Primary Care Physician – Western Colorado: Annual Bonus + Incentive Eligible

Role Description:

The Veteran’s Administration Medical Center (VAMC) is seeking a full-time Primary Care Physician to join our team in Grand Junction, Colorado. In this on-site role, you will take the lead for the care and health assessment for our Western Colorado Veteran population. The Veteran’s Health Administration Western Colorado Healthcare System features specialized personal care epitomizing excellence in healthcare delivered through a unique combination of medical center-based and local community-focused medicine. Be a part of the team who brings innovative, leading-edge care to America’s Veterans. 

The Opportunity:

• Established patient base with ability to grow
• Low patient volume, 30-minute scheduling grid
• Easy referral to multiple in-house specialty physicians, no pre-authorizations necessary
• Strong team support from nursing and technician staff

Basic Requirements:

• MD, or DO degree from a fully accredited medical or osteopathic school of medicine, board certified with a minimum 5 years of post-residency practice experience
• Current, full and unrestricted license to practice medicine or surgery in any US state
• Residency Training: Physicians must have completed approved US residency training
• Willingness to perform face-to-face, video, and telephone appointments

Compensation Detail:

Competitive salary, sign-on incentive potential, annual bonus range. Base salary range $220k - $250k plus up to $15k annual bonus. Position is also eligible for student loan payment reimbursement program if individual eligibility requirements are met.

 VAMC Grand Junction serves veterans on the western slope of Colorado, southeastern Utah, and southwestern Wyoming. In addition to our main medical center in Grand Junction, we offer a number of services to our patients in four community-based outpatient clinics.

 The Grand Junction VA Medical Center (VAMC) serves 37,000 veterans residing on the Western Slope. The VAMC consists of one facility located in the city of Grand Junction; a Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) in Montrose, serving the southwestern Colorado counties; and a telehealth outreach clinic in Craig, serving northwestern Colorado and southwestern Wyoming.

The VAMC operates 53 beds comprised of 23 acute care and 30 Transitional Care Unit beds. The VAMC provides primary and secondary care including acute medical, surgical, and psychiatric inpatient services, as well as a full range of outpatient services.

The VAMC was the recipient of the 2001 Presidential Award for Quality and the 1999 Robert W. Carey Quality Award Trophy. It is the first and only organization ever in VA to earn the Presidential Award for Quality. 
 

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

251 miles W. of Denver, 169 miles N. of Durango

Grand Junction is an excellent jumping-off point for those who want to drive or hike through the awe-inspiring red-rock canyons and sandstone monoliths of Colorado National Monument, explore the canyons at Dinosaur National Monument (about 2 hr. north), or sip and savor in the wine country of Palisade, just a short drive east.

Grand Junction is also the eastern entrance to one of the West's most scenic and challenging mountain-biking treks, Kokopelli's Trail, which ends in Moab, Utah. For the less athletically inclined, Grand Junction has an active visual-arts community, good museums, and a fine botanical garden.

Located at the confluence of the Gunnison and Colorado rivers at an elevation of 4,586 feet, the city was founded in 1882 where the spike was driven to connect Denver and Salt Lake City by rail. It quickly became the primary trade and distribution center between the two state capitals, and its mild climate, together with the fertile soil and irrigation potential of the river valleys, helped it grow into an important agricultural area. Soybeans, and later peaches and pears, were the most important crops. The city was also a center of the western Colorado uranium boom in the 1950s and the oil-shale boom in the late 1970s, and today is a fast-growing trade center serving practically all of western Colorado and eastern Utah.