Section Chief Jobs in Texas (NOW HIRING)

Summary
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.
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Duties
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In addition to observance of Federal national and local regulatory, policy, and accreditation requirements governing this Health Care System, this position encompasses the following examples of responsibilities overseen by the Pulmonary Section Chief. Section Chiefs require appropriate time mapping to ensure they have the time required to successfully manage and delegate the following duties.
Administrative Duties
Leadership responsibilities: organizing staff meetings, communication both down to staff and up to leadership, to include heads up (for acute patient bad outcomes) and issue briefs, acting as Service Chief when the Service Chief and Deputy Service Chief are both on leave.
HR Management: hiring requirements including recruitments with University, updates on Functional Statements & Position Descriptions, co-management of 6 part folder, pay panel preparation.
Staff Management: routine ratings of all staff, including yearly proficiency reports on all faculty and yearly title 38 mid-year review, OPPEs (2x a year), FPPEs as requested by PSB, promotions, disciplinary actions & grievances, training requirements (and TMS capability), employee health requirements, Peer Reviews (purple folders).
Time/Leave Management: Tour of Duties, VATAS approvals of leave, time card certification, approvals of clinic cancellations.
Business Planning: work with Med Svc office on DSS mapping, FTE needs, capacity analysis, workloads, resource needs (equipment, IT, supplies, space, etc)
Clinical Management including indirect patient care: open encounter & open consult management, CPRS documentation requirements, oversight of clinic scheduling & access, ensuring staff productivity, oversight of relevant performance measures, and development of the new focus on the Medical Home and Patient Centric Care, Utilization, Quality, and Patient Safety oversight, process improvement (system redesign).
Clinical Duties: The Pulmonary Section Chief is expected to remain privileged and practicing in their specialty field.
Patient Care: Practitioners are expected to provide patient care, either face-to-face or virtual, that is compassionate, appropriate, and effective for the promotion of health, prevention of illness, treatment of disease, and care at the end of life.
Medical/Clinical Knowledge: Practitioners are expected to demonstrate knowledge of established and evolving biomedical, clinical and social sciences, and the application of their knowledge to patient care and the education of others.
Clinical Judgment: To ensure practice-based learning and improvement, practitioners are expected to be able to use scientific evidence and methods to investigate, evaluate, and improve patient care.
Interpersonal & Communication Skills: Practitioners are expected to demonstrate interpersonal and communication skills that enable them to establish and maintain professional relationships with patients, families, and other members of the health care team.
VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards.
Recruitment/Relocation Incentive: A recruitment/relocation incentive is authorized for highly qualified individuals.
Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Learn more.
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact vhaedrpprogramsupport@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator 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
Work Schedule: Full-time; Monday-Friday; 7:30am-4:00pm
Telework: Available; Ad-hoc
Salary also based on years out of fellowship
This is an open continuous announcement and will remain open until the closing date or until the position is filled. Eligible applications received will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until the position is filled.
Requirements
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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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• 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.

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.
• 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 one of the schools approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs for the year in which the course of study was completed.
• License: 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.
• English Language Proficiency: Proficiency in spoken and written English. Physicians appointed to direct patient-care positions must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d) and 7407(d).

PHYSICIAN STAFF REQUIREMENTS
Leadership/Manager Positions: Physician leadership and manager positions may include, but are not limited to, facility Chiefs of Staff, Directors (that is, medical center, and Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN)); VISN Chief Medical Officer; selected positions in VHA Central Office. Positions are approved for these levels based on the scope and complexity of the assignment and the level of responsibility.
Additional Requirement:
Board Certification: Board certify/Eligible for Pulmonary/Critical Care
Preferred Experience:
-At least 5 years out of fellowship
-At least 2 years' experience supervising residents
-At least 2 years of supervisory experience
-Excellent references
-Medical Research a plus
Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.
Pre-Employment/Post-Employment Physical Examination: May be required, depending on the needs of the organization.
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:

1. Schools of medicine accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for the year in which the degree was granted.
2. Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) for the year in which the degree was granted.
3. 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.
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,