Physician - Otolaryngology

FUNCTIONS OR SCOPE OF ASSIGNED DUTIES: The Otolaryngologist (ENT) Physician functions under the overall direction of the Surgical/Specialty Care Service Director.

The incumbent exercises independent clinical judgment within the scope of approved clinical privileges and is accountable for providing safe, effective, timely, and appropriate patient care.

Major duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Evaluates, diagnoses, treats, and manages Veterans with diseases, injuries, and disorders of the ear, nose, throat, head, and neck. Provides direct, in-person care in ENT clinic, procedural, surgical, and consultative settings as assigned.

Performs Otolaryngology procedures and surgeries within the scope of approved clinical privileges, training, experience, and facility capabilities. Provides care related to General Otolaryngology, including conditions involving the ear, nose, throat, sinuses, airway, voice, swallowing, and head and neck region.

Performs preoperative evaluations, obtains informed consent, develops treatment and surgical plans, and provides postoperative follow-up and ongoing management. Reviews, triages, and manages ENT consults in accordance with local consult management expectations, VHA Directives and patient care needs.

Maintains timely management of open encounters, open consults, diagnostic test results, clinical reminders, patient messages, and other required patient care follow-up.

Completes timely, accurate, and clinically appropriate documentation in the electronic health record, including clinic notes, procedure notes, operative reports, informed consent documentation, discharge instructions, follow-up plans, and patient education.

Provides inpatient consultation, urgent clinical review, call coverage, and cross-coverage as assigned and consistent with service needs. Communicates effectively with Veterans, families, caregivers, and health care team members regarding diagnoses, treatment options, risks, benefits, alternatives, expected outcomes, and follow-up plans.

Coordinates care with interdisciplinary team members and other services, including but not limited to primary care, audiology, speech pathology, radiology, pathology, anesthesia, oncology, nursing, and surgical services as clinically appropriate.

Participates in clinical operations related to access, clinic utilization, productivity, workload capture, scheduling coordination, and service-level performance improvement. Participates in quality improvement, patient safety, peer review, utilization review, risk management, system redesign, and clinical performance activities.

Attends required staff, section, service, medical staff, committee meetings, and other forums as assigned. Communicates patient care, operational, quality, or safety concerns through the appropriate chain of command.

Assists, when requested, in preparing clinical summaries, heads-up reports, issue briefs, adverse event reviews, or other communications related to patient care, clinical operations, or safety concerns. Uses current clinical evidence, accepted standards of practice, and professional judgment to evaluate, improve, and deliver patient care.

Demonstrates professional, respectful, and effective communication with Veterans, caregivers, staff, trainees, and members of the health care team. Maintains current licensure, credentialing, privileging, continuing education, mandatory training, and other professional requirements as validated through local processes.

Participates in teaching, mentoring, supervision, or educational activities involving trainees, residents, students, nursing staff, or other team members when applicable and assigned.

Complies with applicable facility, service, medical staff, privacy, information security, infection control, safety, occupational health, and emergency preparedness expectations. 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, 8:00am - 4:30pm

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. 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 one of the schools approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs for the year in which the course of study was completed. 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 accrediting bodies for graduate medical education, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or American Osteopathic Association (AOA), in the list published for the year the residency, or fellowship if applicable, was completed; OR (2) One year of post medical school training (internship, first year of residency, or transitional year residency) approved by ACGME or AOA followed by two years of post-training independent practice (performing under a full and unrestricted license) in the United States; OR (3) Non-US residency training programs followed by a minimum of three years of verified independent practice in the United States (performing under a full and unrestricted license) performing duties related to the position they are applying for (United States fellowships would be creditable towards this requirement), 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.

Exceptions: 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 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.

In rare and unusual circumstances, the Facility Director can submit a memo to the VISN Director through the VISN Chief Medical Officer, who may approve requests for reasonable exceptions to the residency training requirement for Physicians whose composite record of experience, accomplishments, performance, and qualifications warrant such action.

Proficiency in spoken and written English. Preferred Experience: Board Certified/Board Eligible in Otolaryngology Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: The work requires regular and recurring periods of standing, walking, bending, reaching, sitting, and use of hands for fine motor clinical tasks.

The incumbent may be required to assist with patient positioning, perform examinations and procedures, and work in clinical environments where prolonged standing or repetitive hand movements may occur.

The position requires visual acuity, manual dexterity, hearing, speech, and cognitive ability sufficient to perform clinical assessments, procedures, documentation, and patient communication.

The incumbent must be physically and mentally able to perform the essential functions of the position efficiently, with or without reasonable accommodation, and without hazard to self or others.