Physician Service Chief, Geriatrics and Extended Care

The VA New York Harbor Healthcare System provides care to eligible Veterans via 3 medical centers and 2 community-based outpatient clinics. The Margaret Cochran VA Campus is a high complexity facility located in Manhattan with a major educational affiliation with the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. The Brooklyn Campus provides acute inpatient medical and surgical services with a major affiliation with SUNY-Health Science Center - Brooklyn. The St. Albans Campus houses a community living center as well as outpatient services.

The ACOS directs the ECCs educational and performance improvement activities integrating them and the delivery of medical care with the facilitys mission vision and strategic plans.

Responsibilities include:

A. Administrative Responsibilities:
(1) Ensures that extended care services are aligned with the facilitys mission vision and strategic plan. Provides input as requested to the strategic plan.
(2) Provides for the integration of medical care with other services and programs within and outside the ECC. Develops and implements appropriate. policies and procedures to provide guidance in and ensure coordination of care.
(3) Directs and supervises the activities of the ECC including both inpatient and outpatient services.
(4) Ensures that all ECC policies are effectively implemented and maintained and are updated as necessary.
(5) Attends and provides input into as appropriate the Directors Staff Conference the Executive Leadership Committee the Strategic Planning Committee the Clinical Executive Board the Professional Standards and Credentialing Board and the ECC Performance Improvement Leadership Team.
(6) Assesses needs for develops implements and evaluates the ECCs performance improvement plan.
(7) Represents the Executive Chief of Staff and the Chief Medical Service as the physician at the ECC responsible for clinical administration and quality of patient care delivered in the nursing home units and the outpatient clinics.
(8) Develops in cooperation with the Chief Medical Service an inpatient Geriatric Consultation Service at the Brooklyn Campus.
(9) Ensures that customer service standards are promoted throughout the ECC.

B. Clinical Responsibilities:
(1) Ensures that comprehensive coordinated excellent quality long term health care for geriatric veterans is provided in a timely manner.
(2) Provides primary care to an assigned panel of patients at the St. Albans outpatient clinic.
(3) Assigns physician coverage for the nursing home units designating alternates as necessary; ensures policies and procedures are in place to promote appropriate intermediate bed utilization.
(4) Promotes effective communication and working relationships between the ECC and the VA NYHHSs medical school and allied health affiliates.
(5) Apprises the patient and his/her family and/or significant others of significant findings diagnoses and prognoses and collaborates with them on treatment and continuity of care plans and end-of-life planning; participates in interdisciplinary patient education delivery and documentation.

C. Educational Responsibilities:
(1) Serves as Director of the Interdisciplinary Long Term Care Conference.
(2) Ensures competency assessment service level orientation in-service training and continuing education are provided for all ECC staff on an ongoing basis and that documentation of participation and evaluation is maintained.
(3) Ensures that a clinical environment is maintained suitable for high quality geriatric education and training for students in the various health professions.
(4) Responsible for resident education within the ECC.
(5) Ensures appropriate supervision of house staff and students.
(6) Evaluates teaching programs to determine effectiveness in meeting program goals and patient care needs.
(7) Encourages research activities that add to a general understanding of the distinctive aspects of the diagnosis and treatment of disease and the functional

Work Schedule: 8:00am - 4:30pm

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 $1000 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

Conditions of employment

• 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 drivers licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the Required Documents section of this announcement.

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

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.
• 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.
• 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) b) 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.
  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.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.