Physician (General Surgery)

About the role

The surgeon will provide direct surgical care to inpatient and outpatients; assist in the clinical education of surgical residents and students and pursue research opportunities (if available or desired), and participate in administrative assignments, such as committee membership.

What you will do

• VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package.
• VHA Physician Total Rewards.
• COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS: *Members of your specialty care team, CRNAs, RNSAs, Anesthesiologists, Chief of Surgery, O.R. personnel, staff supporting Inpatient/Outpatient environment and wide range of various other professionals and support staff throughout the medical center and community-based outpatient centers (CBOC's).
• Direct patient care will include veteran patients and interaction with family members or those identified as guardians or significant others.
• PURPOSE OF POSITION: *The surgeon will provide direct surgical care to inpatient and outpatients; assist in the clinical education of surgical residents and students and pursue research opportunities (if available or desired); and participate in administrative assignments, such as committee membership. *Practice elements will include the full range of adult general surgery, including inpatient management, outpatient clinic care and telemedicine, with VA referral sites throughout Southcentral Ohio.
• The Cincinnati VA Medical Center has a comprehensive general surgery team; surgeries to remove gallbladders and appendixes; colonoscopies and thyroidectomies.
• Our team also specializes in colorectal cancer; concurrent surgeries with orthopedics, urology and vascular surgery; breast cancer; and liver resections. *The facility has also developed a multidisciplinary team committed to the use of advance techniques for the salvage of extremities threatened by Diabetic Foot Disease.
• SCOPE OF ASSIGNED DUTIES: *Provide resident supervision and clinical instruction in the operating room, outpatient clinic and inpatient settings. *Attend, participate and supervise residents/students in outpatient clinics and take an active role in the evaluation of the patient, decision for treatment/care, and documentation in the patient electronic records. *Follows the VA Guidelines established for resident supervision, including those documentation requirements in the electronic patient healthcare record. *Conduct postoperative follow-up.
• Accompany the patient to the PACU assuring that the patient's condition is optimal.
• If admitted, visit in-house patient within 24-48 hours following anesthesia to assess post-surgical recovery. *Supervise Residents/students in clinical instruction and the performance of any bedside procedures appropriate to their level of graduate responsibility. *Participate in call coverage to advise and supervise residents.
• An on-call response time of 15 minutes by phone and 60 minutes in person is expected of Staff Surgeons at VAMC Cincinnati.
• This includes night, weekend and holiday hours. *Maintains professional competency, courtesy and flexibility to provide the necessary services of this specialty. *Provide regional level specialty support to VA facilities located in South-central Ohio through such means as tele-medicine and referral-based consultations and treatment. *Meet annual and mandatory training requirements that are specific to the Veterans Healthcare Administration. *In order to support Graduate Medical Education, applicants must be competitive for faculty appointment in the Division of Vascular Surgery at the University of Cincinnati in order to be considered for selection. *Staff may be assigned to committee membership to represent the surgical service or the hospital medical staff, and actively participate in carrying out assignments by that committee. *The surgeon must be able to function as an independent clinical provider.
• Initiative, diplomacy, and confidentiality are employed when dealing with patients, staff and trainees.
• Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Recruitment Incentive approved for qualifying applicants.
• 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, 8:00a.m.-4:30p.m.

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.

Veterans' Preference Note: Preference eligible candidates and other Veterans will be given preference when qualification of candidates are approximately equal for Title 38 positions in VHA. When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire.

You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.).

If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation.

Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference.

For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans' Preference.

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.

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.