Leadership Opportunity for Urologist-Section Chief with Recruitment/Relocation Incentive

We are excited to announce a key opening for the position of Urology Section Chief, an essential role that combines both administrative and clinical responsibilities within our Surgical Services team. This position not only allows for the practice of surgical procedures in a state-of-the-art operating room but also encompasses vital leadership duties within the department.

Key Responsibilities

The Urology Section Chief will be tasked with various critical duties, including:

• Patient Management: Reviewing and triaging both outpatient and inpatient consultations for new patients within mandated timeframes. You will engage in ward and ICU rounds and participate in initial and follow-up patient care as necessary.
• Continuum of Care: Overseeing each patient through the complete care continuum, from admissions and discharges to conducting detailed medical histories and physical exams. When surgical evaluations are not available, you'll be responsible for ordering necessary diagnostic tests and procedures before surgeries, as well as ensuring informed consent is acquired.
• Patient Education & On-Call Duties: Educating patients and their families will be a vital part of your role. You will also be required to provide a monthly on-call schedule to the surgical administration and participate in evening, weekend, and holiday on-call rotations as needed. Compliance with all medical documentation standards is paramount, including operation reports, discharge summaries, and clinical reminders.
• Quality Assurance: Striving for excellence in patient care delivery, you will meet and exceed compliance standards established by the Joint Commission and the VA Central Office, along with participating in external peer reviews.
• Teaching & Training: As part of our academic affiliation with Texas A&M Health Science Center, you will train and supervise medical students and residents throughout their surgical rotations.
• Veteran Patient Care: As the Urologist, you will manage the transfer of veterans from external facilities, provide medical advisory opinions, and engage in both internal and external peer reviews.
• Administrative Responsibilities: Attending surgical and medical staff meetings will be necessary, along with completing all required training through the Talent Management System. Performance appraisals for assigned staff and compliance with VA policies to ensure patient safety are also part of the role.

Work Schedule- This position is structured for Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., offering a balanced work-life opportunity.

Attractive Benefits and Incentives

The VA provides a robust total rewards package featuring:

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized

Compensation: Competitive salary, annual performance bonuses, and regular salary increments.

Paid Time Off: Enjoy up to 55 days of paid time off per year, including 26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 federal holidays, and a possible 5-day paid absence for Continuing Medical Education (CME).

Retirement Plan: Access a traditional federal pension (5 years to vest) and a federal 401K with up to 5% contributions from the VA.

Insurance: Comprehensive federal health, vision, dental, life insurance, and long-term care options, many of which can carry into retirement.

Licensure: One unrestricted medical license from any U.S. state or territory is required.

CME Reimbursement: Up to $1,000 annually qualifies for reimbursement.

Malpractice Coverage: Free liability protection with tail coverage included.

Contract Flexibility: No significant restrictions on external moonlighting.

Preferred Qualifications

• Board certification in Urology.
• Ability to offer medical opinions within various specialties.
• Experience as an operative surgeon with a background in robotic surgery preferred.
• 3-5 years of leadership experience in a medical facility setting.

For more information, contact Corina Sanchez, Physician and Provider Recruiter, at corina.sanchez@va.gov or by phone at 254-727-0952.

About Temple, Texas

Situated just 45 minutes north of Austin, Temple offers an ideal balance of small-town charm and urban amenities. The area is known for its safe, family-friendly environment and has a growing array of attractions, including beautiful parks, scenic trails, and unique neighborhoods. Recently recognized for its affordable cost of living by the Council for Community and Economic Research, Temple presents a wonderful opportunity to establish roots in a community that truly feels like home. To explore our accolades and recognitions, visit templetx.gov/awards.

We invite candidates passionate about urology and high-quality patient care to apply and become part of our dedicated team!

The Central Texas Veterans Health Care System (CTVHCS), accredited by the Joint Commission, is comprised of two large Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers located in Temple and Waco, a large stand-alone outpatient clinic in Austin, four community based outpatient clinics located in Brownwood, Bryan/College Station, Cedar Park, and Palestine plus a rural outreach clinic in La Grange.

The system is one of the largest integrated health care systems in the United States and provides a full range of services including medical, surgical, psychiatric, and rehabilitation with inpatient medical/surgical hospital beds, a hospice unit, and community living center (CLC) beds.  Located on its Waco campus, CTVHCS has one of the largest inpatient psychiatric facilities and one of only 12 Blind Rehabilitation Centers in the country. CTVHCS serves a Veteran population of more than 252,000, covers 35,243 square miles and 11 congressional districts in 39 counties.

In fiscal year (FY) 2013, CTVHCS treated 98,242 Veteran unique patients and recorded 8,925 inpatient admissions. Outpatient workload totaled 1,120,995 visits. CTVHCS collaborates with Fort Hood, the largest military base in the world with the biggest troop commitment to Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New Dawn (OEF/OIF/OND). CTVHCS provides transitional medical services and conducts PTSD and traumatic brain injury (TBI) research -- the signature illnesses of these conflicts.

