Career Center

Summary

The Central Texas Veterans Health Care System is currently recruiting for an Ophthalmologist - Surgical Services-Ophthlamology Section to provide comprehensive care for patients who have illnesses within the scope of Ophthlamology for the Austin VA Clinic - Austin - Texas.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position - you must meet the basic requirements as well as any additional requirements (if applicable) listed in the job announcement. Applicants pending the completion of training or license requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Currently employed physician(s) in VA who met the requirements for appointment under the previous qualification standard at the time of their initial appointment are deemed to have met the basic requirements of the occupation.

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
• Language: Proficiency in spoken and written English
• Education: 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
• License/Registration: 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) - 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
• Residency Note: 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
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Duties

• The Ophthalmologist is responsible for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with medical diseases - accomplished through ambulatory and bed-based resources assigned to Ophthalmology and Optometry
• Duties include but are not limited to: Participating in patient care through hospital rounds - morning reports - conferences - consultations - participation in ambulatory care - assigned call duty - and other similar activities
• Coordinating and providing ophthalmologic consultation throughout the medical center
• Assisting with recruiting qualified physicians to perform comprehensive and specialized patient care and teaching
• Participating in the selection and development of all resident physicians and insuring education experiences of Ophthalmology are of the quality and quantity expected by relevant accrediting bodies
• Medical and surgical treatment - evaluation - & interpretation of diseases and conditions of the eye
• Developing and maintaining programs inclusive of professional - peer review - organizational improvement - continuing education - scope of practice - clinical privileging - and other quality and process improvement activities
• Engaging in resident education and act as attending provider for ophthalmology residents during clinic and surgery
• Performing on-call duties
• Completing special projects as deemed necessary by the Chief - Eye Clinic - Attending staff meetings - etc
• 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: TBD (Typically M-F - 0730-1600 CST) VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package
• VHA Physician Total Rewards.