• Plans implements, and evaluates care based on age specific requirements of the patient.
• Participates in the formal education of the residents, fellows and medical students by presenting teaching rounds, lectures, conferences, etc.
• Demonstrates and trains medical Students, Residents, and Fellows in medical procedures that are required to provide optimal patient care appropriate to their expertise.
• Assists in the development and implementation of education and training programs for medical students and fellows and residents, rotating the Medical Service accountable Clinical Services.
• Meets scholarly activity requirements when applicable, including peer-reviewed publication, discover, and national professional organization participation.
• If involved in an ongoing research project, abides by all VA regulations governing research protocols/policies and/or procedures.

Work Schedule: In general, Monday through Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm but acute patient care may require additional time outside of these hours. Role requires some weekend calls and inpatient rounding.

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

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be available for qualified applicants

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

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:

• Must qualify for a faculty appointment at the University of Cincinnati.
• Maintain BLS certification and ACLS.

Preferred Experience:

• Board eligible/board certified in Cardiology.
• Training in Heart Failure Strongly Desired (Additional training Heart Failure Training after general Cardiology fellowship).

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

Physical Requirements: Per VA Directive and Handbook 5019 - a physical examination will be conducted based on the physical requirements of the position. A physical examination prior to placement is required. Long periods of standing or walking in the operating room setting and outpatient clinic will be encountered. The mental/sensory requirements include recall, reasoning, problem-solving, hearing, speaking clearly, writing legibly, reading, and logical thinking. The environment's pace can vary from steady to a sometimes-fast pace requiring handling of multiple priorities, frequent, sometimes intense customer, intense customer interactions, and the ability to adapt to frequent changes in a sometimes-noisy environment.

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.