Rheumatologist

A Staff Rheumatology duties and responsibilities at the Syracuse VA Medical Center:

1. Provide general Rheumatology services in keeping with good clinical practice and standards of the Rheumatology Section and Medicine Service at the Syracuse Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center and SUNY Upstate Medical University.
2. Close supervision, education and coordination of the Rheumatology fellows, medical residents and medical students when in rotation on your service.
3. Close collaboration with our University Affiliate to promote our missions of education, research, and development of our fellows in training to use evidenced based medical care.
4. Collaboration with the physician extenders and nursing care providers in the Rheumatology Section.
5. Be a resource for Primary Care providers to assist in the timely care of patients and appropriate referral to Rheumatology.
6. Provide expertise in multispecialty and patient care related discussions.
7. As a staff physician in the Medicine and Rheumatology subspecialty sections, you will be encouraged to participate in the development or on-going research, quality improvement and teaching as it relates to your professional interests.
8. Provide in-patient and outpatient Rheumatology consultation services and any necessary education required to all provider staff as needed.
9. Provide outpatient care and perform clinical procedures as necessary within the Rheumatology Section.
10. Function as an active member of the Rheumatology Department of the Syracuse Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
11. Obtain and Maintain Rheumatology board certification and training.
12. You will be expected to serve on Peer review and actively participate in other committees as requested by the Medical Center Director, Chief of Staff, Chief of Medicine and/or Chief of Rheumatology sections.
13. You will be expected to be in compliance with the Medical Staff bylaws and will complete all medical records timely through CPRS (Computerized Patient Record System) in accordance with VA Policies and Regulations.
14. All attending physicians are expected to participate in ongoing process improvements within their specific areas of expertise thereby promoting quality, efficiency, patient safety and timely access to care for our veteran patients.
15. All Medicine service providers are asked to become involved in teaching internal medicine residents and undergraduate medical students within their areas of expertise.
16. All physicians are actively engaged in completing quarterly chart reviews and other quality assurance work within the department.
17. Will ensure timely record completion for all patients as outlined in the Department of Medicine.
18. All physicians are expected to attend quarterly General Medical Staff meetings and monthly Medicine department staff meetings when they are on duty.
19. You will also be expected to promote a cooperative and collegial environment within your area.
20. You may be asked to have direct oversight of care rendered by an advanced practice provider (APP) within your area.
21. You will be expected to collaborate with Nursing, pharmacy, and all other ancillary personnel throughout the facility as needed to ensure processes are created for the safe, reliable delivery of chemotherapeutic care.

We offer:

• Competitive Salary of between $180k and $235k depending on experience.
• Annual performance bonus up to an additional $15K.
• Guaranteed salary increases as a Federal Employee.
• Licensure required: 1 full & unrestricted active U.S. license from any state or territory
• CME: $1,000/year and 5 days of paid absences for CME courses.
• Malpractice: VHA physicians are covered under federal tort laws, saving you up to $10,000 a year on average.
• No employment contracts, noncompete clauses, or restrictive covenants.
• 26 days paid vacation; 13 days paid sick time; 11 paid federal holidays; 15 days military leave.
• Federal Retirement Plan: 1% of your High Three for each year you work, vested after five years.
• Separate 401K with partial agency match.
• Health, Dental & Vision Insurance available w/ affordable premiums. website.
• Life Insurance
• Nationwide Mobility – Transfer to any other VA facility without loss of benefits or pay grade.

Why work at the VA?

• We put patient care As a veteran and patient myself, I have never waited for care nor ever felt under at time crunch with any of my appointments.
• The administration is focused on work life balance.
• We are partnered the State University of New York Upstate Teaching Hospital and have excellent opportunities for cross work at SUNY and obtain Academic appointments.
• Opportunities for research and publication.
• Once onboard, you can transfer to any VA in the country with an open position in your specialty.
• Our administrators and clinical heads are generally drawn from current employees, so there is plenty of room for advancement into management.
• Learn more about our benefits: VHA Total Rewards Brochure

Why move to Syracuse?

• It’s affordable compared to all major metropolitan areas.
• Easy commute, average less than 30 minutes from any suburb.
• Beautiful rural countryside right outside the city.
• Centrally located less than a day’s drive from all major Northeastern cities.
• Excellent school districts.

About the Syracuse VA Medical Center The Syracuse VA Medical Center, part of VA Healthcare Network Upstate New York opened its doors on June 14, 1953. The Medical Center utilizes state-of-the-art technology to provide a full range of patient care services, education and research. The 106-bed general medical and surgical facility provides comprehensive:

• Primary Care
• Mental Health
• Tertiary care
• Long-term care
• Physical Medicine
• Rehabilitation
• Neurology
• Oncology
• Dentistry
• Geriatrics

The Syracuse VA Medical Center also operates a Community Care Center that provides a community day program, mental health intensive case management program, homeless veteran program, and vocational services.

The Department of Veterans Affairs named the Syracuse VA Medical Center as a Center of Excellence for its Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom and Polytrauma programs. The Syracuse facility is also the principal referral center for neurosurgery and urological renal stone treatment, serving all of upstate New York and northern Pennsylvania veterans.

Syracuse VA provides primary and behavioral health care in a 13-county area of Central New York through eight community based outpatient clinics in Auburn, Binghampton, Carthage, Cortland, Ithaca, Massena, Oswego, and Rome.

The Syracuse VA Medical Center has an active affiliation with the State University of New York Upstate Medical University where over 650 of their students, residents, interns, and fellows receive training at the Medical Center each year. The Syracuse VA has eight affiliated nursing education programs and a physician assistant externship with LeMoyne College and a long-standing educational partnership with Syracuse University for field experience for audiology, speech pathology and social work students.

There is a $2.5 million research and development program that includes 95 studies on a variety of topics. The research program is fully accredited by the National Commission of Quality Assurance.

Syracuse recently completed a six-floor addition that houses a new spinal cord injury/disease center with a therapeutic pool, expanded outpatient services, dialysis program, and six new operating rooms. The Medical Center continues renovations for an expanded parking garage and recently completed construction on a new MRI suite, heart catheterization suite and a state-of-the-art emergency department. Information about the Syracuse area can be found at the Chamber of Commerce.

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