Gastroenterologist for Veterans in beautiful Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

Outstanding Federal Benefits – Quality of Life – 49 days off annually

Position

Located in the Northeast corner of lovely Pennsylvania, the Wilkes-Barre VA medical center is a complexity level 2 teaching hospital that provides a full range of patient care services. Seeking a Gastroenterologist with devotion to caring for patients in a VA and academic setting.       

Highlights:

• Inpatient and outpatient
• some academic
• No EUS or ERCP but will discuss building a program if a candidate has interests
• Currently, there are two GIs, NPs 2 experienced PAs support GIs on staff  
• Call: home call 1:3-1:4th week rotation but rarely requires on-site reporting
• Open to flex schedules

Community

Along the scenic Susquehanna River is an outdoor enthusiast's paradise for kayaking, whitewater rafting, and hiking an extensive system of hiking/biking trails. Four state parks and numerous ski areas make this a popular destination. Enjoy gaming at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, take in a minor-league Pittsburgh Penguins hockey game, and watch the Railriders baseball team at PNC Field. The arts are an important part of Wilkes-Barre, with a Third Friday Artwalk and two large galleries, the Marquis and the Sordoni. Luzerne County is home to several major colleges and universities, including two Penn State campuses.  The area has about 500k folks, great schools, affordable, location only 2hrs of New York and Philadelphia, 4-5 hours from Boston, Pittsburgh, DC-Beltway (a day’s drive away from major metro areas in East Coast). 

About the VA

The medical center is equipped with state-of-the-art technology such as computerized medical records and teleradiology.  Comprehensive health care is provided through primary and tertiary care in areas of medicine, surgery, psychiatry, physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurology, oncology, dentistry, hematology, and nephrology.

The medical center has 68 operating hospital beds (including 10 Substance Abuse Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program) plus 105 operating Community Living Center beds.  Affiliations- Drexel University College of Medicine; Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine and   Salus University. Click here: 20 Reasons Doctors Like Working For The Veterans Health - VA.gov

For over 50 years, VAMC Wilkes-Barre has been improving the health of the men and women who have so proudly served our nation. We consider it our privilege to serve your health care needs in any way we can. Services are available but not limited to Veterans living in 18 counties in Pennsylvania and one county in New York.

Paid Time Off:

• 26 Days paid annual (vacation/personal) leave
• 13 Days paid sick leave each year with no limit on accumulation
• 11 paid Federal holidays per year
• 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