Physician-Hospitalist (Section Chief)

The Section Chief Hospitalist at Robley Rex VA Medical Center provides dynamic leadership, clinical oversight, and operational management of the Hospitalist Program. The Chief Hospitalist ensures that high-quality, patient-centered, and efficient inpatient medical care is delivered in compliance with all applicable VA and regulatory requirements.

Major Duties and Responsibilities: 1. Clinical Duties 75% Provides direct inpatient care as attending physician on the hospitalist service, maintaining clinical proficiency. Leads the hospitalist team including staff physicians, advanced practice providers, and residents. Develops and implements clinical policies, procedures, and protocols to optimize patient care and clinical outcomes. 2. Administrative Oversight (20%) Oversees daily operations of the inpatient Medicine Service line, including bed management, patient flow, and coverage schedules. Coordinates with other services (Nursing, Social Work, Pharmacy, Emergency Medicine, Specialty Providers, etc.) to ensure seamless, interdisciplinary patient care. Leads or participates in relevant hospital committees and quality improvement initiatives. Monitors clinical performance and patient outcomes; identifies opportunities for improvement. Implements evidence-based practices and meets or exceeds applicable quality benchmarks. Oversees reporting of performance metrics, adverse events, and utilization data. Provides mentoring, training, and evaluation for medical students, residents, fellows, and advanced practice providers. Organizes educational sessions, case conferences, and journal clubs for the hospitalist group. Supervises and evaluates staff performance; conducts annual performance reviews. Recruits, retains, and orients new staff; fosters an inclusive and collaborative team environment. Ensures compliance with all federal, VA and Joint Commission standards. Maintains accurate and timely documentation in the electronic medical record (CPRS). Other Duties as Assigned: Performs other related duties as assigned by the Chief of Medicine or Medical Center leadership. Supervision Received: Reports directly to the Chief of Medicine Service. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact vhaedrpprogramsupport@va.gov,, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance This position is 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. 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 U.S. 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: 0700-1500, 0730-1530,or 0800 1600

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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). 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. 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.