Physician (Chief of Cardiology)

The Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center is actively recruiting for a board certified Cardiologist to work in the Cardiology Department under the Specialty Care Service Line.

The Augusta Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center is a two-division Medical Center that provides tertiary care in the medicine, surgery, neurology, psychiatry, rehabilitation medicine, and spinal cord injury. The Medical Center is affiliated with Augusta University, Augusta Ga and as such integrates teaching, research, and advanced patient care, making it an attractive academic medical center. This facility offers a full spectrum of comprehensive health care services, using state-of-the-art technology and innovative programs, as well as education and research benefits.

Duties include but aren't limited to the following:

• Participates in the Cardiology Inpatient Consultative service and shares on-call responsibility with other members of the Cardiology section;
• Prepares monthly on-call rotation schedule;
• Well versed in cardiology and should have expertise in non-invasive cardiology; echocardiography; and stress testing;
• Have the ability to undertake a process improvement project to determine if it is cost effective for the organization;
• Attend monthly Specialty Care Medical Staff meeting;
• Be able to delegate assignments as appropriate;
• Perform other duties as designated by the Chief, Specialty Care Service.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives are not authorized.
Relocation Expenses (PCS) expenses are not authorized.
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.

Preferred Experience: Board Certification or equivalent qualification in Cardiology.

Reference: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G-2 Physician Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office.

Physical Requirements: This position requires visual acuity, keen hearing; clear, distinctive speech; and manual dexterity. The position requires potentially long periods of continued sitting, telephone and computer usage, walking, standing, stooping, bending, pulling, and pushing. Transferring of equipment/objects may be required.

To apply for this position, you must submit a C.V. and/or resume to nelson.nunez@va.gov

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

Augusta is a two-division Medical Center that provides tertiary care in medicine, surgery, neurology, psychiatry, rehabilitation medicine, and spinal cord injury. The Downtown Division is authorized 155 beds (58 medicine, 37 surgery, and 60 spinal cord injury). The Uptown Division, located approximately three miles away, is authorized 285 beds (68 psychiatry, 60 domiciliary, 15 blind rehabilitation and a 142-bed Restorative Care Center comprised of 132 nursing home care beds and 40 rehabilitation beds).

Through the Joint Venture for Shared Services agreement with Eisenhower Army Medical Center at Fort Gordon, Army surgeons perform neurosurgery at the Augusta VAMC for both VA patients and DoD beneficiaries. In addition, Cardio-thoracic surgery is performed at Eisenhower Army Medical Center for VA and DoD patients by Army surgeons. The Joint Venture for Shared Services provides for the cost-effective sharing of resources between these two federal health care facilities.

The medical center enjoys a strong affiliation with the Medical College of Georgia. The Augusta VAMC provides medical and allied health training to an average of more than 1000 students and residents annually. Additional health training affiliations exist with 50 academic institutions.