Cardiothoracic Surgeon

Harry S Truman VAMC is seeking a Cardiothoracic Surgeon to work in beautiful Columbia, MO!

Columbia is centrally located between St. Louis, Kansas City and the stunning Lake of the Ozarks. Columbia offers a wide variety of recreation options, including biking, jogging or walking on Columbia's beautiful greenbelt. Columbia is a great place to work and live, offering small-town friendliness with big city features!

Full time or part time options will be considered.

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus):  Available to qualified candidate
Pay: Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, regular salary increases
Paid Time Off: 50-55 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year and possible 5 day paid absence for CME)
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory
CME: Possible $1,000 per year reimbursement (must be full-time with board certification)
Malpractice: Free liability protection with tail coverage provided
Contract: No Physician Employment Contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. - some occasions may require work outside of this core schedule as this is a 24/7 hospital facility. Subject to change based on agency needs.

CARDIOTHORACIC (CT) SURGEON DUTIES

1. Design and conduct comprehensive examinations, diagnosis, and implementation of treatment plans, admission orders, discharge summaries, ordering special labs, and radiographic studies
2. Provide medical education/counseling to patients & their families
3. Verify, establish, and ensure that identified pre-operative surgical requirements are met, ensure appropriate arrangements have been established for admission, and coordinate inpatient activities on the floor
4. Primarily responsible for admissions and medical care of patients
5. Perform bedside procedures including placement of arterial lines, swan-ganz catheters, and central lines, bronchoscopy, changing of tracheostomy tubes, wound care and debridement, thoracentesis, removal of chest tubes, temporary pacing wires, intra-aortic balloon pump, central lines, arterial lines, and drains
6. Demonstrate ability to diagnose and treat CT surgery patients seen in consultation with other health care providers
7. Promote patient care programs for the CT surgery patients
8. Integrates the activities of the CT surgery service with other patient care programs at the facility
9. Provides education, teaching, and support to surgical residents and fellows
10. Participates in Quality Improvement (QI) projects as deemed necessary by the department, Quality Management (QM), and/or the Chief of Staff
11. Participates as a key member of the CT surgery Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) to ensure optimized outcomes for all CT surgery patients

SURGICAL INTENSIVE CARE DUTIES

1. Considers factors related to safety, effectiveness, and cost in planning and delivering CT surgical care
2. Performs complex CT surgeries and procedures on a high-acuity patient population; manages a broad range of CT surgery practice. This encompasses all areas of general CT surgery
3. Evaluates and treats CT surgery emergencies in the emergency department, inpatient wards, ICU, and operating room
4. Obtains H&P, and assessment of ongoing patient needs
5. Orders and interprets routine laboratory tests, diagnostic studies, and radiographic tests
6. Performs diagnostic and stabilization procedures as necessary based on ACLS
7. Collaborates with respiratory therapy and nursing for airway management and ventilator weaning
8. Writes orders for laboratory work, medications, and treatments in compliance with hospital policies
9. Participates in and prepares discharge planning needs for SICU patients through communication with team members, patients, families, and consultants
10. Documents relevant laboratory data, study results, patient care, pertinent procedures, and patient updates within notes
11. Demonstrates competence with placement and removal of enteral feeding tubes, central venous catheters, arterial lines, swan-ganz catheters, sutures, drains/tubes
12. Assists with and performs invasive procedures including central lines, arterial lines, etc
13. Collaborates with physicians, nurses, and other members of the health care team using effective communication and interpersonal skills to develop and maintain interdisciplinary teamwork
14. Identifies 'at risk' individuals in need of referrals
15. Maintains accurate, timely medical records
16. Participates in performance measures through documentation and data collection/reporting
17. Assists in investigation and documentation of patient issues and concerns
18. Identifies individual differences as related to the physiological, cultural, and psychological aspects of maturational development
19. Demonstrates ability to multi-task and prioritize patient care needs

John J. Pershing Veterans' Administration Healthcare System is committed to Diversity and Inclusion. Together, we strive to create and maintain a working and learning environment that promotes professional growth and teamwork. We offer an inclusive, equitable, and welcoming environment where we celebrate our individual differences and unite as a team toward a common goal of providing outstanding service to our Nation's Veterans.

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

Truman VA provides a full continuum of care in both inpatient and outpatient settings and is committed to excellent patient care, education and research. The facility offers comprehensive care including primary care, medical and surgical specialties, behavioral health, physical and occupational therapy and pharmacy services. In addition, Truman VA is a referral center for heart care services including open heart surgery. The facility also offers additional services including audiology & speech pathology, social work services, dermatology, dental, neurology, oncology, orthopedic surgery, podiatry, prosthetics, urology and vision care.