Physician - Assistant Chief of Quality and Education

About the role

The North Florida/South Georgia VA HCS Medical Specialties Service is seeking a dynamic individual to join us as the Assistant Chief of Medicine for Quality & Education.

This is a full-time physician position based in Gainesville, however, will serve to assist with quality and educational needs throughout all areas of the North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System where Medical Specialties Service has staff on site.

What you will do

• This position may be eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program.
• You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment.
• Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application.
• Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.
• VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package.
• VHA Physician Total Rewards.
• Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): .
• EDRP May be Authorized (depending on the clinical specialty of the selected Physician): Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.
• Contact the VISN 8 Compensation Center of Excellence at *** for questions/assistance.
• 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 The incumbent will provide approximately 75% protected time devoted to service-wide quality and educational needs, and approximately 25% time will be devoted to patient care within the clinical subspecialty in which the physician is trained.
• A summary of the duties is mentioned below but not limited to: Serves as primary owner of quality and performance improvement metrics for the service working alongside the Service Chief, Section Chiefs, and senior leadership.
• Regularly examines quality data across specialties, interprets data, and develops improvement plans to address deficiencies.
• Collaborates with Service/Section Chiefs and/ or other services on special projects, improvement initiatives, or new programs requiring implementation within the service or in collaboration with other services.
• Serves as the primary educational resource for staff within the service for quality and performance improvement concepts, including providing explanations, staff meeting education, and guidance on data sources and interpretation.
• Reviews hospital-level quality datasets such as SAIL, ELD, and other performance dashboards to identify opportunities for improvement and creates action plans to address performance gaps as appropriate.
• Analyzes and interprets data that directly contribute to CMS Star Rating performance and develops improvement plans.
• Leads or supports initiatives aimed at reducing avoidable admissions and readmissions, particularly related to heart failure, pneumonia, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
• Serves as a key contributor to facility-level committees monitoring quality metrics that impact the service such as, but not limited to: inpatient Flow Committee, SIMM, etc. Serves as a superuser for CPRS and for the new Federal Electronic Health Record by providing education/support to staff and by leading/contributing to the development and modification of order sets, treatment pathways and note templates.
• Develops and manages the new employee orientation program facilitating different trainings of new clinical providers as well as creating and distributing a guidebook for new employee orientation specific to clinical providers.
• Serves as the primary expert for dissemination of Ambient AI Scribe dictation throughout the service and other future available technologies that reduce provider burden and/or increase staff efficiencies.
• Performs approximately 25% clinical effort in their area of clinical subspecialty.
• Integrates into the Service Chief Administrative team to actively participate in the administration of the service through regular and continuous engagement with the Service Chief office administrative team.
• This includes participating in daily/weekly meetings of the Service Chief office administrative team, assisting with recruitment tasks, and coverage for the Service Chief during periods of absence if necessary.
• Other duties as assigned.
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm (Note: Work schedules are determined and approved by the supervisor.
• The incumbent may be required to work various shifts on a permanent or temporary basis based on facility/patient care needs).

Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment.
• Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (***).
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation/examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

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.

Approved schools are: Schools of medicine accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for the year in which the degree was granted. Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) for the year in which the degree was granted.

For foreign medical graduates not covered in (1) or (2) above, confirmation must be made that the medical school meets (or met) Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) eligibility requirement for year graduated. NOTE: The Under Secretary of Health or designee in the VHA Central Office may approve the appointment under authority of 38 U.S.C.

7405 of a physician graduate of a school of medicine not covered above if the candidate is to be assigned to a research, academic, or administrative position with no patient care responsibilities. The appointment will be made only in exceptional circumstances where the candidate's credentials clearly demonstrate high professional attainment or expertise in the specialty area.

How you will be evaluated

Your application, resume, C.V., and/or other supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

NOTE: A formal pay-setting process will be used to determine your salary. The salary may be at any point in the range listed for this vacancy.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social).

Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

Documents you must provide

• To apply for this position, you must submit a C.V. and/or resume.
• Other documents may be requested later in the process if needed.
• The following additional supporting documents must be submitted: SF-50: All VA/Federal employees should submit a copy of your most recent SF-50 (that is not an award SF-50) that shows you're a current, permanent VA/Federal employee.
• You may get your SF-50 directly from your eOPF.
• VA employees may go to: ***
• Other Federal employees must contact your current HR Office for assistance assessing your eOPF/personnel folder.

What to expect next

Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. We will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued, and applicants will be notified of their status by email.

Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made. You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications.

Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center. NOTE: Participation in the seasonal influenza program is a condition of employment and a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).

It is a requirement that all HCP to receive annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Wearing a face mask is required when an exemption to the influenza vaccination has been granted. HCP in violation of this directive may face disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service.

HCP are individuals who, during the influenza season, work in VHA locations or who come into contact with VA patients or other HCP as part of their duties. VHA locations include, but are not limited to, VA hospitals and associated clinics, community living centers (CLCs), community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), domiciliary units, Vet centers and VA-leased medical facilities.

HCP include all VA licensed and unlicensed, clinical and administrative, remote and onsite, paid and without compensation, full- and part-time employees, intermittent employees, fee basis employees, VA contractors, researchers, volunteers and health professions trainees (HPTs) who are expected to perform any or all of their work at these facilities.

HPTs may be paid or unpaid and include residents, interns, fellows and students. HCP also includes VHA personnel providing home-based care to Veterans and drivers and other personnel whose duties put them in contact with patients outside VA medical facilities.

Additional information

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.