Nuclear Medicine, Section Chief

The NJ VA Healthcare System is seeking a Physician, Section Chief, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging to join our leadership team at the East Orange, NJ campus. Will primarily serve as a Nuclear Radiology Section Chief in the Imaging Service, performing all radiopharmaceutical therapies and interpreting a wide range of nuclear medicine and general diagnostic radiology studies. More precisely, pioneering our general nuclear medicine program using SPECT and PET/CT imaging, as well as nuclear cardiology. As a clinically facing leader, you will have the opportunity to improve veteran patient care in more than one way.

• Supervise the nuclear imaging laboratory, with responsibility for establishing and reviewing imaging procedural protocols
• Perform routine and emergent reading, interpretation and document of nuclear medicine and radiology reports, for both outpatient and inpatient departments
• Ensure high-quality imaging and collaborative clinical care and compliance with the standards of accrediting bodies such as the American College of Radiology, Joint Commission, and the Inspector General's Combined Assessment Program
• Advise collaborating physicians of clinical indications, limitations, assessments, or risks of diagnostic and therapeutic applications of radioactive materials
• Establish, implement, and enforce radiation protection standards for patients and staff
• Support the continuing education of technical staff, while stewarding performance improvement of the care and services provided by Nuclear Medicine Radiology Services
• Monitor and ensure the appropriate and safe handling of radioactive and hazardous materials and/or medical waste is adhered to and that established procedures are effective and up to date

Key Requirements:

• 5 years experience and 1 year experience in leading a team highly preferred
• Experience working within the VA or with complex veteran patient populations highly preferred
• U.S. Citizen
• B/E or B/C in Nuclear Medicine or Radiology highly preferred but not required
• Holds a full and unrestricted license to practice medicine in ANY U.S. State

Schedule: Monday - Friday 8a-4:30p with some call

VA Offers a comprehensive Total Rewards package.

Education: eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. Must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy

Paid Time Off: 50-55 days of paid time off per year

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

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