Physician (Gastroenterology) GI–opportunity in beautiful Tucson, Arizona

Southern Arizona VA Healthcare System (SAVAHCS) in scenic - sunny Tucson, Arizona is currently looking to add a full-time physician to our Gastroenterology Division.

Position Background:

SAVAHCS is the principal teaching affiliate of the University of Arizona Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy. Candidates must be eligible for a faculty appointment with the University of Arizona commensurate with clinical experience and academic achievement to facilitate the teaching of medical students, residents, and fellows.

The Tucson VA is a tertiary care facility providing a full range of clinical services including complex coronary angioplasty, electrophysiology, cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, and Mohs surgery. It has been a flagship quality provider within the VA and was a 2012 winner of the prestigious Robert W. Carey Performance Excellence Award. We are in a growth area for the VA. Consequently, the VA is open to major capital investment in our facility; we are in the planning phase for a new subspecialty’s clinic building.

Position Information:

• Participate in quality improvement activities and comply with rules and regulations of the agency, facility, and department.
• Support a satisfactory process for supervision and training of fellows, residents and medical students from University of Arizona College of Medicine rotating through the GI Division
• Maintain American Heart Association BLS and ACLS certification.
• A commitment to compliance with VA and SAVAHCS regulatory requirements
• Commitment to excellence in patient care and an interest in teaching are essential
• Contribution to the scientific literature is preferred and willingness to participate in clinical trials
• All the division members participate in outpatient clinic services including fellows, clinic, and in the in-patient consult service. SAVAHCS hospitalist services reduces the demands of in-patient care in the sub-specialty division.
• Work Schedule:Full-time, Permanent, Monday - Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.

Job Duties for the GI Physician include but are not limited to the following:

• Proficiency in standard endoscopy procedures is expected. There is an opportunity to perform advanced endoscopy procedures if it fits the candidate's interests and expertise.
• Excellent facilities and equipment are in place. Our GI service provides some remote care through telehealth and video visits; medical subspecialists are not required to travel to our affiliated clinics.
• There are numerous opportunities for clinical research and collaboration in research projects.

Requirements:

• United States Citizenship
• Non-US Citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified US 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
• Current, full, and unrestricted license to practice medicine or surgery in all the US States
• Must be Board Certified in Gastroenterology by the ABIM (American Board of Internal Medicine)
• Successful completion of Residency Training in the USA

• Preference will be given to candidates who are board certified or recently board eligible in gastroenterology.

Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is America’s largest integrated health care system, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 medical centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics), serving 9 million enrolled Veterans each year.

In addition to the honor of serving America’s Heroes, a career at VHA provides a robust total reward$ package (see full brochure here) and offers many benefits including: 

Pay: $325,000 - $350,000 per year with annual performance bonus, regular salary increases.

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): maybe approved for a highly qualified candidate
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 (Board certification required).
Malpractice: Free liability protection with tail coverage provided.
Contract: No Physician Employment Contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required.

Please email: virginia.deutsch@va.gov

Thank you for your consideration and we look forward to assisting you to your new, rewarding career at the Veterans Health Administration – Tucson, Arizona!

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