CTVHCS has affiliation agreements with Texas A&M College of Medicine/Baylor-Scott and White Healthcare System, the University of Texas Southwestern/Seton Healthcare Network, and the Texas Department of State Health Services. More than 250 Residents and Fellows are trained annually at CTHVCS, plus more than 150 medical students per year. For the 2013 school year, CTVHCS received authorization for 100 graduate medical education slots for residents and fellows. CTVHCS has 113 separate affiliation agreements across the country with over 217 training programs—with the majority in Associated Health Programs; i.e., nursing, physician assistants, psychology, radiology techs, social workers, and more—resulting in just over 1,500 trainees per year completing the programs. We have added totally new training programs in Infectious Disease, Endocrinology, Preventive Medicine, ENT, Cardiology, Dermatology, Plastic Surgery, Vascular Surgery, Orthopedics, Pathology, Radiology, and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. As well as added additional positions in Pulmonary, Gastroenterology, General Surgery, Internal Medicine, Psychiatry, Anesthesiology, Family Medicine, and Neurology. Of the 343 CTVHCS medical staff, 168 have faculty appointments with Texas A&M College of Medicine.

The main CTVHCS Campus is at the Olin E. Teague Veterans' Medical Center in Temple, Texas. On the Temple Campus is a full-service, 189-bed teaching hospital that serves as the medical/surgical referral center for all CTVHCS campuses as well as providing outpatient services to Veterans across the 32-county service catchment area. Also located at the Temple Campus is a 262-bed domiciliary, a new 80-bed Community Living Center (CLC) which includes a 20-bed hospice unit, and an 8-bed Trauma Recovery Unit. A 160-bed State Veterans Home also resides on the Temple Campus grounds as well as an $11.5 million VA Research Institute which attracts world-class researchers to the Central Texas area. A new cardiac cauterization suite was completed in the summer of 2013 and is now operational.

Research Service at CTVHCS supports the national goal of advancing medical research programs that address Veterans' needs. CTVHCS participates in research supported by the VA Office of Research and Development, as well as from external sources such as Department of Defense, National Institutes of Health, non-profit foundations, and pharmaceutical companies. Forty-three principal investigators work on more than 131 active human, animal, or safety studies at CTVHCS. CTVHCS received a full 5-year accreditation by The Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP) effective September 9, 2011. In FY07, the total research expenditures for R&D Committee approved projects were $2.05 million. In FY13, the total increased to $8.06 million, which is a four-fold increase over the last seven fiscal years.

CTVHCS has affiliation agreements with Texas A&M College of Medicine/Scott and White, The University of Texas Southwestern Austin/Seton Healthcare Network, and the Texas Department of Health. More than 200 Residents and Fellows are trained annually at CTHVCS, plus more than 150 medical students per year. Over recent years, CTVHCS received authorization for additional graduate medical education residents, creating a total of 75 slots for residents and fellows in 2012. CTVHCS has 102 separate affiliation agreements across the country with over 200 training programs—with the majority in Associated Health Programs; i.e., nursing, physician assistants, psychology, radiology techs, social workers, and more—resulting in just over 1,500 trainees per year completing the programs. Of the 343 CTVHCS medical staff, 168 have faculty appointments with Texas A&M College of Medicine. Clinics

In addition to our main facilities in Temple and Waco, we have an outpatient clinic in Austin and the Temple Annex PACT Clinic. We offer services at the LaGrange VA Outreach Clinic and in four community-based outpatient clinics. These clinics are located in: Brownwood Bryan-College Station Cedar Park Palestine

Paid Time Off:

• 26 Days paid annual (vacation/personal) leave
• 13 Days paid sick leave each year with no limit on accumulation
• 11 Federal holidays with pay annually
• 5 Days paid absence to attend approved CME courses

Insurance:

• Health Insurance: VA employees have an outstanding number of health insurance plans from which to choose (premiums are partially paid by VA) Lifetime Healthcare Insurance options available
• Dental & Vision: Our insurance options also include exceptional vision and dental plans (premiums are partially paid by VA)
• VA employees have the option to use Flexible Spending Accounts, which allow you to use tax-free dollars to pay for medical, dental, and vision care expenses that are not reimbursed by your health insurance plan
• Term life insurance, family, and additional coverage options are available with the cost shared by the Federal Government
• Long-term care insurance is available as an option

Federal Retirement Plan:

• VA employees are covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). FERS is a three-tiered retirement plan composed of 1) Social Security benefits, 2) FERS-RAE basic benefits (pension), and 3) Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) which is a 401K-type plan
• How is the pension funded? VA employees automatically contribute 4.4% of their salary each pay period and the VA contributes 12.2% of the employee’s salary each pay period for a total annual contribution percentage equal to 16.6% of the employee’s salary
• Similar to the 401(k) savings plans widely available in the private sector, the TSP allows employees to tax defer a portion of their income each year, subject to the requirements of the Internal Revenue Service. For calendar year 2020, employees under the age of 50 may contribute up to $19,500, while those over age 50 are eligible to make catch-up contributions that allow them to defer up to $25,500.
• The Federal Government also provides an automatic basic contribution (1% of salary) and up to 4% of salary in matching contributions, depending on the amount of the employee contribution
• For retired military personnel, these benefits are in addition to full monthly retirement pay or pension
• In addition to FERS, VA provides health care insurance coverage for retired personnel
• Disability Retirement
• Employees are vested in a federal pension after only 5 years service