Orthopedic Surgeon

The Central Texas Veterans Health Care System (CTVHCS) is currently recruiting for a Physician (Orthopedic Surgeon) providing Orthopedic Care located in Temple, TX. This vacancy will remain open until filled. Applications will be reviewed on a regular basis or at the request of management. To qualify for this position, you must meet the basic requirements as well as any additional requirements (if applicable) listed in the job announcement. 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: Education: Degree of Doctor of Medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in allopathic medicine or osteopathic medicine. The degree must have been obtained from an institution whose accreditation was in place for the year in which the course of study was completed. Licensure and 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: Those approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), b) OR Those approved by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA),OR 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. 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. Board Certification: Physicians are generally not required to be board certified for employment in VA; however, three circumstances in VA require physician board certification: If the position being filled is required to be a supervisor for medical students or physician residents (including fellows), the LCME, ACGME or AOA standards requiring a particular board certification credential will apply. If the position being filled will have faculty status with an affiliated medical school (for example, in joint recruitments with affiliated medical schools), then a medical school requirement for board certification will apply to the jointly recruited position. If the position being filled is required to be board certified by virtue of specific VHA policy (for example, as director of a cardiac catheterization laboratory or Director of Clinical Laboratory Medicine), then VHA policy requiring board certification will apply.] Physical Requirements: See outlined below. English Language Proficiency. Physicians appointed to direct patient-care positions must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. § 7402(d) and 7407(d). United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. Additional Requirement: US Board certification in Orthopedics (due to supervision of residents) Preferred Experience: Experience with examining and treating patients functioning as a comprehensive orthopedics clinically and surgically and determine the need for surgical or non-surgical treatment of routine, urgent or emergent patients. Experience with Arthroscopy, Hip and Knee Experience with Joint replacement procedures (knees, shoulders, hips) Reference: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G-2 Physician Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. Physical Requirements: Moderate lifting, 15-44 pounds; Moderate carrying, 15-44 pounds; Use of fingers; Both hands required; Walking (4-8hrs); Standing (4-8hrs); Both legs required; Both eyes required; Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4; Far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other; Both eyes required; Depth perception; Ability to distinguish basic colors; Ability to distinguish shades of colors; Hearing (aid permitted); Mental/ Emotional Stability; ["The Orthopedic physician is assigned to Surgical Services, Orthopedic Section, of the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System (CTVHCS) . She/he provides comprehensive care for patients who have illnesses within the scope of Orthopedics. The scope of these activities covers hospitalized patients and all phases of ambulatory care. Other responsibilities may include education of medical students and residents and/or supervision of other providers. The physician should be experienced and qualified in some or all of the following procedures: amputation surgery, arthrocentesis diagnostic, arthrocentesis diagnostic, arthrodesis, osteotomy and ligament reconstruction of the major peripheral joints, arthroplasty of large and small joints, including implants, biopsy and excision of tumors involving bone and adjacent soft tissues, bone grafts and allografts, carpal tunnel decompression, closed reduction of fractures and dislocations of the skeleton, debridement of soft tissue, excision of soft tissue/bone masses, fasciotomy and fasciectomy, fracture fixation, fusion procedures, hemiarthroplasty, laceration repair, ligament reconstruction, major arthroplasty including total replacement of knee joint, hip joint, management of infectious and inflammations of bones, joints and tendon sheaths; muscle and tendon repair, open reduction and internal/external fixation of fractures and dislocations of the skeleton, removal of soft tissue mass, rotator cuff repair, total joint replacement revision; total joint surgery. Clinical Management: includes indirect patient care; accurate and timely open encounter & open consult management, adheres to CPRS documentation rules and requirements and to clinic procedures for patient scheduling & access; facilitates clinic staff productivity; oversight of relevant performance measures; and participates in the development of the new focus on the Medical Home and Patient Centric Care, Utilization Management, and Patient Safety initiatives, and process improvements(system redesign). Patient Care: Practitioners are expected to provide patient care that is compassionate, appropriate, and effective for the promotion of health, prevention of illness, treatment of disease, and care at the end of life. Medical/Clinical Knowledge: Practitioners are expected to demonstrate knowledge of established and evolving biomedical, clinical and social sciences, and the application of their knowledge to patient care and the education of others. Clinical Judgment: To ensure practice-based learning and improvement, practitioners are expected to be able to use scientific evidence and methods to investigate, evaluate, and improve patient care. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. 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, 07.30am-16.00pm or 08.00am-16.30pm"]

Providing Health Care for Veterans: The Veterans Health Administration is America’s largest integrated health care system, providing care at 1,255 health care facilities, including 170 medical centers and 1,074 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics), serving 9 million enrolled Veterans each year.