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
• Preferred Experience: Completion of either PM&R or Anesthesiology residency training in the United States
• Completion of minimum of one year of fellowship in interventional pain management or equivalent, such as spine medicine, musculoskeletal medicine, etc
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Physical Requirements: The incumbent must be able to perform all activities of the position without restriction
• This position may involve walking and standing for extended periods, stooping, bending, kneeling, reaching, lifting (10-45lbs), and turning
• The work may involve going up and down flights of stairs
• Pre-Placement Examination
• Process/Procedures: Following an offer of employment or reemployment and prior to appointment, the responsible Human Resources (HR) Office will provide the Employee Occupational Health (EOH) service with the Optional Form (OF)-178, Certificate of Medical Examination that clearly identifies the physical requirements and/or medical standards of the position for which the individual is being appointed to
• The examination is concerned with the ability of the applicant to perform the essential functions of the proposed assignment satisfactorily and safely
• Laboratory and ancillary tests are authorized as required by Federal regulatory agencies or that assist the Agency Medical Officer (AMO) in determining whether or not the candidate meets the physical requirements and/or medical standards of the job may be performed.