Physician - Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Primary Care - EDRP Authorized

Summary

The VA North Texas Health Care System (VANTHCS) Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Center has well-established programs dedicated to providing acute rehabilitation and chronic lifelong comprehensive care to Veterans with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI/D). An internal medicine physician will provide consultative and primary care services to the SCI Service on an inpatient and outpatient basis. Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) is authorized

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
• Education: 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
• License: 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
• English Language Proficiency: Proficiency in spoken and written English
• Preferred Experience: Board Certified in Internal Medicine or Family Medicine Women's Health Chronic Pain and Pharmacologic Management Chronic disease - aging and Polypharmacy Preventative Medicine Disability Advocacy Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: Light lifting - under 15 pounds
• Light carrying - under 15 pounds
• Reaching above shoulder
• Use of fingers
• Both hands required
• Walking (4 hours)
• Standing (4 hours)
• Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4
• Far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other
• Ability to distinguish basic colors
• Ability to distinguish shades of colors.

Duties

• This is an Open Continuous Announcement & will remain open until March 6 - 2026 - or until all positions are filled
• The first cut-off date is December 26 - 2025
• Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled
• Applicants will remain active for 3 months after their initial application is received and/or updated
• After that time - you must update your application through your USAJobs account if you would like to be made active again for possible consideration during the open period
• ---- Provides consultative and direct patient care (inpatient and outpatient)
• Provides outpatient primary care services to SCI/D population
• Completes initial internal medicine consults on new admissions
• Provides internal medicine consultation to SCI Interdisciplinary Team
• Supports the SCI team with managing complex medical issues
• Provides medical clearance for surgery
• Admits - evaluates - diagnoses and treats Veterans
• Completes documentation and clinical reminders per policy
• Provides education to patients - families and caregivers
• Seeks to develop and implement best practices within the SCI Service
• Advocates for Veterans with SCI/D
• Attends and participates in administrative and Veteran/family meetings as indicated
• Contributes to the academic mission of the VANTHCS by participating in activities such as educational lectures or research
• and - Complies with national and local performance measures and policies
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday (Full-time) - 0800-1630 - with on-call duties required but rotated with the other SCI Physicians (evenings/weekends/holidays)
• Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): 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
• Learn more
• EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
• Contact vhaedrpprogramsupport@va.gov - the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package
• VHA Physician Total Rewards
• 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