Anesthesiology

Anesthesiologist – Louis A Johnson VA Medical Center, Clarksburg WV

VA physicians lead change toward greater progress in Veteran care spanning all areas of medicine. With access to state-of-the-art technologies and pioneering research opportunities, they challenge the boundaries of health care to develop innovative treatment options that improve patient outcomes. VA fosters excellence thru mentorship, leadership, and educational programs, giving physicians the tools, they need to serve Veterans best. 

Anesthesiologist Duties:

The Louis A Johnson VA Medical Center is seeking an Anesthesiologist. The Anesthesiologist is accountable to the Chief of Surgery and is responsible for providing the most effective delivery of anesthesia care while meeting and exceeding compliance standards. Duties will include but are not limited to: pre-anesthesia, spinal anesthesia, epidural anesthesia, and regional anesthesia in collaboration with other anesthesiologists; perform thorough pre/peri/post anesthesia assessment and develop individualized anesthesia patient care plans; emergency airway management in the hospital, placement of intravenous catheters and intra-arterial lines and on-call responsibilities commensurate with other anesthesiologist in the department. The Anesthesiologist will assist with process improvement and quality assurance activities specific to the department.

Description of Work:

1. The Anesthesiologist will independently administer and monitor anesthesia care during, to include but not limited to, general surgery, vascular, urology, podiatry, orthopedics, otolaryngology, and ophthalmology procedures by providing services such as:

• Performing pre-anesthetic assessments and evaluations of a patient and developing an anesthetic plan;
• Initiating the planned anesthetic technique, which may include general, regional and local anesthesia and IV sedation;
• Administering the anesthetic, adjuvant drugs, accessory drugs and fluids necessary to manage the anesthetic and to maintain a patient's physiologic homeostasis and correct abnormal responses to the anesthesia or the surgery;
• Applying or inserting the appropriate non-invasive and invasive monitoring modalities for collecting and interpreting a patient's physilogic data;
• Managing a patient's airway and pulmonary status including induce endotracheal intubation, mechanical ventilation, pharmacological support, respiratory therapy and extubating;
• Managing a patient's emergence and recovery from anesthesia;
• Releasing a patient to post-anesthesia care providers;
• Responding to emergency situations by providing airway management, administration of emergency fluids, and drugs or using basic or advanced cardiac life support techniques;
• Assisting with procedures in the Post Anesthesia Recovery Unit (PACU) and the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) ; and
• Other tasks inherent to an Anesthesiologist in collaboration with other VA staff in the Surgery Department.
• Other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: 7:30 am to 4:00 pm, however subject to change based on the needs of the Medical Center. (required on-call coverage of irregular tours of duty as assigned)

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives (Sign-on Bonus):  Available for well-qualified applicants
EDRP Authorized: This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after completing review of the EDRP application. 

Excellent work schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.; however, subject to change, depending on the needs of the service/medical center. On-call responsibilities as required.

“Whole Health is an approach to health care that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their life to the fullest. The VA is committed to Whole Health and values Veteran and Employee health and wellbeing.   As a VA employee, you will practice Whole Health in an environment that supports personalized and proactive care.”

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

The Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center is a general medical and surgical hospital with 98 beds, located on a 16-acre site adjacent to the Veterans Memorial Park and the West Virginia State Nursing Home in the city of Clarksburg, West Virginia. It serves a Veteran population of approximately 70,000 in north central West Virginia and adjacent counties in Maryland, Ohio and Pennsylvania. In FY07 the medical center treated 19,554 unique patients through 216,090 outpatient visits and 3,541 admissions.

The facility was initially dedicated on December 7, 1950 and was enhanced with the clinical addition in 1989. Named after Louis A. Johnson, Secretary of Defense under President Truman, this medical center has been an active teaching facility since 1960 by participating in residency and academic affiliations with the West Virginia University, Fairmont State University, Alderson-Broaddus College and other nearby institutions of higher education.

Clarksburg, approximate population of 18,000 citizens, is located at the center of West Virginia's I-79 High Tech Corridor. The High Tech Corridor is anchored on the north by Morgantown, which is the home of West Virginia University, a Carnegie Foundation Research Institution and training academy for Cisco systems, Inc. and Oracle. Morgantown was recently rated the best small city in America by bizjournals.com. Other regional high technology operations include the National Energy Technology Laboratory, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, NASA IV and V Center, and Department of Defense Biometrics Fusion Center.

Clarksburg enjoys the amenities of the largest city in the region with the advantages of a small hometown community. A rich mix of retail, industry, and government services, with a thriving business community exist, along with an abundance of recreational facilities and one of the best preserved historic downtowns in the state. The crime rate is the second lowest in West Virginia and is one of the lowest in the country, property prices remain low, and the cost of living is substantially lower than any metropolitan city. Clarksburg is a small community rich with economic growth, heritage, and family recreation. Clarksburg's Historic downtown is also home to the largest legal, accounting, and banking community in north central West Virginia. There are approximately 6,000 professionals working in the Downtown Central Business District each weekday.

Clarksburg is located approximately two hours from Pittsburgh, PA, three and one-half hours from Columbus, OH, four hours from Washington, DC, and two hours from Charleston, WV.